Regular labour inspections should be fostered to ensure the health and safety of the workers
KARACHI: Given the fact that the construction industry was the first to re-open amidst the countrywide lockdown, the government aptly decided to support the sector through an economic package and some assistance. This is because the construction industry offers employment to civil engineers and many skilled and unskilled workers which converges with the manufacturing and agriculture sector, and serves as the backbone for our economic and social structural needs.
However, even if the government decides to link the enhancement of the construction industry to employment generation and financial assistance, it tends to overlook the quality of that employment. The industry employs cheap labour from all over the country consisting of deprived, unskilled young individuals who are uneducated and vulnerable. The government’s economic packages can only become effective and worthwhile if they address the grievances of the labour class who work in despicable and miserable conditions. With no protective equipment, such as helmets and gloves, their lives are put at risk. All this, coupled with too much stress and fatigue, makes them prone to occupational diseases such as cough, eye-infections, backache, etc.
The government’s economic package must have a place reserved for these workers in the form of security net that entitles them a decent wage, pre-determined working hours, health insurance, social security provisions and paid leaves. Moreover, regular labour inspections should be fostered to ensure the health and safety of the workers.
Hadia Mukhtar
Published in The Express Tribune, June 24th, 2020.
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