Equal rights: Task force set up to draft laws for home workers

Labour Minister to notify task force in a week after speaking with stakeholders.

KARACHI: The provincial labour minister, Amir Nawab Khan, set up a task force for drafting laws for social protection of home based workers (HBW).

The force will be notified in a week after consulting all the stakeholders, said Khan, in a meeting organised by Home Net Pakistan and Aurat Foundation on Wednesday. The meeting had been called to review the formulation of policy for the rights of home based workers.

The minister said that laws for protecting their rights will give them the same status as regular workers, when they get sick, need maternity leave or have an accident.

This section of our society is extremely important but is generally overlooked and denied its due share, said Khan. “I, as a political activist, and a government official, believe that home workers have been ignored continuously socially and legally.” It is high time that HBWs working in agricultural fields, contributing to agro-based economy, working as piece rate workers, supporting the industrial sector or associating with informal sectors, are recognised, he said.

“Keeping them deprived of their legal right is injustice by the whole society.” Khan said that the legislation will also quicken the process of bringing home workers into the net of social security, workers’ welfare, workers’ children education board, Employees Old Age Benefit Institute.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 29^th,  2011.