Most Pakistanis just enjoy the May Day holiday with little care for its significance. The government is probably content with their labour-friendly legislation. The wide gaps in the implementation of these somehow escape their attention. Employers possibly resent it but tolerate it. Workers, however, celebrate Labour Day as well as they can.

Today again, workers will meet at multiple platforms to honour the contribution of their class in the production cycle, pay respects to resistance against exploitation and salute sacrifices made 137 years ago by workers in Chicago. The question is, do they still trust that activism will deliver for them? My guess is as good as yours.

The situation has never been ideal for workers in Pakistan. If memory serves right, it has never been worse than what it is today. High unemployment and conflicts riddled the weak trade union movement, which had already compromised their bargaining position, leaving them at the mercy of seths (business owners), and a biased system has always been loaded against them.

The current economic downturn, however, proved catastrophic. Widespread retrenchments over the past six months, pay cuts and salary delays in times of back-breaking inflation have made life a living hell for the working masses in this country.

ILO is satisfied with the ratification of conventions which convey little about the reality on the ground

Half-baked stabilisation, import compression, foreign exchange scarcity and high-interest rates combine to erode the already narrow industrial base in the country. Small businesses probably had little option, but even major business houses of Pakistan with deep pockets dropped the axe on their workforce at the very first sight of red on their balance sheets.

Labour leaders have made tall claims but failed to achieve anything tangible for rank and file so far. “Had verbosity been sufficient to change fortunes, the fate of workers would have been different in Pakistan,” commented a stressed worker of the media industry sarcastically.

Global watchdog of labour affairs, International Labour Organisation (ILO) reports on Pakistan provide comprehensive information on the country’s stance on workers-related conventions and schemes such as the Decent Work Programme. It borrows data from official sources, not depicting reality accurately.

The ILO appears satisfied with the number of relevant conventions Pakistan ratified and programmes adopted under its guidance. A recent ILO report found Pakistan’s workforce clocking at 61 million strong, the 9th largest in the world, with a near-perfect 94.1 per cent employment rate. Of these 61m workers, 73pc are said to be engaged in the informal economy.

The agriculture sector absorbed 43.5 pc of labour, services 34pc and 22.5pc works in the industry. According to another source, hardly 11.3pc of the industrial workforce is unionised.

“ILO knows Pakistan through official statistics and whatever it has been told by the Pakistanis they interact with. The labour leaders in their contact speak a different language and are often compromised,” a young trade unionist laughed off at ILO’s laudatory remarks on the government’s efforts for workers’ welfare.

A civil society activist who closely follows the labour movement narrated several occasions where unions faltered.

The pro-worker legislations are to appease trade partners with very little, if at all, for workers who slog from dawn to dusk and still live sub-human lives

“The system might be hostile, the government careless, and employers wicked, but the trade unions can’t be absolved of the responsibility of growing workers’ vulnerability in the country. The ageing leadership is trapped in the past. They have little clue about the digitised new world, challenges it posses, and opportunities it offers,” a labour leader from Lahore fed up with the petty politics in trade union space quipped.

Chaudhry Saad Nasim, General Secretary, Pakistan Workers Federation, trashed the perception that trade unions have become irrelevant. “Trade unions have a long history of struggle in Pakistan, and it would be very unfair to rob them of the credit that is their due.

“It’s naïve to assume that the current system captured by the rural/urban elite will offer workers’ rights on a platter. The pro-worker legislations are to appease trade partners with very little, if at all, for workers who slog from dawn to dusk and still live sub-human lives. We must be prepared to fight to win.

“Where workers are not unionised, the situation is worse,” Mr Nasim said, talking over the phone from Lahore.

Talking about pressure asserted on the government by trade partners to improve the living and working conditions of workers in Pakistan, Majyd Aziz, former president Employers’ Federation (EFP), attributed the phenomenon to the growing awareness of consumers in developed societies.

“In the West, customers demand goods that are produced ethically. Brands now need certification to prove that even their overseas production sites adhere to ILO standards. The companies demand their overseas partners and their respective governments to exert pressure on the relevant governments to ensure the compliance of said standards.”

He saw a limited role for trade unions going forward as the number of contract workers not entitled to join unions multiplied. As for the government, its role, besides revising up the minimum wage and tinkering with Employees Old Age Benefits Institution (EOBI) and social security, is limited.

He admitted that even businesses that claim to be ethical and workers friendly have little to support their claims. “In times of general economic stress (during Covid and the current tough phase), most businesses do the very minimum. “They can afford to be more generous towards their workers but choose not to be.”

He said EFP has actively been sensitising its members to workers’ problems, raising awareness of the benefits of investing in workers and their wellbeing. “During my tenure as president, I lobbied with the ILO to introduce the Better Work programme in the country.”

Many relevant federal and provincial ministers and officials had not resume regular office post-Eid. Those who picked up calls did not agree to share their mind on the matter and directed questions towards official spokespersons. Some discussed issues privately and insisted that the federal government post-18th Amendment could only advise.

“Both the responsibility of labour legislations and their implementation now rests with the provincial government,” an official said, cutting the conversation short.

“Workers need work, fair wages to support a decent living standard, hazard-free hygienic working conditions and an environment to improve their skillset for growth in career,” commented a labour economist.

Published in Dawn, The Business and Finance Weekly, May 1st, 2023