In the shadow: Govt urged to accept unskilled women workers as labourers

LEF’s programme manager said the purpose of the new forum is to persuade the government to accept unskilled women

PESHAWAR: Speakers at a seminar on home-based workers highlighted the unfair wages these workers are paid and urged the government to recognise unskilled women workers in the province as active members of the labour force.

The seminar was organised by the Labour Education Foundation (LEF) on Wednesday to commemorate the launch of the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Home-based Women Workers Association. The discussion was aimed at finding a solution to the plight of unskilled women workers in various industries across the province who remain largely underpaid.

Speaking on the occasion, LEF’s programme manager Farooq Ahmed said the purpose of the new forum is to persuade the government to accept unskilled women workers as a part of the labour force.

According to Ahmed, home-based workers constitute about 70% of the country’s unskilled labour force. Most of these workers are women who work from home and live in rural areas.

Unfair wages

The programme manager estimated that these women produce over 200 different items at home. However, they were not adequately paid for their services. The problem exists throughout the province.

Citing the example of women who weave straw chairs in Mardan, Ahmed said these women receive a meagre Rs12 per set. He added a similar situation is faced by women in Swat; for a dozen rolls of wool used in shawl ‘making’ they are paid Rs1.

Similarly, blanket makers in Peshawar get Rs5-12 per blanket and they have to use their own thread and needles, while women who package ice cream sticks in Charsadda get Rs1 for each packet containing 1,000 sticks, informed Ahmed.

The LEF programme manager said since these women are associated with the informal sector, there are no official statistics about them. Thus, policy makers have not been able to address their plight.

The way forward

Taj Mina – who is the president of the newly-formed association – said the organisation was created by nearly six to eight women and has been lauded by unskilled women workers from across the province. There are currently over 700 members in the forum now.

Unskilled women workers from across the province expressed an interest in joining the association to gain official recognition and adequate returns for their services.

According to Mina, most women who have joined the forum have had bad experiences working with contractors who paid them nominal wages. Moreover, some women workers are facing work-related health problems and have not been adequately compensated by their employers.

During the seminar, the deputy director of K-P’s labour department provided details of initiatives taken by the government to provide welfare for unskilled workers. He said the government was preparing databases of labourers to ensure that suitable policies are devised to provide adequate protection to them.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 25^th, 2014.