KARACHI: Noted economist Dr Kaiser Bengali called for immediate land reforms and quarterly revision of minimum wage, warning that the current wage structure had pushed millions of workers into poverty.

He was speaking at a conference organised by the Pakistan Institute of Labour Education and Research (Piler) at its office here on Saturday.,

The conference presented several key recommendations to improve labour conditions, including the implementation of the minimum wage immediately and payment of salaries through cheques to enhance worker welfare.

The other recommendation included improving factory inspections with a multi-stakeholder committee. The moot recommended that international brands must ensure that suppliers follow labour laws.

Speaking on the occasion, Dr Kaiser Bengali presented statistics showing stark gender wage disparities. He said that in rural parts of the country, male workers earned Rs30,000 monthly while women earned Rs28,000.

According to him, in urban areas, men earn Rs37,250 compared to women’s Rs35,000.

His data showed that the Punjab led in youth education (49.1 per cent male, 20.9pc female) and technical training (62.8pc male, 42.5pc female) while Sindh lags significantly with just 5.8pc male and 3.2pc female participation in education.

“People are poor because they don’t have any asset. Even one acre of land can bring improvement in rural population of Sindh,” Dr Bengali said, noting Sindh had the highest percentage of landless farmers at 69pc compared to Punjab’s 55pc. “The poorest 10 per cent spend half their income on food alone,’ he added.

Opening the conference, Piler director Abbas Haider highlighted that while business has increased after GSP Plus status, workers’ wages remained stagnant. “Workers are forced to do overtime and the situation of women workers is worse,” he said.

“We demand contracts for workers. The absence of these documents devoid workers to be able to claim their rights,” he said.

Veteran journalist Husain Naqi demanded minimum wage be revised every three months as it gets eroded quickly, emphasising the struggle should focus on both urban and rural areas.

National Trade Union Federation General Secretary Nasir Mansoor revealed Rs1.2 billion to Rs1.5bn was stolen through wage theft monthly. “With only 400,000 workers registered with SESSI [Sindh Employees Social Security Institution], each unregistered worker saves employers Rs2,000, collectively amounting to billions,” he said.

Abida Ali of Workers Rights Consortium said the textile industry is worth $1.85 trillion, but 80pc of workers don’t receive even minimum wage.

Qazi Khizer of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan said 26 million children are out of school. He recommended minimum wage be set at Rs75,000.

Dr Riaz Shaikh, Piler’s board chairman, said the rich-poor divide has widened dramatically.

Noting the discussion, Sindh Labour Secretary Sajid Jamal Abro said the government would take measures for betterment in the system.

Other speakers include labour rights expert Kiran Zubair, Zehra Khan of Home Based Women Workers Federation, Zulfiqar Shah of Pakistan Accord, labour leader Habibuddin Junaidi and Abdul Latif Nizamani.

Published in Dawn, February 1st, 2026