LAHORE, Dec 22: Representatives of various labour organizations and human rights activists have criticized the recently promulgated Industrial Relations Ordinance and demanded that all such provisions of the law that violated the Constitution, ILO conventions ratified by Pakistan and the workers rights should be repealed.

The demand was made at a national workshop on labour rights, the Industrial Relations Ordinance and unemployment arranged by the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) at their head office. HRCP chairman Afrasiab Khattak presided.

Mr.Khattak in his brief address said that unemployment, poverty, problems of the workers and the labour laws were matters of great concern for human rights activists and that it was for this reason the HRCP had arranged a national workshop to discuss labour problems, the labour policy and various labour ordinances, particularly the new Industrial Relations Ordinance, 2002. He expressed grave concern over the increasing incidence of suicides as a result of poverty and said that the new IRO would add to the problems of the working class.

He said that he failed to understand as to why the government had promulgated the new ordinance soon after the general elections. He said that it was an important piece of law which needed a consensus among various labour and trade unions of the country. About two dozen labour leaders from all over the country who attended the one-day workshop pointed out the following shortcomings in the ordinance: (i) The right to form trade unions has been denied to a much large number of workers than ever before in violation of the Constitution, ILO Conventions and even the government’s own labour policy, (ii) Workers rights to reinstatement after wrongful termination has been denied contrary to the laws of justice and traditions undermining the legal protection which the trade union leaders in particular and the workers in general were entitled to, (iii) The position of contractors that hire labour for other employers has been strengthened to the disadvantage of workers, (iv) The abolition of the labour appellate tribunal is against the workers interest and (v) Several joint forums of establishments have been eliminated and replaced with a workers council that promises little.

The participants unanimously denounced the government decision to ignore the tripartite labour conference’s recommendations while announcing its labour policy in September last. They declared that the new IRO 2002 was unacceptable as it would undermine the trade union movement, reduce the size of the organized labour force and had extremely adverse effects on national economy. They appealed to all elements of civil society to support the workers’ struggle for the restoration of their constitutional and legal rights.

The workshop set up a committee comprising trade union leaders, lawyers and HRCP members to draw up a plan for the struggle of the workers. The meeting also decided to hold similar workshops in other provinces.

The meeting resolved to take effective measures to save the people from misery caused by the increasing poverty and unemployment. The participants emphasized the need for halting the process of privatization, revival of the sick and closed industrial units, abolition of the contract system.

ILO director Dr.Rashid Amjad in his address emphasized the need for the new government to draw up a national employment agenda which should give top priority to employment generation in policy-making at the central, provincial and district levels in Pakistan. He said that according to the latest labour force survey of 1999-2000 the unemployment rate was 7.8 per cent against 5.9 per cent in 1997-98. By adding those who work less than 15 hours a week the unemployment rate would go up to nine per cent. Thus with a labour force of about 40 million there were about 3.5 million unemployed which was an extremely high number for a country like Pakistan. The female unemployment rate was 17.3 per cent compared to 6.1 per cent in 1999-2000. In the urban areas, the male unemployment rate was 7.7 per cent and astonishingly high rate of 31.7 per cent for females. He said that the lack of job opportunities caused frustration and despondency among the young generation. He said that poverty levels which had declined during the 1970s and 1980s to around 17 per cent had by 1999-2000 doubled to 34 per cent.

The ILO estimates that about 14 million of Pakistan’s 40 million labour force were living in ‘working poverty’ i.e. the worker and his family live on less than one dollar per day person. He said that the new government was facing a big challenge of how to revive the economic growth and create new job opportunities, especially for the young and the females and how to reverse the trend of increasing poverty levels in the country.

HRCP director I.A. Rehman said that the IRO was one of the extra constitutional decrees which should have been issued after obtaining the consensus of the stakeholders who included representatives of various trade unions and labour organizations. He asked what was the necessity and urgency of the new IRO that the government was obliged to issue it in a haste. He said that the ordinance had deviated from the recommendations of the tripartite labour conference held in July, 2001, at Islamabad. He asked the delegates to identify the deviations and the provisions against the workers interests and the impact of the law on the functioning of trade unions and the national economy. Another labour expert Syed Akbar Zaidi in his paper expressed his grave concern over the increasing percentage of poverty going up to 35 per cent. He said that the high poverty levels suggested that even many of those who were employed were unable to make both ends meet. Their number was as high as 45 million persons or about eight million households and as many earning members. He said that the official unemployment rate of seven per cent was severely deficient as an indicator of access to income and survival. He said that there were three main reasons why the poverty and unemployment rates doubled in the last decade, the existence of as many as 4,000 sick industries, privatization of industries and institutions and lowest level of economic growth since 1972. With industrial and manufacturing growth worst hit, employment had not kept pace with the annual population increase, he added.

Former federal finance minister and Punjab PPP (SB) president Dr.Mubashir Hasan supported the demand of the trade union leaders and said that unemployment should not be seen as an economic but it was a grave political issue. He said that things could not improve until workers and other disadvantaged sections of society assumed the reins of power and bring about a revolution.

Former HRCP chairperson Asma Jahangir said that anti-people and unjust laws were being made under attractive and pleasant labels and prefaces. She called for cooperation among all those fighting for the rights of workers, peasants, doctors, journalists, teachers and students.

Prominent among others who attended the workshop were Gul Rehman, Khurshid Ahmad, president and secretary-general, respectively, of the Pakistan Workers Confederation, Nabi Ahmad, senior vice-president of the Mutahidda Labour Federation, Qamus Gul Khattak, secretary-general, MLF, Muhammad Yaqoob, Khan Zaman of the Balochistan Labour Federation, Master Khuda Dad (Peshawar) Kokab Iqbal (bank employees), Altaf Baloch, Muhammad Akbar, Muhammad Shabbir, I.H. Raashed (PFUJ), Husain Naqi, Shahzada Muzammil, Mahboob Khan and Zaman Khan of HRCP.