On May 1st, the World Labor Day is celebrated worldwide every year.
On this important day, a special dialogue was organized at the “Express Forum” in which representatives of the government, laborers and civil society were invited. The forum conversation is a reader reader.
Faisal Ayub Khokhar
Provincial Minister for Labor and Human Resources Punjab
As a Muslim, a minister and a responsible citizen, it is my duty to protect the rights and protection of women. A person who does not talk about the rights of his mother, sister, wife, daughter and women of society neglects his duties. Chief Minister Punjab Nawaz Sharif is serious in this matter and has a policy of zero tolerance.
The life and work of a man and a woman is distinguished. In our culture, the man wakes up in the morning, gets ready and goes to the office with breakfast while the woman gets up first, her husband and children’s clothes, make breakfast, send them school, college, office, then have breakfast and get into the house work and rescue all the work at night. The women who work, go to the office after sending it to the family.
If the children are young, they leave them to their mother or neighbor and look towards the children. I have made it mandatory to set up a day care center in every factory to facilitate working women. There have been 297 day care centers in Punjab, that number is low, according to the law, every factory should have a day care center in terms of number of women. I will inspect these centers soon and their numbers will be increased. Work is also being done to end discrimination between men and women.
The cabinet has approved amendments to 26 rules on the same day, they will be presented in the assembly soon. These include discrimination, employment and others. Now no one in the private sector can be removed from the job. Similarly, labor laws will also be applied in the fields of agriculture and construction. The minimum age for eliminating child labor has been reduced to 16 years.
In this way, hundreds of more children will be saved from child labor. In the US and Canada, the age limit is 16 years, we are improving the laws according to world -class laws, it is believed that the people are strictly implementing the minimum wage of the workers at the behest of the Chief Minister. It is difficult for me to arrive everywhere. I took advantage of the technology, with 40 officers of the department, including DG Labor, Commissioner Packey, Secretary Labor, Secretary Welfare and Directors, online. I was told that we had strange comments on Facebook, I said that we would have to solve public problems with criticism of the people. We received five and a half thousand complaints in an hour and received one million live views. People have named factories as well as housing societies.
We will apply the next kitchen two weeks later, the first 15 minutes will be shared about the action on public complaints. I believe in action and like the work, how will matters be better if we do not delay? I have told the investors and the business community that if the workers are abused, they will not only be exposed to the media but will also appeal to the public for their boycott. The minimum wage of the worker will no longer be paid in cash but will be transferred to the bank’s account.
In this way, the minimum wage of the laborer will be known as well as the exact number of workers working in the factor, helping them to solve their social security and other issues. There is talk of Living Vage, our tragic behavior is that the minimum wage of the laborer is also trouble. I face severe criticism from wealthy people. They wear 50,000 suits but do not pay Rs 37,000 to the worker. We will do everything possible to ensure the minimum wage of the laborer. Chief Minister Ration Card is the largest project of this year. This is a project of billions of rupees which will facilitate the lives of the workers. Both the Labor Department’s PC and Workers Welfare Fund come. The department itself is collected while the Workers Welfare Fund, the PRA collects the PRA.
I approved the Chief Minister that we will make this collection ourselves, now the cabinet has also approved it. We will increase this collection three times in a year. Last year, the department’s collection was Rs 24 billion, I have given the target of Rs 30 billion and now Rs 32 billion, we will get it at all times. The Collection of the Workers Welfare Fund is 17 billion, it will also be increased. After the PRA, the department will become the second largest institution in Punjab in the Labor Fund Collection. The money will continue to easily work for labor colonies, social security hospitals and workers’ welfare. The Chief Minister has inaugurated the Labor Colonies, we are setting up 5,000 apartments for the workers in the first phase.
I have directed my department not to tighten the funds, but to inform the people and tell them what they have benefited. Before I came to the labor department, I didn’t know what social security and its benefits were. Now I am informing everyone for which we are not lacking money but the revenue is increasing. If the cylinder explodes in the shop, the worker has no problem, there is no working condition for them. When the cylinder exploded in Gujranwala, I took a report and relinquished the director Labor. The inquiry found that the worker was not registered in social security. According to the law, registration is required in social security if there are 5 or more employees, it does not apply to less.
I spoke to the Chief Minister and on his direction, the minimum number of worker registration has been reduced by law, which will have more than two or more workers in the shop or workplace, their social security will be mandatory. We have upgraded social security hospitals, the State of the Art has been made. I claim that they have become such a great hospital that if I have a disorder, I can be treated here.
