Karachi Dec 5: Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) organized a two-day National Labour Conference at hotel Regent Plaza, Karachi on December 4-5, 2015. Labour leaders from all parts of Pakistan participated and took part in the deliberations. The following recommendations were approved at the conclusion of the conference.

Recommendations:

The participants of this conference demand:

To the labour fraternity

Ø  An industrial union in the textile sector should be formed covering the entire textile chain;

Ø  A minimum of one million workers should be mobilized to become member of the textile union all over the country;

Ø  Of them five thousand workers should be trained to work on shop floor;

Ø  Trade union federations should merge for strength;

Ø  All trade unions and federations are requested to assist the agricultural workers to form their unions/associations.

To the people

Ø  The people must rediscover their responsibility to support the vulnerable sections’ and groups’ struggle for their rights. The public apathy to labourers’ efforts to secure their legitimate interests, not only causes great harm to the large community of workers in both agricultural and industrial sectors but also undermines people’s progress in social, economic and political fields. We call upon all civil society to promote labour-people solidarity;

Ø  We also call upon the people of Pakistan to support movements for ridding the society of the curse of feudalism, casteism, religious obscurantism as without this Pakistan will never be able to release its democratic and egalitarian ideals.

To the State/Government

Ø  We demand that the government must regularly hold the Tripartite Labour Conferences;

Ø  The government should resume formulating the Labour policy, and  the provinces should implement uniform laws and policies;

Ø  Parliament should be given sufficient time to debate on the labour policies and laws;

Ø  There should be uniform labour laws in all the provinces;

Ø  All provinces, at the platform of Council of Common Interests (CCI) should make uniform labour legislations and policy for equal rights to male and female workers in all the provinces;

Ø  Land reforms should be carried out as a priority step to promote equality of citizens and social justice;

Ø  Universal social security scheme be launched in Pakistan. All workers should be provided social security facilities, especially in case of unemployment;

Ø  Minimum wages for unskilled workers are inadequate to guarantee a decent living for an average family. Minimum wage enforcement mechanism should be evolved; non-payment of minimum wages should be declared a criminal offence;

Ø  Trade unions and labour laws should be simplified and consolidated;

Ø  Bonded labour laws should be implemented. Provinces should adopt the bonded labour policies on progressive lines;

Ø  Steps be taken to erase child labour from all sectors;

Ø  Article 3 of the Constitution of Pakistan ensures elimination of all types of exploitation. All parts of the government must develop strategies for implementation of this article;

Ø   This conference rejects the policy for privatization as none of the benefits that were mentioned to justify it has been achieved, instead it has increased unemployment, adversely affected the tax collection and contributes to below-par performance;

Ø  The conference specifically calls for abandonment of the plan to privatize electricity generation and distribution companies, PIA and Steel Mills as their privatisation are against the country’s need for a strong and efficient public sector;

Ø  The conference demanded the government to ensure safety and security of lives of workers especially at hazardous workplaces and adequate compensation should be provided to victim workers;

Ø  Security of tenure should be ensured and all the employees be provided appointment letters;

Ø  Inspection and monitoring of industries must be ensured. Dozens of workers lost their lives in the accident at Sundar industrial estate Lahore

Women rights

Ø  Effective measures be taken for provision of equal wages for both male and female workers. Women should be rewarded adequately for their labour.

Ø  Women should be given their share in the family inheritance and their right to land ownership and to use reward of their labour must be duly protected.

PILER issue

Ø  This conference condemns in the strongest terms possible the campaign to malign Pakistan Institute of Labour Education and Research (PILER). It is a serious attack on people’s rights to freedom of expression and freedom of association. All such campaigns must cease immediately and involvement of official agencies should be stopped and action taken against all responsible officials.

Ø  We call upon all the civil society organisations to forge practical unity and express solidarity for the common interests.

Zohra Yusuf

Chairperson, HRCP