The market is located on the left side of the Rohri River with nearly thousands of men, women and children under the age of 12 working in shops and godowns. Most of them work for daily wages along with being overworked and underpaid. Some claim to have been there for 15 years. It has become a source of income for the people who live in Rohri, Sukkur, Salehpat and Ali Wahan, however most traders take advantage of their need and exploit them.
In the Gurdas Mal godown women and children sat on the floor and were sorting through the dates for the small low quality dates (chuhara). While talking to The Express Tribune manager Mohammad Yakoob said that this year the date crop was very good. “The market was full of dates - dried dates, big dates and small dates,” he said. “Now, date are cheaper than they were last year.” The manager said that the best quality dates cost around Rs5,000 per 40 kilogrammes whereas low quality dates were available for Rs3,000 to Rs4,000. He added that more than 90 per cent of dried dates were exported to India while only five to eight per cent was used in the country.
Mai Pyari who looks after the female labourers told The Express Tribune that a labourer earns around Rs130 for working at least 10 hours. “For children its worse because they work 10 hours and earn a little more than Rs60,” she said. “If a woman gets sick after working for two or three hours and goes home, she gets nothing.”
Pyari said that she spends Rs30 on transport and Rs15 on chai every day. She added that although the traders provided them with jobs, they did not pay accordingly. “I bring lunch from home otherwise it would have cost me Rs60 every day,” she said. “The traders increase the wages by Rs10 every year but they are still exploiting the labourers but no one cares.”
Manzooran, a 10-year-old girl, said that she started working in the date market when her father passed away two years ago to support her mother and six siblings. “It is very hard to work here from 8 am to 6 pm but what my mother earned was not enough for the family so I started to help out,” she said while playing with her one-year-old brother who cannot be left alone at home. “I started working here last year and although together we are making more money it is not enough.”
Mohammad Qasim, who is originally from Dera Murad Jamali, started working as a labourer in the market to save up for marriage. “I want to marry the girl of my choice and in order to do so I have to give her parents Rs200,000 in exchange,” he said. “Since I don’t have a sister I have to pay them cash. So far I have only been able to save Rs50,000.” Qasim added that he was hopeful that he would be able to save up the required amount and get married in three years.
Godown owners Gurdas Mal and Manik Mal did not want to comment on the daily wages however the Sukkur labour deputy director Ahmed Bux Aftab Memon told The Express Tribune that the wages were very low. He added that the labourers should be getting a daily minimum wage of Rs270 not Rs130.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 26th, 2011.
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