Labour Day

Abdul Qadir Solangi

As is the case every year, May 1, or the International Workers Day, was celebrated this year, too, as the Labour Day even though there was little, if anything, to ‘celebrate’. While the workers enjoy better benefits in other parts of the world, labour in Pakistan still faces exploitation and apathy of the authorities concerned.

The number of children being used as labour in Pakistan is increasing day by day due to lack of checks and balances on the small and medium industries. Moreover, workplaces are not safe for the labour as per the International Labour Organization (ILO) guidelines. Also, the labour force in Pakistan is not registered with the Employees’ Old-Age Benefits Institution (EOBI), which was established to facilitate the workers.

It is important to provide an environment conducive to the needs of both the employees and the employers at the workplace. However, in Pakistan, labour laws are not being enforced and workers face health, safety, economic and sanitation issues at the workplace.

In Pakistan, no safety measures are taken at the workplace, like the availability of safe drinking water, water tanks, fire extinguisher, fire exit, etc., owing to which we see tragic events, such as fire incidents, in which several people keep losing their lives.

There is also an acute shortage of labour inspectors who may carry out daily inspections of factories and other workplaces. It is time the government gave the workers their due rights which will also increase the productivity and be beneficial to the economy.