LAHORE, June 2: A graduate from Faisalabad, Sarfraz is a work-charged labourer in the Pakistan railways workshop division. He and his four colleagues share a rented room in a locality near their workplace. Everyone contributes Rs500 to pay Rs2,500 to the landlord each month for the room and the electricity they consume for a 100-watt bulb and a ceiling fan.

His breakfast ‘menu’, comprising a few rusks and a cup of tea, costs him Rs10 while lunch and dinner Rs 40 per day. After meeting his basic needs, he is left with a paltry sum of Rs1,300 (out of Rs3,800 per month salary) to send to his family back in Faisalabad.

Very much depressed, Sarfraz wonders what he could do else to meet his and family needs. “Living away from the family is painful. But more painful is the moment when I get salary which is not enough to meet my 30-day requirements.”

The situation for people with meagre incomes like him is going from bad to worse with increasing inflation.

Saifur Rahman, the section head where Sarfraz works, is comparatively well-off. But he is not sure if the government has anything to offer to the working class. “The meagre relief given last year was offset by continuous price hike.”

Apprehensive of the government’s ‘financial jugglery’, he demands that workers should be provided with ration through fair price shops instead of any salary raise.

Recollecting miseries of work-charged employees, he warns of a movement against the rulers remain indifferent to masses’ problems.

Afzal Goraya, a representative of kiln workers, says his community does not expect any good from the budget. “If the government cannot provide any direct relief to the worst-exploited segment of society, it should at least register kiln units to enable them get social security cover,” he demands.

Jehan Ara of the PTCL bemoans that traders increase prices of essential items a couple of weeks before the budget as price control committees and other authorities fail to check the trend.

Budget, she believes, brings price hike and no relief. “If the government is really interested in providing any relief to its employees, it should make the raise a part of their basic salary.”

She wants each public and private sector institution to open fair price shops where flour, sugar and other edibles are provided to employees at no-profit-no-loss basis.

Niaz Khan and Daud Khan, two representatives of carpet industry labour, regret that relief has ever benefited the private sector workers.

Carpet units are not registered with any government department and the result is that the workers associated with them are devoid of social security cover, they add.

The wage structure of these skilled workers is poorer than that of the unskilled labourers in construction industry. Owners do not even provide drinking water to workers, they allege. “So what should we expect from the government or our employers.”

Moen Nawaz Pannu, an employee of a cycle manufacturing unit, says budget directly affects the working class. For him budget comes every month whenever he plans to purchase a new item.

“Our elected representatives get 100 per cent increase in their perks whenever they want so but they offer just 10 per cent to the poor working class after years,” he deplores.

Pannu wants increase in salaries in proportion with price hike.

Yousuf Baloch of the National Trade Union Federation says the budget is a jugglery of statistics. The state is responsible for provision of basic necessities of life and providing social security to everyone, he says.

He demands that the government should freeze prices for at least a couple of years after fixing Rs8,000 as minimum salary besides abolishing indirect taxes.

Labour Party general secretary Farooq Tariq does not believe the next budget will be poor friendly. “The government is following neo-liberal agenda as privatisation of profitable units is continuing unabated, WTO conditionalities are being met, the market is being further opened to multi-national companies, restrictions on capital flow are being eased,” he says.

The worst hit of the neo-liberal policy is the agriculture sector, he says, as prices of lentils, pulses, sugar, etc. are on the rise.

He demands revival of subsidies for the sector and increase in minimum wage as the current Rs4,000 ceiling is joke.

He also seeks a ban on import of luxury cars as last year vehicles worth Rs43 billion were imported.

He warns the government of a mass movement if it tries to introduce 12-hour shift for workers.