{"id":9910,"date":"2025-06-18T14:22:52","date_gmt":"2025-06-18T14:22:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hrcp-web.org\/hrcpweb\/?p=9910"},"modified":"2025-06-18T14:22:52","modified_gmt":"2025-06-18T14:22:52","slug":"hrcp-demands-living-wage-for-workers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hrcp-web.org\/hrcpweb\/hrcp-demands-living-wage-for-workers\/","title":{"rendered":"HRCP demands living wage for workers"},"content":{"rendered":"

Press release<\/p>\n

HRCP demands living wage for workers<\/strong><\/p>\n

Lahore, 18 June 2025<\/em>. The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) is deeply concerned by the implications of the 2025\u201326 federal budget for the economic and social rights of the country\u2019s most vulnerable communities. Adopted under a strict austerity framework aligned with IMF conditionalities, the budget offers little protection for low-income groups already struggling with the prolonged inflationary crisis from 2022 to 2024.<\/p>\n

Although the government has marginally reduced income tax rates for salaried individuals, this relief is insufficient to restore the eroded purchasing power of working-class households. More troubling is the decision not to raise the federal minimum wage, which remains at PKR 37,000 per month\u2014a figure that fails to meet the basic cost of living for a family of six. Even in provinces like Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where the minimum wage has been raised to PKR 40,000, the increase does not compensate for inflation-induced losses in real income. Moreover, enforcement remains alarmingly weak, with 80 percent of industries in Sindh reportedly not complying with minimum wage laws\u2014a trend mirrored nationwide.<\/p>\n

The allocations for key social sectors\u2014health (0.96 percent of GDP), education (1.06 percent), and social protection (1.1 percent)\u2014fall far below international benchmarks and regional comparators. In contrast, countries like India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh spend significantly more as a percentage of GDP on these essential services.<\/p>\n

Speaking at a press briefing held by HRCP earlier today, economist Dr Fahd Ali pointed out that a time when 45 percent of Pakistanis live below the poverty line and 88 percent earn less than PKR 75,000 per month\u2014the amount advocated by HRCP as a living wage\u2014this budget signals a worrying lack of commitment to social justice and human dignity.<\/p>\n

HRCP secretary-general Harris Khalique said that he was \u2018deeply disappointed\u2019 by the finance minister\u2019s failure to raise the minimum wage while having announced an \u2018exponential and disproportionate increase\u2019 in parliamentarians\u2019 salaries.<\/p>\n

HRCP Punjab vice-chair Raja Ashraf said that the provision of healthcare and education was the state\u2019s responsibility, while HRCP senior manager Feroza Batool pointed out that women were disproportionately affected by anti-poor budgets. \u2018The budget\u2019s implications for ordinary citizens\u2019 economic and social rights must be debated in minute detail before it is passed,\u2019 added HRCP treasurer Husain Naqi.<\/p>\n

HRCP urges the federal and provincial governments to reconsider their fiscal priorities and ensure that \u2018economic recovery plans centre the rights and needs of Pakistan\u2019s most marginalized.\u2019 Without adequate investment in public health, education, and a meaningful social safety net, the promise of equal citizenship remains hollow for millions. The right to a life with dignity cannot be balanced against fiscal restraint\u2014it must be at the heart of it.<\/p>\n

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