Some 2,000 labourers participated in a sit-in led by the Labour Party Pakistan at Charing Cross in front of the Punjab Assembly on Tuesday against inflation, bonded labour and the government’s failure to implement the minimum wage.
Twenty-six labour unions spoke against the government’s ‘anti-labour policies’ and exploitation of the labour-class in the private sector.
Some protesters had hung dried bread around their necks to express their remonstration. They also protested against privatisation and load shedding.
“Our leaders are always capitalists or feudals. Unfortunately, not a single political party is working for providing relief to the labour class,” Farooq Tariq, the Labour Party spokesman. “We will continue to protest until the government increases the minimum wage,” he said.
He said that some capitalist elements in the government were not letting labour unions prevail in society.
He, in his address during the protests, also opposed the ban on labour inspection, saying that it had lead to the unchecked exploitation of the workers.
Rasoolan Bibi, 95, also joined the sit-in. She said she was paid Rs15 for pealing one kilogram of pine nuts. She said there were hundreds of women like her whose complaints about low wages and poor working condition were ignored. She said they could not do anything about this as it might mean losing their jobs. Umair Butt, a cook at Sheikh Zayed Hospital, said that his daily wage was Rs200. He said the most a cook made at the hospital was Rs10,000 per month.
“After working hard for the whole day, Rs200 is not enough to run a household. A quarter of it is spent in paying transport fares to and from work,” he said.
He demanded the government increase his daily wage, or make him permanent ‘at least.’
Hamid Nawaz, a private bank employee from Dera Ismail Khan, said that 2,343 permanent workers in the public sector had lost their jobs due to privatisation.
Saima Zia, a senior programme coordinator at the Working Women Help-Line, suggested a 100 per cent increase in the minimum wage.
Published in The Express Tribune, May 25th, 2011.
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