HYDERABAD: Members of trade unions, labour organisations, civil society and their supporters took out processions and staged rallies to mark International Labour Day across the province on Wednesday.

The leaders demanded in unison the government formulate a pro-labour policy and make substantial raise in the wages of labourers.

In Hyderabad, members of All Pakistan Wapda Hydro Electric Workers Union brought out a procession led by the union’s president Abdul Latif Nizamani, who urged federal government to desist from outsourcing national enterprises else workers would lay siege to its offices.

He said that workers were under constant stress due to overworking, shortage of employees, unemployment and price hike. Workload continued to increase daily while new recruitment was not being made, he said.

He said that Wapda workers were not being paid their dues and the organisation was on the verge of destruction thanks to wrong policies. If the government remained adamant on privatisation of the organisation then workers would resort to protest, he warned.

Sindh Community Foundation in collaboration with Asian Venture Philanthropy Network, Feed The Minds and Indigo Textile organised a workers’ convention titled “Social justice and decent work for all” in Matiari.

The speakers at the programme said that warmer climate was creating hardships for around one million cotton workers, 90pc of whom were women, in the hot weather.

They called for ensuring decent working conditions and challenges for workers in textile industry and said that legislation for women agriculture workers needed to be implemented in letter and spirit.

They said that farm workers did not receive health compensation from grower and demanded health cards and insurance for workers. The government should run mobile health clinic during cotton picking season so that women could receive first aid, they said.

At a procession brought out by the Muttahida Labour Federation, Asif Khattak, president MLF, Amjad Ali Khan, Karim Bux and others demanded that EOBI’s pension should be commensurate with minimum wages and PPP government should fix minimum wages at Rs60,000 per month.

They called for restoration of schemes of death and dowry grants, scholarships and sewing machines and demanded coal from Lakhra coalfield should be utilised for running Jamshoro power house. Hyderabad Municipal Corporation Workers Front and Sindh Taraqqi-pasand Party also organised rallies to mark the day.

In Larkana, Wapda union workers staged a big procession, which converged on Royal Chowk after marching on different roads in the city. The leaders decried indifferent attitude of rulers towards implementation of existing labour laws.

They warned that if the current anti-labour policies continued workers would be hard put to feed their families.

Highways Labour Union, Watandost Mazdoor Federation, Mehnatkash Municipal Union, Rickshaw Drivers Union, People Labour Bureau, Pakistan Trade Union Federation and other labour and trade organisations also held rallies on the day and urged the government to formulate a pro-labour policy.

In Nawabshah, Sanghar and Naushahro Feroze districts, processions were taken out by various organisations to mark the day.

Activists of Hari Welfare Association, Peoples Labour Bureau (PLB), Nawabshah Disability Forum, Mazdoor Ittehad and others brought out processions which culminated outside local press club.

The protesters demanded raise in labourer’s wages and reduction in working hours so they workers could have a healthy life and happy time with families.

Activists of Awami Workers Party took out a procession in Sanghar where the leaders demanded immediate increase in daily wages of labourers.

Members of Pakistan Muslim League-Functional organised a gathering in Khadro to mark the day. Similar processions were taken out by social welfare organisations in Naushahro Feroze district.

In Badin, workers of sugar mill and trade unions brought out a massive procession, which started from Mehran Chowk and concluded at Aiwan-i-Sahafat.

Labour leader Iqbal Parhiyar and Sindh Progressive Party leader Shahnawaz Sial addressed the participants and said that to this day many workers were unaware of their rights and were forced to fight for their livelihood. They urged the workers to do their jobs honestly and promote unity in their ranks.

In Mirpurkhas, PLB, Democratic Workers Union, Mazdoor Ittehad and Pakistan Trade Union Defence Campaign took out processions where the leaders condemned price hike of essential commodities and accused rulers of burdening the nation with foreign debts.

They said that salaries of labourers should be made equal to the amount of one Tola of gold, price of bread be reduced, unemployment, retrenchment of employees should be ended.

In Sukkur, All Employees Alliance and Mazdoor Ittehad staged rallies and marches on different roads and pitched their camps at Ghanta-Ghar and at Dolphin Chowk.

The leaders said in their addresses to workers’ gatherings that contractors and capitalist system were exploiting workers. Prices of all essential items were increasing but wages were remained stuck up, they complained.

In Jacobabad, All Rice Mills Labour Union organised a rally where the leaders urged contractors to take of their workers as they had nothing else except the small wages.

In Kandhkot, a large number of labourers took out a procession which culminated at press club where the leaders demanded the government should announce relief for workers and labourers.

In Ghotki, Awami Workers Party held a conference at a local hotel in Khanpur Mahar and took out a procession to mark the day.

Leaders of different political and social organisations, who participated in the conference, said that labourers did not have their basic rights even this day.

In Bhan Syedabad, Dadu district, Pakistan Trade Union Defense Champion and Revolutionary Kisan Tehreek organised a torch-bearing rally.

In Dadu, labor unions staged a rally where leaders said that farmers in Sindh were being blackmailed by a mafia. The labour laws should be implemented to protect workers’ rights, they said.

Published in Dawn, May 2nd, 2024