Workers cry foul over 'broken promises'

With job security, workplace safety, and decent wages remaining out of reach for a large segment of the workforce, particularly in the private sector, labour unions across Sindh took to the streets on Friday to mark International Labour Day, renewing their long-standing demands for basic workers' rights.

Hundreds of rallies were organised across the province, with even various departments of the provincial government participating in demonstrations. Workers paid tribute to the labourers of Chicago, who pioneered the struggle for workers' rights in 1886, while simultaneously highlighting their own unresolved employment-related grievances.

In Hyderabad, different unions of federal and provincial departments staged separate demonstrations outside the press club. The WAPDA Hydro Electric Union strongly opposed the government's reported plan to privatise power distribution companies, warning that such a move would not only affect employees but could also prove harmful for consumers. Similarly, employees of the Hyderabad Water and Sewerage Corporation (HW&SC) reiterated their longstanding complaint of delayed salaries, despite being entrusted with critical responsibilities such as water supply and urban drainage management for the city.

At a demonstration organised by the Society for the Protection of the Rights of the Child (SPARC), Regional Manager Kashif Bajeer highlighted that a large number of workers remain unregistered with NADRA. He stated that the absence of national identity cards deprives labourers of access to social protection mechanisms such as SESSI, EOBI, and the Workers Welfare Fund.

Bajeer further noted that children from low-income families are often forced into work at primary or middle-school age. He added that these children not only face underpayment but are also exposed to exploitation and unsafe working conditions. He warned that rising inflation has created conditions that could push labourers into debt bondage.

In Sukkur, various workers' associations held a public meeting outside the press club to mark the day. Labour leader Syed Zahid Hussain Shah lamented that government policies still do not reflect genuine concern for low-wage earners, who continue to remain vulnerable to workplace hazards.

Another unionist, Khadim Hussain Khoso, argued that inflation triggered by regional conflict has left low-income groups struggling, while their wages remain insufficient. Abdul Malik Soomro criticised the routine announcement of minimum wage increases, saying the government fails to ensure whether those wages are actually being implemented on the ground.

In Larkana, the Labour Union of the Municipal Corporation held a conference at the Begum Nusrat Bhutto Memorial Hall where union leaders said that workers' welfare in the country still appears a distant dream.

Several other labour associations and unions also organised rallies in Larkana, echoing similar demands for enforcement of labour rights, fair wages, and improved working conditions.