Blood and tears: ‘Political parties are insensitive to the plight of bonded workers’

BLLF organises a seminar and an exhibition to mark Freedom Day.

LAHORE: Thousands of labourers gathered at Alhamra Arts Complex on Thursday to mark Freedom Day.

The day is observed to mark the anniversary of a Supreme Court verdict that outlawed bonded labour in 1982.

Pakistan Bonded Labour Liberation Front (BLLF) organised a seminar titled Together We Can Strengthen Democracy and an art exhibition on the occasion.  Speaking to The Express Tribune, BLFF Secretary General Syeda Fatima said the organisation was holding the events to mark a historic Supreme Court ruling that had outlawed bonded labour on September 18, 1982. She said the ruling had annulled bonded debts and prohibited lawsuits aimed at recovering those. The verdict paved the way for the adoption of the Bonded Labour (Abolition) System Act of 1992 by the parliament. Fatima said the BLFF had been observing the day for 25 years. She said the verdict had forced the government to pass the act.

Fatima criticised political parties for ignoring the plight of brick kiln workers and other bonded labourers. She said Pakistan emerged as an independent country due to the workers’ struggle and parties should recognise their importance.

Speaking to The Express Tribune, BLFF executive member Mahar Ali said it was a travesty of fate workers who formed the backbone of the national economy were deprived of their rights. He urged the government to look into the plight of kiln workers. Ali said they should get minimum wage, social security, national identity cards, old age benefits and health and safety facilities at workplaces. He said the BLFF would continue to support them. Ali urged Chief Justice of Pakistan Nasirul Mulk to take a suo motu notice of the plight of bonded labourers. He said kiln workers had pinned their hopes on the court.

Parliamentary Secretary for Information Rana Muhammad Arshad said the benefits being sought could only be delivered through the continuation of the democratic process. He said the people would not allow anyone to derail democracy. Arshad said the government would emancipate kiln workers and ensure that they prospered across the Punjab.  He said the government had instructed kiln owners to pay their workers in accordance with the minimum wage law. Arshad said the government had started giving soft loans to kiln workers to eradicate peshgi (advances against salary).

Justice (r) Fakir Khokhar said kiln workers should take recourse to the law if their owners exploited them. He urged them not to vote for the parties that were insensitive to their plight.

Tehmina Roohi of Action Aid said it was perturbing to note that a brick was being sold at a price of Rs8 while kiln workers were only being paid half a rupee per brick.

Pakistan Workers’ Confederation Muhammad Yaqoob said workers had united to secure their rights. He said the confederation would continue to struggle for their rights.

He said his government had made an effective strategy to combat bonded labour by motivating those involved in getting such labour from their workers through advance system etc. He said the government had also started issuing soft loans to the kiln workers to eliminate the money advance system (Peshgi) that was causing exploitation of the workers.

Earlier a Music concert was also held by Laal Band during the seminar that was widely enjoyed by the workers.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 19^th, 2014.