We are importing Rs 1 billion of equipment that will be given to these hospitals. Domestic workers are tortured in homes, which is regrettable. A 12 -year -old girl was killed in Hanjarwal after torture. I contacted the DIG police myself to bring the accused to the role of a kafir. We stand in front of the Chief Minister Punjab, they strictly report the performance of the department on every incident. We are working in every direction, we are sure that we will reach the destination and make it easier for workers’ lives.
Human Creator
Representative civil society
I first offer a red greeting to all working men and women whose struggles and sacrifices improved the conditions and hours of the workers around the world, legislated and gave them rights. The role of ILO, international organizations, NGOs and civil society is very important in the history of the labor movement. The World Organization brings Labor, Convention, which has a long consultation with countries and takes many years.
Pakistan has endorsed several conventions and has been made part of the constitution, Pakistan’s role in this regard has been good. There are 17 goals for sustainable development of the United Nations that had to achieve it by 2030 in 15 years, now we have only 5 years left so work has to be accelerated. There are more than 70 labor laws in Pakistan that need to be merged.
Some of these laws are outdated, some have a confrontation, where the process of implementation needs to be changed somewhere, so the labor laws have to be overcome. Pakistan is ranked 143th in 146 countries in terms of women’s economic participation. Are our women doing careless care in their homes or are associated with the informal sector? If so, they should be involved in the country’s economic mainstream and protect their work.
Overall there is anxiety among the working class. Our women are doing something that can be said to be the backbone of not only our economic but also the family system. A woman who carries career at home does not get paid nor is her role recognized. Policy making is needed in this regard. Domestic workers play an important role in our lives. Thanks to the Punjab Government, who regularly recognized domestic workers as a worker.
This is an important milestone in the history of labor. Punjab is the only province where the Domestic Workers Act 2019 exists, we also provide this example on global forums. It is a law that gives rights and protection to domestic workers, eliminates discrimination with them and honor them in society. The law has a minimum job limit of 15 years, it should be further enhanced as it contradicts the constitution.
The constitution of Pakistan guarantees free education of every citizen until the age of 16. Under this law, domestic workers were given the right to organize, now their unions are also being formed. Similarly, in addition to setting the minimum wage of the laborer, the Punjab government has now issued a minimum wage notification notification for hours, keeping in view the working hours of the domestic labor, which is welcome. The Labor Department has also set up a helpline which is providing guidance to the workers. There are rules in the country, their Rules of Business should be made to improve implementation.
Social security agencies ‘Packey’ should take the responsibility of domestic workers, these workers cannot give contribution, their income is very low, so they should set up an endowment fund. We get data from 15 newspapers and websites daily. From April 1 to April 13, only 3 domestic workers have been killed in Punjab. The incidents of violence and abuse occurred with them. In the last 4 years, more than 150 children and girls have been killed in Punjab. Brutal actions and crimes should be taken against child labor and domestic workers.
Rubina Jamil
General Secretary, All Pakistan Trade Union Federation
Red greeting to workers from Pakistan and around the world! I also salute women who are working side by side with men and are also part of the struggle for rights. To me, every struggle without the involvement of women is incomplete. Minister Labor organized an open court online, which is commendable. At present, the situation of the workers is disappointing. Organizing workers have the basic right that they have received under the ILO Convention, the Constitution of Pakistan and Labor Laws, but in practice they are not getting the right to union, but are dismissed from the job.
The minimum wage of laborers should be made “Living Wage” so that they can easily meet the basic needs of their lives. The laborers are very difficult to spend in the current situation. There is room for improvement in the laws regarding labor, consulted with all stakeholders, including civil society and laborers, to improve and reform them. We want the local and international industry to develop. We have a contract system, after 89, 90 days, laborers are expelled according to the law and re -employed, this exploitation system has to be abolished.
Contract employees should be brought under social security. The GSP Plus status has 7 labor laws, if they are implemented, industry problems will be resolved. Workers have to protest for their rights, the government should also work to solve problems. The Minister of Labor paid the salary of the Sports Board for four months, which is commendable. Institutions like Pakistan Railways and Wapda should not be privatized, but they should be improved. Workers and women are being given ration cards.
The money is being spent from the Workers Welfare Fund, the government should give itself funds instead and keep these institutions strong and independent. Even today, the compensation of men and women workers is discriminated against, it has to work to eliminate it. The government increased the pension by 15 %, which is only Rs 1500, the pension should be equal to the minimum wage. Domestic workers should work on social security, they cannot give themselves consent, the government will have to take steps. Problems such as sexual violence, abuse are also occurring in factories.
There are rules regarding harassment, it is legal to make them in the factories and make harassment committees, but it is not being implemented, the government has to pay attention to it. The government has begun strictly in terms of implementation of the minimum wage. Regularly inspection of factories is taking place. Workers are being exploited with the owners of labor inspectors. It has to take action.
