Fighting for rights : ‘Labourers have no power in their hands’

Discussion on labour movements and globalisation held on Saturday.

KARACHI: Despite development being at its peak, the era we live in is full of miseries since power is still in the hands of feudal lords and industrialists and not peasants, said Roots for Equity founder Azra Talat Saeed.

She was speaking at an event, titled 'Labour Movements in the Aftermath of Globalisation', at Irtiqa Institute of Social Sciences on Saturday. The session was moderated by the institute's secretary, Kaleem Durrani.



Today there is no power in the hands of labourers and they are denied their basic rights by the powerful industrialists, said Saeed.

The economic policy has a significant impact on the lives of labourers, she explained adding that when the state starts relying on imported items, local industries along with labourers are adversely affected. "We should emphasise more on manufacturing our own products," she added.

What lacks among the labourers is strong leadership, she remarked while recalling the role of labour unions and their leaders [in 1970s] when businessmen had to listen to their demands.

There is a huge gap between the labour leaders and the labourers, this gap needs to be minimised if we want change, remarked a member of the audience, Ali Ausat Jafri, during the question-and-answer session.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 30^th, 2016.