Labour bodies slam 'anti-worker budget'

Submit charter of demands to labour dept, threaten protests

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JARANWALA:

Labour leaders and worker organisations have submitted a charter of demands to the Director Labour (East and West), calling on the Punjab government to set the minimum wage at Rs70,000 per month and to implement a 100% wage increase for power loom workers.

The demand was led by Chairman of the Pakistan Labour Qaumi Movement and President of the Haqooq-e-Khalq Party Punjab Baba Latif Ansari, who criticised the federal budget as a "pro-capitalist, IMF-driven" document that neglects the working class.

The delegation included leaders and representatives from the powerloom, hosiery and garment sectors.

Speaking at the gathering, Ansari said, "This budget has been drafted under IMF diktats. It benefits both domestic and foreign capitalist interests while worsening inflation, inequality, and unemployment for working people."

He slammed the government's move to reduce the super tax on corporations, increase defence spending by 16%, and allocate the largest share of the budget to debt servicing — while offering only a 10% raise to government workers, including grade-1 labourers and grade-22 officers alike.

He also criticised the meagre 7% pension increase, which he argued is entirely inadequate in the face of rising inflation.

"Meanwhile, parliamentarians enjoy massive pay hikes — Senate and National Assembly heads saw their salaries skyrocket from Rs200,000 to Rs1.3 million

— while workers are thrown crumbs."

The charter of demands also criticised the lack of taxation on the agricultural elite and the promotion of corporate farming, warning that the latter would give rise to a new class of feudal lords.

"This is an anti-worker, anti-farmer, and anti-people budget," said Ansari.

"We reject it completely and demand that the government prioritise the real backbone of the economy: the workers."

Shabbir Kalyyar, Director Labour (West), said that determining minimum wages for workers in industrial and commercial establishments falls under the mandate of the Punjab Minimum Wages Board.

He added that the board comprises representatives of both employers and workers, ensuring all stakeholder perspectives are considered.

"We have received charters of demands from various labour unions across multiple sectors," he said. "These will be forwarded to the higher offices of the Punjab government, which holds the final authority to approve any increase."

Sheikh Nisar Ahmad, President of the Powerlooms Sector in Sadhar, expressed concern that out of approximately 5,700 workers employed in 300 powerloom factories in the Sadhar Industrial Estate, none are formally registered with the Social Security Department. He alleged that factory owners deposit contributions for only a few workers, and social security cards are not being issued.