KARACHI: International Labour Day, or May Day as it is more popularly known, was observed with much enthusiasm throughout the city on Wednesday, when several seminars and rallies were held.

At a joint function of various trade unions and NGOs organised by the Sahafi Mazdoor Action Committee at the Karachi Press Club (KPC), former Senate chairman Senator Mian Raza Rabbani asked the government to take parliament and the people of Pakistan into confidence on the conditions of the agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

“There are reports that the government has agreed to provide sensitive information to the IMF, including information regarding the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor [CPEC]. Even Pakistan’s sovereignty is compromised to the IMF,” he said while asking the workers to stay united. He suggested holding of a national-level trade unions’ unity convention to chalk out a future line of action for workers’ rights.

“Usurper forces in Pakistan have always weakened people’s movements. They banned students unions and trade unions and under a preconceived plan crushed the workers and students movements,” he said. “We did not see such restrictions on freedom of expression even during the era of dictatorship,” he remarked.

“Journalists who do not bow before enforced restrictions are becoming missing persons,” he said while recalling that during Gen Zia’s martial law newspapers used to leave blank spaces to indicate censored material, but now the news were killed on a phone call.

He said he had always supported working journalists in their struggle for rights and wages.

Former president of the Supreme Court Bar Association retired Justice Rasheed A. Razvi, who presided over the function, appreciated efforts of Senator Rabbani for passing the pro-labour legislation in the upper house. He said the situation in labour courts was very disappointing and workers were not getting timely justice. “Due to government policies, trade union activities are declining with the passage of time. The main reason is the political parties, which have divided the workers by forming their wings and separate labour sections,” he said.

Senior labour leader Liaquat Sahi said that due to the internal dispute of trade unions, the K-Electric management had removed many workers who contested the elections for referendum of a collective bargaining agent.

Akhtar Hussain, a lawyer, said the workers in Pakistan were not provided fundamental rights leave alone the eight-hour work day. “The employers are united for their rights, but unfortunately workers are not united.”

Nasir Mansoor of the National Trade Union Federation said that a new IMF loan would pose a threat to the people of Pakistan as IMF’s conditions would be unbearable for the people. Comrade Majid Memon said that it was impossible to implement an eight-hour work day in such an exploitative situation in Pakistan.

Joint declaration

A joint declaration was also issued on the occasion to demand that the government end the contract system of employment in both public and private sectors. Due to the contract system the installation of trade unions has become difficult and collective bargaining is impossible.

The declaration expressed serious concerns on the expulsion of journalists and media workers from media houses. It demanded that all media employees be provided salaries on time. It demanded that Articles 19 and 19-A be ensured for freedom of speech. The declaration also demanded reserving at least five per cent quota for workers in all houses of parliament.

Women workers’ rally

A big rally of Home-based Women Workers Federation (HBWWF), called the Mehnatkash Aurat Rally, was also held on the occasion to demand rights as per labour laws for the home-based women workers.

The rally was led by Saba Faisal Edhi of the Edhi Foundation and Zehra Khan, founder and central general secretary of the HBBWF. It started at Regal Chowk and culminated at the KPC. This was the first time that women workers had organised their own rally in Karachi on Labour Day.

Speaking at the rally, Zehra Khan said that in Pakistan the workers of the organised labour sector were exploited, while the workers of the informal sector, including home-based workers, were toiling in virtually inhuman conditions. She said that in Pakistan there was an estimated 68 million labour force, and 70 per cent of it belonged to the informal sector, who are deprived of their due rights. She said that more than 12.5 million workers were in the home-based sector and 80pc of them were women.

Home-based Women Bangle Workers Union leader Shakeela Khan said a majority of factories and industries had become sweatshops. Their workers were not given appointment letters and they were not registered with social security institutions, she said.

Saba Faisal Edhi said that the struggle of women workers was praiseworthy. She stressed that women participate in the struggle for their rights.

The rally participants demanded that social security be ensured for home-based workers and they should also be given facilities of healthcare, education, jobs and pension. They should be registered with the labour department and their employers and contractors also be registered, they said.

Published in Dawn, May 2nd, 2019