KARAK: The leaders of Workers Welfare Union, Karak chapter, have demanded registration of daily wage workers with the Employees Old-Age Benefit Institution (EOBI).

The demand came at a meeting in Sabirabad on Saturday. Patron-in-chief of the union Zafar Iqbal Saif Khattak, general secretary Gul Janan and legal adviser Qadir Shireen Khattak Advocate informed the meeting that there were 50 million daily wagers other than those working in mining and industries sectors across the country.

However, they said the daily wagers had not been registered with the EOBI. They pointed out that if such a huge number of workers was registered with EOBI they would help deposit Rs425 billion to the national kitty annually.

The labourers’ leaders demanded that the daily wagers should be given privileges on the pattern of mining and industrial workers. They argued that the daily wagers contributed to the national economy but they were not recognised as workers, which was sheer injustice with them.

The workers’ leaders demanded that the federal government make legislation, giving the daily wagers the status of workers.

They demanded that wages of such workers should also be fixed. The speakers further demanded that the federal government announce the new labour policy and improve the lot of working class.

They said the workers were living in misery in the face of prevailing price hike as the annual budget had failed to provide them any relief.

They demanded that the government announce relief for the working class forthwith.

Published in Dawn, June 30th, 2019