Inclusion of youth, women in social dialogue urged

Participants of a roundtable discussion on Wednesday called for the inclusion of women and youth in social dialogue and said it was a prerequisite for ensuring decent working conditions in Pakistan.

The event titled ‘Agenda Setting for Social Dialogue on Decent Work in Pakistan’ was held on the third day of the 25th Sustainable Development Conference (SDC) here in the federal capital.

Dr Rabia Razzaque from International Labour Organisation (ILO Pakistan) said that social dialogue is a must to promote a decent work environment.

All Pakistan Trade Union Federation (APTUF) General Secretary Rubina Jamil blamed the absence of trade unions for poor communication between employees and employers thus leading to poor workplace conditions. She pointed out that the European Union (EU) guidelines pertaining to women under GSP+ are not being implemented despite female labour dominating the garments and textile sector.

We’ll have to take chambers of commerce on board on this issue to ensure the rights of women workers, she said adding that the government, trade unions and civil society will have to work together to promote the rights of labourers.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 8^th, 2022.