THE working class is the backbone of the country’s industrial and economic development zs well as productivity, growth and prosperity. Social and economic wellbeing of the workers should be one of the principal objectives of any government, but is that the case in Pakistan? Well, the answer is too obvious to be stated. Is it not?

A labour policy defines the funda-mental approach of the government towards peaceful industrial relations and protection of workers’ rights, and to provide guidance to the adminis-trative, legislative and judicial actions of the government.

Since gaining independence, six labour policies have so far been announced by the government. All these labour polices basically laid down the parameters for the growth of trade unionism, the protection of workers’ rights, the settlement of industrial disputes and redressal of workers’ grievances.

The first labour policy was presented by the then Labour Minister Dr Abdul Motaleb Malik in 1955, the second was introduced in 1959 by Lt-Gen Wajid Ali Burki, Labour Minister in the Ayub Khan government.

The third labour policy announ-cement was made in May 1969 by Air Marshal Nur Khan, Deputy Martial Law Administrator under another military regime.

The fourth policy was announced by Civilian Chief Martial Law Adminis-trator Zulfikar Ali Bhutto in 1972 after the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) came to power. It was a comprehensive policy that was based on 23 points outlining several measures for the welfare and protection of the basic rights of the working class.

Moving on, the fifth labour policy was announced in 2002 by the then Minister for Labour Umar Asghar Khan, but this policy could not make much headway for a variety of reasons.

The sixth and the last labour policy was announced by Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani in 2010.

Unfortunately, these labour policies have failed to achieve their objectives. After the 18th Amendment to the Constitution in April 2010, the labour subject was abolished in the federal concurrent list and it was devolved to the provinces.

However, due to lack of interest, required machinery, effective systems and resources, no concrete steps could be taken by the provinces to protect the fundamental rights of the working class. As we stand, there is no labour policy in the country for the last more than 13 years.

Before the 18th Amendment, the federal government used to regularly conduct all-Pakistan tripartite labour conferences to resolve issues related to industrial relations faced by the working class, comprising represen-tatives of the government, employers and workers. It is a fact that despite all the tall claims by the politicians, the fundamental rights of the working class have been irreparably damaged as a result of the said consitutional amendment.

According to the Federal Bureau of Statistics (FBS), Pakistan’s current workforce stands at 78 million. It is a pity that even after 76 years and despite the six labour policies announced by a variety of governments and a number of existing labour laws, the majority of the working class is still deprived of its fundamental rights, the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights and various International Labour Organisation (ILO) conventions.

Such rights include guarantee of employment, decent work, freedom of association, right to collective bargaining, daily eight-hour work, fair wages, overtime for extra work, leaves, profit bonus, group insurance, provident fund, gratuity, compensation, health and safety at workplace, healthcare for self and families and cash benefits under social security schemes, children’s education, residential grant, dowry grant, death grant and other facilities under workers welfare fund and social security pension.

Due to the present political and economic crisis, mounting inflation has affected the working class in the most severe and serious of manners. In order to provide immediate relief to the downtrodden, the country definitely needs labour reforms across the board, and that is only possible through a comprehensive national labour policy.

Israr Ayoubi
Karachi

Published in Dawn, September 28th, 2023