{"id":9274,"date":"2024-06-12T12:00:53","date_gmt":"2024-06-12T12:00:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hrcp-web.org\/hrcpweb\/?p=9274"},"modified":"2024-06-12T12:00:53","modified_gmt":"2024-06-12T12:00:53","slug":"hrcp-launches-model-national-policy-framework-for-sanitation-workers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hrcp-web.org\/hrcpweb\/hrcp-launches-model-national-policy-framework-for-sanitation-workers\/","title":{"rendered":"HRCP launches model national policy framework for sanitation workers"},"content":{"rendered":"

Press release<\/p>\n

HRCP launches model national policy framework for sanitation workers<\/strong><\/p>\n

Hyderabad, 12 June 2024<\/em>. The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) has called for urgent policy measures to protect sanitation workers\u2019 rights to a fair wage; better occupational safety and health; collective bargaining; and freedom from discrimination based on work or descent.<\/p>\n

In a detailed report titled Hazardous Matters: Examining the Right to Safe and Dignified Work for Sanitation Workers<\/em>, HRCP has drawn the federal and provincial governments\u2019 attention to the situation of sanitation workers in Sindh and Punjab. A key issue of concern is that sanitation workers are often hired indirectly through contractors, which means that they earn wages at daily rates, are not entitled to paid leave and have no employment security or any medical or retirement benefits. It is also common for sanitation workers to receive wages below the legal minimum rate.<\/p>\n

Additionally, the nature of sanitation work and the social context in which it is carried out involves inherent and systematic discrimination. The vast majority of sanitation workers are from the minority Christian or Hindu communities, many of whom remain segregated from the rest of the population, with poor prospects for upward social mobility. Indeed, government job advertisements for the recruitment of sanitation workers would specify that these jobs were available to \u2018non-Muslims\u2019 only.<\/p>\n

Finally, the report shows that sanitation workers are highly vulnerable to health risks due to the nature of their work, especially since most sanitation work in Pakistan is performed using outdated and manual methods, exposing workers to poisonous gases, solid waste and faecal sludge. In March\u2013April 2024 alone, at least six sanitation workers were reported to have died unnatural deaths while performing their professional duties.<\/p>\n

Pakistan\u2019s National Sanitation Policy is now outdated and provincial policies are either lacking or have not yet been adopted. Accordingly, the report puts forward a comprehensive policy framework on the premise that sanitation workers should not be excluded from the legal protections that are applicable to other categories of workers. since their fundamental rights to life (Article 9) and equal protection of the law (Article 25) are guaranteed under the Constitution.<\/p>\n

Among other things, the policy proposes regularizing the employment of sanitation workers, payment of at least the minimum wage in the immediate term with a commitment to a living wage in the short term, and provision of social security and retirement benefits. Additionally, the policy calls for compensation in case of workplace accidents, measures to protect sanitation workers\u2019 health and safety, and the use of machines to perform hazardous work such as cleaning gutters.<\/p>\n

Asad Iqbal Butt
\nChairperson<\/p>\n

The report can be accessed here: https:\/\/hrcp-web.org\/hrcpweb\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/2024-hazardous-matters.pdf<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>