ON Labour Day, Pakistan must reframe its narrative on trade unions and restore labour rights. Beset with a raft of challenges — poor wages, absence of job stability and the freedom to establish independent associations — the labour force has been denied a greater political space to voice its woes for too long. For the daily-wage workers, May 1 holds little meaning. Last year, President Asif Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif reiterated the government’s commitment to strengthen and uphold labour welfare and rights. These claims, sadly, continue to ring hollow as miseries mount. Despite the global eight-hour shift, many labourers in Pakistan are on duty for up to 16 hours without overtime payments. Additionally, in an economic backwater where rampant pay cuts and dismissals are the new normal, amid crushing utility bills and inflation, weak unions represent mentally and physically exhausted workers with low socioeconomic productivity.

Although it was Gen Pervez Musharraf who devitalised labour organisations and restricted the role of labour unions as negotiators for improved work environments, the Pakistan Essential Service (Maintenance) Act, 1952, is frequently used by elected governments to prohibit union activities in the public sector, such as PIA. As a result, the government and industry policies see workers as a burden and not an asset. Moreover, after the minimum wage is raised, related notifications are delayed for months by the wage boards; thousands remain underpaid due to lax implementation. The well-being of the informal economy labour force — domestic and unskilled workers — depends on private employers. It is crucial for the state to initiate reforms and stand by the workers, and view their rights as human rights in policymaking. Labour dignity needs to be ensured through satisfactory salaries, safe settings, health coverage for workers and their dependents, as well as educational support for their children. The current economic crisis calls for a sensitive environment where the government, citizens and labour unions operate in harmony.

Published in Dawn, May 1st, 2025