Representatives of trade unions and labour organisations, workers and human rights activists held a rally on Friday to mark International Workers’ Day demanding that the government ensure social security, and health and education insurance for each labourer, and end the contractual systems in the organisations.
The rally was jointly organised by the National Trade Union Federation Pakistan (NTUF), Home-Based Women Workers Federation (HBWWF) and their allied organisations. The participants of the rally carried placards and banners inscribed with slogans against anti-labour practices by the government. They also demanded effective implementation of the labour laws, abolition of the contract labour system and withdrawal of petroleum price increase.
They demanded payment of a living wage instead of ‘starvation minimum wages’ and registration of all workers with written appointment letters, social security and pension institutions. The participants demanded full recognition of the right to unionise, safe workplaces and end to industrial deaths.
They called for an end to harassment against women workers and equal pay for equal work, demanding an independent inquiry into mega corruption in the Sindh Workers Welfare Board, punishment of those responsible, and recovery of stolen funds.
Another demand made by the participants was repeal of the Peca law and immediate announcement of the ninth wage board. The rally demanded end of the victimisation of union leaders, including forced transfers and appointments, immediate halt to privatisation of public institutions and immediate referendum for determining the CBA in Pakistan Railways.
The participants called for immediate appointment of the chairman and members of the NIRC, and end to aggression against Iran, Venezuela, Cuba, Lebanon, Palestine and all oppressed nations.
They reiterated their support for the anti-imperialist struggle of the Iranian people and the struggle for democracy in Iran. They demanded prosecution against US officials for genocide and war crimes charges in the International Court of Justice and end to religious extremism in Pakistan.
They demanded immediate release of Shabbir Mayar, Ehsan Ali Advocate, and all political and social prisoners. They also demanded legal action against those responsible for environmental destruction and cancellation of all anti-environment water and other destructive projects.
Addressing the rally, speakers said war hysteria, climatic disasters, deepening economic crises, hunger and exploitation were the inevitable products of the capitalist system. Nasir Mansoor of the NTUF said the imperialist drive for profit and control over nations’ energy and mineral resources had promoted wars, ethnic conflicts and hatred.
Zehra Khan of the HBWWF termed climate change a central issue for the labour movement and stated that the majority of those affected by environmental destruction belonged to the working class. Due to climate change, 80 million full-time workers might become unemployed by 2030, she said, adding that 19,000 workers died every year as a result of climate-related impacts.
Liaquat Sahi of the Democratic Workers Union said the country had ratified 36 International Labour Organisation conventions, including eight core conventions, and committed to labour rights under the GSP Plus, but in spite of that, factories, farms and workplaces employing a labour force of more than 85 million workers presented the picture of forced labour camps. He said courts had already declared the inhuman and illegal contractual labour system a form of slavery, yet, conspiracies were under way to impose a labour code in order to legalise that anti-worker system.
Qazi Khizar of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) said that the condition of occupational health, safety, and protection of life at workplaces catastrophic as industrial accidents continued to rise with increasing numbers of workers killed and injured. Out of every 100,000 workers, 1,136 suffered workplace injuries, while the national economy lost approximately 2 to 4 per cent of the total GDP, he added.
Naseem Rao, Manzoor Razi, Ramzan Mamon, Shaheena Ramzan, Khalid Zadran, Tahir Khan, Ghulam Mahbob, Riaz Abbasi, Bashir Mahmoodani, Bachal Samito, Bakht Zameen, Noor Zaman, Gul Bakht, Saeed Baloch, M Usman, Saira Feroz, Jameela Abdul Latif, Bilawal Khan, Iqbal Abro, Himmat Phulpoto, Rabail Abro, Paveen Bano, Anny M Yunis and others also addressed the rally.
