Labour activists decry exploitation of workforce

Speakers lament non-implementation of law in rally to mark World Day for Decent Work

KARACHI: Approximately 70% workers in the country are employed in informal sectors where there is practically no implementation of laws concerning health and safety measures.

National Trade Union Federation (NTUF) Deputy General Secretary Nasir Mansoor said this on Saturday while addressing a rally held by trade unionists and labourers from Regal Chowk to the Karachi Press Club. The rally was organised to mark World Day for Decent Work, which is observed on October 7, and to reiterate workers' demands.

The capitalism-based system has been depriving workers of their rights and this is evident not only in the third world but also in developed countries, said Mansoor. "The most unfortunate aspect of this is the precarious work [environment] due to which workers are losing their lives at workplaces," he added.



The rally was jointly organised by the NTUF and Home-Based Women Workers Federation (HBWWF) on the appeal of the IndustriALL Global Union.

Addressing participants of the rally, HBWWF General Secretary Zehra Khan said Pakistan a countries where workers can only dream of a decent job and wages adequate enough to make ends meet.

Khan added that the workforce in the informal sector comprises mostly of women who are often oppressed and exploited. "Big brands and manufacturers outsource their work to smaller factories and homes where women work in order to contribute to their household income," she said.



Khan was of the view that the exploitation of the working class gets fuel from top American, British and European brands that procure their merchandise from Asian and African countries and employ the cheapest labour in a bid to maximise their profits. The companies selling brands take advantage of loopholes in the law and its non-implementation in third world countries and benefit financially, often greasing the palms of corrupt authorities in order to escape legal clutches.

The rally was also attended by the representatives of the Ali Enterprises Fire Affectees Association - a body representing victims and heirs of victims of the Baldia factory fire. The association's chairperson, Saeeda Khatoon, who lost her only son in the blaze at the Ali Enterprises factory in 2012, said the working class was not a social partner of capitalist investors. The struggle for rights will continue until the labourers win over the capitalists, she added.

The workers are being forced to work beyond their shift timings without receiving any benefits, Khatoon maintained, adding that they work in hazardous conditions and are not given any rights to bargain through unions. "The incidents of the Baldia factory fire and accident at the Gadani shipbreaking yard bespeak conditions of workplaces in the country."



NTUF President Rafiq Baloch asserted that workers have been made completely dependent on the market, the rules of which are set by multi-national companies, giant corporations and international financial institutions. He added that labour unions are virtually banned across the industries and workers are victimised if they campaign for it.

Baloch cited an example of Artistic Milliners, which produced clothes for internationally known brand H&M and Khaadi, which, according to him, sacked its workers for forming an independent union. "In collusion with authorities, they don't let independent unions work because they are afraid of giving workers their legal and constitutional rights," said the NTUF president.