Non-native labourers deflated by inflation

As inflation continues to strangle daily wage earners, those migrating from outside the port city bear the brunt of this rise as they struggle to balance personal expenditures with family remittances.

Karachi, the commercial hub of the country, attracts a large population of migrant workers from various areas, who turn to the city in search for better employment and higher wages. Since the families of these workers usually rely greatly on the money sent home, most of the labourers have to allocate a fixed proportion of their earnings for remittances.

In recent times however, most migrant workers are struggling to sustain their livelihoods in the city given the prevailing high rate of inflation, which has made paying for accommodation and food let alone sending remittances back home, extremely challenging. “Many Pakhtun cobblers, including myself, live in rented quarters and eat from nearby restaurants. Our monthly earnings are only Rs25,000. The high level of inflation has taken our monthly expenditure on food and rent alone to more than Rs20,000. How can we send money back to our families, when our own survival has become so difficult,” questioned Atta Khan.

According to Muhammad Kashif, a contractor providing unskilled workers to various companies, not only are labourers paid less, but many of them are also struggling to find work, given the high level of unemployment.

“The daily wage earners who work in Karachi are finding it hard to get work, and those who do, earn only Rs800 to Rs2,000 per day. This means many construction workers, drivers and handicraft sellers, are considering returning home since they cannot meet the living expenses,” he commented.

One such labourer is Abdul Haseeb from Rawalpindi, who works as a loading driver for a furniture business. “When I first came here, the economic situation was much better. I earned Rs60,000 per month for my driving, and would send Rs30,000 back to my family. But in recent times, I no longer receive any driving opportunities while my monthly expenditure is continuously rising due to the inflation,” he shared. “I am planning to return to my hometown,” he added.

Other labourers who earn money through the commission system don’t have it any better. Even though the costs of the items are increasing, the commission they receive has remained the same. Qurban is one such worker from the Chachro area of Thar, who serves tea to shopkeepers on a commission.

“I used to earn Rs1600 as commission for all the tea that I sold per day, but in recent times as the cost of tea has increased, my daily commission has decreased. This has reduced by half the monthly remittances that I send back home,” he complained. Speaking to The Express Tribune about the plight of the migrant workers, labour leader Nasir Mansoor said that the country was going through an economically challenging phase.

“Our daily wage earners are suffering the most. I appeal to the government to provide a relief package for migrant workers so that they and their families can survive the wave of inflation.” Waqar Mehdi, who is an aide to the Sindh chief minister, said that their short-term objective was to provide relief to the working classes. “We are working towards reducing inflation in the long term.”