KARACHI, Dec 12: A visiting professor speaking at a seminar on Sunday said if workers were organized on the basis of social and economic justice etc , the trade union movement, which was on the decline in the country, could still be reorganized and strengthened.

Prof Christopher Latten of the Amsterdam University, speaking on the first day of a three-day programme organized by the Pakistan Industrial Labour Education and Research (PILER) said majority of people did not just want food, they needed a vision to work for and a goal to achieve.

He said trade union movements in Europe, having a long history of successes, had always been a part of social and political movements, which was one of the main reasons of their success.

He said that unfortunately the fruit of conventional trade unionism in Pakistan had been restricted to a limited section of industrial workers, and the rural population, comprising the majority, had yet to benefit from it.

He said historical evidence showed that if trade unions got weaker and above all if that was supported by a weak economy, then either employers floated and promoted pocket unions, or unions based on ethnicity, religion gained popularity.

Earlier, Dr Kaiser Bengali, an economist, said that efforts should be made to integrate trade union movements with other social movements; however, adding that unfortunately, the trade union movement here was cut off from the masses and labour leaders too were not very well connected with workers.

He said that the labour market had also changed over the years, adding that earlier all production work was carried out at one place, while now, in most instances, it had been distributed. "The traditional system of labour unions cannot work now and it needs to be reviewed," he said.

He stressed that only democracy and respect for constitution could guarantee an end to economic inequality, because dictators always favoured and promoted feudalism, powerful groups and the upper class. He also said the tax system was unfair to the poor.

The Chief of PILER, Karamat Ali, said that one major reason for increased exploitation of workers and usurpation of their rights was the increased militarization in the region, which was eating up a major chunk of budgets and leaving very little for the development of the social sector.

He cited that India spent over 3.3 per cent of its GDP and Pakistan over 4.8 per cent on their defence. He said that owing to non-implementation of conventions of the International Labour Organization, workers were gradually losing their rights. And not only was poverty increasing, but the gap between the rich and the poor was also widening.

Dr Ali Arslan said that whatever aid international financial institutions gave to the country, a major part of it was taken back in the name of goods purchase for the development of infrastructure, while the consultants, usually nominated by the aid-giving agencies themselves, took the rest.

He supplemented his statement by saying that earlier, aid was given through government organizations, which at least created some employment opportunities. But, now funding was usually carried out through the private sector, which was resulting in a control of the few over the resources.