LAHORE: Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) Emir Hafiz Naeemur Rehman said on Friday that workers deserve their due rights rather than charity, warning that an exploitative system based on inequality cannot sustain itself any longer.

Addressing a Labour Day gathering at Mansoora, organised by the National Labour Federation (NLF), he said a privileged elite, comprising feudal lords, industrialists and bureaucrats, has been controlling national resources for decades, draining the lifeblood of the poor.

He called for dismantling the deeply entrenched exploitative system.

The event was attended by labour representatives from across the country, along with senior party leaders, including Deputy Secretary General Usman Farooq Sheikh, Lahore Emir Ziauddin Ansari and NLF President Shamsur Rehman Swati, who also addressed the gathering.

Criticising the Benazir Income Support Programme (Bisp), social security and such other institutions, the JI emir said these had become centres of corruption.

He lamented that millions of workers, daily-wage earners and small farmers are unable to afford education for their children, adding that around 10 million children in Punjab alone are out of school.

He criticised the taxation structure, stating that people have to bear the brunt of heavy indirect taxes, including petroleum levies.

“A common man pays around Rs120 per litre in taxes on petrol, while motorcycle owners alone contribute approximately Rs500 billion annually,” he said, contrasting it with minimal tax contributions by large landowners.

Rehman said that out of an estimated 80m workers, nearly 60m remain unregistered and are often paid under informal or contract systems without legal protections. He added that workers continue to face limited access to healthcare, education, and justice.

Condemning recent increases in petroleum prices, he asked the government to abolish petroleum levies or face intensified protests.

Later, addressing a central training session at Mansoorah, Rehman said the JI is a movement that transcends sectarian divisions and other prejudices, advocating unity within the Muslim Ummah. He also reaffirmed the JI’s commitment to launching a nationwide movement for public rights after achieving the campaign’s set targets. Participants from Sargodha and Haripur attended the training session.

PPP: PPP Labour Bureau President Chaudhry Manzoor Ahmad on Friday called for immediate registration of all workers with the National Database and Registration Authority (Nadra) and demanded that salaries be paid through bank accounts to ensure full transparency and accountability.

Speaking at a seminar organised by PPP Lahore to mark the Labour Day on Friday, he condemned the privatisation process, calling it open plunder of national assets, and vowed that labour organisations would continue resisting privatisation and fighting for workers’ rights without compromise under any circumstances.

The seminar was also addressed by PPP Lahore General Secretary Dr Ayesha Shaukat, Majeed Ghauri, Nargis Khan and Mah Gul Abbas.

Expressing concern at the state of agriculture, Chaudhry Manzoor alleged that the sector was being deliberately weakened to generate cheap labour, calling the practice troubling and unjust. He revealed that only 2.2m workers were registered under Social Security in Punjab, while the actual number of factory workers was being systematically concealed by the employers.

Paying tribute to the legacy of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, Ahmad recalled that when Bhutto entered politics, 22 powerful families were controlling the country’s mills, insurance companies, and banks, while landlords dominated every major institution.

He told the gathering that in 2012, rickshaw drivers and other categories of labourers were permitted to register independently, the worker death grant was raised from Rs50,000 to Rs500,000, and a scheme was launched to give factory workers shares of up to 12 per cent in their enterprises. He noted with regret, however, that the workers’ share scheme was abolished immediately after Nawaz Sharif’s government came to power.

Faisal Mir, the president of PPP Lahore, announced that a formal worker registration drive would soon be launched at the PPP Lahore office. Through a dedicated registration desk, workers would be enrolled and provided with technical and professional training suited to the demands of the modern era, enabling them to secure dignified employment abroad and contribute to the national economy.

Published in Dawn, May 2nd, 2026