THE minimum wage law of Pakistan suffers from many structural defects. Its definition of a ‘worker’ includes only those who work in industrial or commercial organisations. Thus, it misses out on at least 50 per cent of those who work in the informal sector, shops, homes, agriculture or on contract with government departments.

Sadly, about 50pc of those who work in industrial and commercial sectors also do not receive minimum wages. A few suggestions could greatly help to reduce the confusion and enhance compliance.

The government can declare Rs25,000 per month as the minimum wage applicable to every citizen across Pakistan, regardless of employer, location or nature of work. Higher wages can be paid to those who are skilled or where other laws dictate higher emoluments.

The minimum wage should be revised each year to account for inflation and to move from minimum wage to living wage.

The law must clarify that minimum wages are based on 26 working days per month and eight-hour duty per day. Overtime or work on a holiday ought to be paid at twice the amount of the minimum per-day wage. Currently, over 500,000 private security guards in Pakistan are denied these facilities.

Newspaper and television advertisements should be placed repeatedly to announce the minimum wage, the punishment for non-compliance, and a helpline number where any citizen can lodge a complaint in case any organisation is violating the law.

The existing labour departments and ministries in Pakistan exist primarily to ensure the denial of minimum wages to the workers. The only solution is to replace them with small technology-based organisations linked with the National Database and Registration Authority (Nadra).

Naeem Sadiq
Karachi

D.H.A. CITY ALLOTTEES: The DHA City, Karachi, was launched with great fanfare way back in 2009. For the last many years, there has been no development work at all on the site. The allottees are disappointed as they have deposited all the installments and yet they cannot build a house for themselves. The chief of the army staff should take notice of the lack of development and issue the right orders in this regard.

Asif Jah
Karachi

AFGHAN REFUGEES: This refers to the report ‘UNHCR urges Pakistan to accept new Afghan refugees’ (Sept 18). Pakistan has not yet recovered from the economic and social cost of the earlier influx of Afghan refugees, and cannot afford to play host to another such influx. The world has to come forward and play its part towards accommodating the Afghan refugees.

Mohammad S. Hasan
Karachi

TAX EVADERS: The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) is again offering relaxation to a selected band of people who have been allowed amnesty earlier. It is surprising that the same benefit is not given to the regular tax filers who have been paying taxes throughout their life. The FBR and the finance minister should look into this matter, and offer relaxation to all regular filers instead of a selected group of tax evaders.

Hassan Akhtar Khan
Karachi

POVERTY AND CRIME: Recently, I saw three teenagers stealing goods from a lorry carrying seafood in broad daylight near phase I of the Defence Housing Authority (DHA) in Karachi. From their attire and shabby hair, it was apparent that the culprits were poor, and perhaps that is why no one even honked at them, and preferred to simply move ahead on their way. We should not justify or ignore small crimes like this because of poverty. We do this today, and tomorrow we will be justifying a lot more. What kind of lawless society we are shaping, I wonder.

Sassi Bhutto
Karachi

Published in Dawn, October 6th, 2021