KARACHI: Labour leaders and rights activists on Sunday demanded that the provincial government immediately issue the official notification for the minimum wage and withdraw the proposed Sindh Labour Code forthwith.

They declared that if the minimum wage notification was not issued within a week, workers would stage a protest sit-in in front of the Sindh Assembly.

They were speaking at a ‘labour conference’ jointly organised by the National Trade Union Federation Pakistan (NTUF) and the Home-Based Women Workers Federation Pakistan (HBWWF) here. A large number of workers, including women, and leaders from labour and human rights organisations attended the event.

The conference witnessed strong condemnation from labour leaders against the Sindh government’s anti-labour stance.

Activists ask Sindh govt to withdraw proposed labour code

They pointed out that despite the passage of three months, the Sindh government had failed to issue the official notification for the minimum wage, affecting millions of workers and their families.

They criticised officials from the labour department, who, rather than addressing pressing issues, had been busy with foreign trips.

Labour representatives highlighted that the federal government and the other three provincial governments had already issued notifications and begun implementing the announced minimum wages.

However, the Sindh government, despite its claims of being pro-people, had neglected the basic rights of workers without any justification.

Workers’ representatives raised serious concerns about the inhumane treatment of workers in Sindh, with labour laws being openly violated in factories and industries.

The labour department was accused of being a mere silent spectator in the face of widespread injustices, including unjust dismissals, routine harassment of female workers, forced labour for extended hours, non-payment of minimum wages, and the non-registration of workers with social security and pension institutions.

The labour leaders also criticised the Sindh labour department for attempting to impose the “Sindh Labour Code,” which they claimed would legitimise the illegal third-party contract (Thekedari) system.

They appealed to Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari to immediately take notice of the anti-labour stance of the Sindh government to address the growing unrest among workers.

They expressed serious concerns over the rise of religious extremism, particularly in Sindh and called upon the working class to rise above religious, linguistic and sectarian differences and unite under a shared class identity to combat all forms of exploitation.

The call for unity came amidst growing concerns about the government’s failure to protect workers’ rights and the increasing challenges faced by the working class across the province.

The labour leaders demanded an end to the illegal contract system and the registration of all workers with social security and pension institutions.

Those who addressed the conference included Nasir Mansoor, general secretary of the National Trade Union Federation Pakistan (NTUF); Habibuddin Junadi, president of the Peoples Labour Bureau; Zahra Khan, general secretary of the HBWWF; Rahab Ali, general secretary of the Mehran Labour Federation; Mukhtiar Awan, president of the Muttahida Labour Federation; Khalid Khan, president of the National Labour Federation (NLF) and others.

Published in Dawn, September 23rd, 2024