KARACHI: Representatives of labour unions and support organisations have expressed their concern over the prevailing anti-worker policies in Sindh and demanded urgent remedies to quell growing unrest among the working class.

National Labour Council convenor Karamat Ali, National Trade Union Federation secretary general Nasir Mansoor, Liaquat Sahi of Democratic Workers Federation, Home-Based Women Workers Federation General Secretary Zehra Khan and Riaz Abassi representing regional Tripartite Committees said this at a press conference at the Karachi Press Club on Tuesday.

They said that they were concerned about the poor working conditions in the province as the Sindh government had failed in safeguarding workers’ rights and implementation of labour laws.

They said that in the light of the demands being raised through the press conference, an emergency meeting of all representative labour organisations was being summoned, which, after mutual consultation, would chalk out a future course of action.

Labour leaders demand forensic audit of SESSI, Workers Welfare Board

The speakers said that the workers of industrial, financial and other sectors of Sindh were deprived of their due rights, while the Sindh labour department and other related bodies had turned a blind eye towards this whole situation, and instead of helping aggrieved workers, the department was harassing them and suppressing their voice.

They said that establishing trade unions had become a challenge, and the labour department was refusing to issue data about the newly registered labour unions, which showed its negligence and anti-worker attitude. They added that department offices were located in isolated areas, which were out of the reach of workers.

They said that Sindh was the first province that had announced Rs25,000 minimum wages for unskilled workers in 2021, and the Sindh High Court had also upheld this decision, but factory owners took the matter to the Supreme Court that ordered the Sindh Minimum Wages Board to determine the minimum wages within two months.

However, they said, some officials of the board were creating hurdles in the implementation of the court order, which was a clear contempt.

They said that since the federal government and all the other three provinces had already announced Rs25,000 as minimum wage, the inaction of the Sindh government was surprising.

They mentioned that Sindh Home Based Workers Act was another commendable action of the government, under which hundreds of thousands of home-based workers were going to be registered with the Sindh labour department, but the official of the department were dragging their feet despite the fact that the HBWWF and some international organisations had provided necessary equipment.

Demanding legal rights for the workers of the agriculture and fisheries sector, they said that they were recognised as workers under the Sindh Industrial Relations Act 2014, but the rules of this Act were yet to be made and the registration of these workers with social security and other institutions was yet to begin.

They said that the contract labour system was illegal and the Supreme Court had already issued clear orders in this regard, but the illegal contract system prevailed right under the nose of the labour department, even though contract employment was given in government departments.

They said that the Sindh government, through its senior ministers, had assured the revival of Pakistan Steel Mills and resolving issues of its workers, but nothing was done in this regard, too.

They maintained that the Sindh government had started meetings with delegations of employers and factory owners to please them, but did not bother to talk to the worker representatives.

On behalf of the workers, they demanded that the government and Pakistan Peoples Party chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari take concrete steps to safeguard the rights of the workers.

They demanded that immediate decision be taken regarding Rs25,000 as minimum wage and adopt proper procedure to constitute new the wage board.

They called for a forensic audit of the Sindh Social Security Institutions (SESSI), Workers Welfare Board and other similar departments to check the widespread corruption and mismanagement in these institutions, and asked for action against officers creating hindrances in the registration process

They demanded implementation of the pro-people project of universalisation of social security without any delay, and asked to end contract labour system.

They asked to provide electricity, water and gas connections to newly constructed flats of the workers welfare board to make them livable, and added that a council must be constituted under the Home Based Workers Act, making the governing body of home-based workers functional and ensuring their registration.

Published in Dawn, June 1st, 2022