Despite their hard work and effort, workers get little recognition from society
KARACHI: I would like to draw the attention of the government towards the plight of poor worker in our country. They are the primary builders of a nation; the workforce, without whom a state would be unable to function and all progress can come to a halt. Despite their hard work and effort, they get little recognition from society. Moreover, most workers in Pakistan are unaware of the minimum wage set by the government and work for less than this amount. Industrialists generally exploit workers by paying them lower than they deserve under the law. Their employers burden them with overwork under harsh working conditions, and also by keep them in the dark regarding their basic rights. When a worker is injured while at work, the employer is liable to pay him or her due compensation. However, due to ignorance among the workers in our country, they are not paid compensation for injury, so their dependants have to undergo starvation and have to struggle to make ends meet because the breadwinner of the family is unable to earn.
Read: Work woes: Workers demand minimum wage.
The government should take measures to enforce labour rights so that the country and its economy can progress as a whole. Moreover, changing ourselves as individual components of society and as citizens of our country to become educators and promoters of basic rights can remedy the ignorance among the poor labour class and enable them realise the importance of the role they play in the country’s progress. Paying respect and gratitude to our labour force and treating them as equal members of society can help make our country stronger.
Misbah Hareem
Published in The Express Tribune, September 14th, 2015.
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