Remove gender gap in social safety nets, say labour unions

Representatives of several labour unions in the province met to discuss the government’s Labour Policy draft.

LAHORE:

Representatives of several labour unions in the province met on Monday to discuss the government’s Labour Policy draft. They said while the policy was comprehensive and covered most of the workers’ key areas of concern, the lack of social safety nets for home-based, domestic and agriculture workers needed to be addressed.

The participants of the meeting met at the Working Women Organisation’s office. The All Pakistan Trade Union Federation’s general secretary and WWO Executive Director Aima Mahmood shared the Labour Policy draft with them.

The participants pointed out some issues that the government should address in the policy, including the gender gap in social safety nets especially in the informal sector. They said all workers including home-based, agricultural, brick kiln and domestic workers should be accommodated in the government’s housing schemes for labourers. The union leaders urged the government to develop an appropriate method to implement the International Labour Organisation’s Convention 100 (equal remuneration for men and women workers for work of equal value) and also hourly wage rate for part-time, home-based, agricultural and domestic workers.

“There is an urgent need to adopt clear and appropriate methods to raise awareness of labour laws,” the participants said.

APTUF chairman Sultan Khan, Fazal-i-Wahid president Nasir Mahmood, Pakistan Workers’ Confederation president Muhammad Yaqoob, Pakistan Mazdoor Mahaz secretary general Shaukat Ali, Pakistan Workers’ Federation president Muhammad Naseem, WWO members Salma Liquat, Asma Rahman, Huma Naeem, APWA representative Dur-i-Shawar and Muhammad Usman participated in the consultation.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 9^th, 2014.