The voice of labourers

On paper, we have a complex set of labour laws in the country and factory managements are supposed to implement these when dealing with workers who toil for them. But in reality, this is not the case at all. This fact was most recently exposed by an incident at a garment factory in Karachi where hundreds of workers labour to manufacture clothes, which are then sold internationally under well-established labels. Around 88 workers at the factory were fired on the spot after requesting they be paid on time. The problem began when the labourers at the factory chose five representatives from among themselves to speak to the management about its failure to pay their wages on the appointed day, along with the lack of social security, insurance and medical facilities. The five labourers were immediately fired on putting forward these entirely reasonable concerns. The others who went to speak to the factory administration in their support met with the same fate. While the factory management insists that no one has been fired, an account corroborated by 88 workers is difficult to refute.

The problems faced by workers in Pakistan are well established and very widespread. The weakening of labour unions that started with the advent of the Zia regime in the 1980s has worked towards smothering the voice of labourers and peasants all over the country. Their voice has been reduced to a mere whisper. The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan recently held a conference that called for the revival of labour unions. Given the current state of worker rights in the country, this is essential. In recent times, we have seen workers dying in fires that break out at the workplace, such as those killed at a garment factory in Lahore because proper safety measures had not been put in place. Labourers in Pakistan are underpaid, overworked and many have little medical support to count on in case of health concerns. Labour inspectors generally serve the interests of wealthy factory owners and it seems that for desperate workers, in times when work is hard to find, there is nowhere to turn to.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 10^th, 2015.

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