have realised the importance of organising and struggling for their collective rights.
Ume Laila Azhar, Executive Director, of an organisation, welcomed the participants and said the presence of women workers in large numbers proved that they were well aware of their rights and serious about bringing an improvement in their lives.
She said these women workers were the chief guests of the convention and needed praise for transforming their lives by the dint of hard worked. She shared it with the audience that Punjab Labour Policy had been announced and it was heartening to note that it also talked about rights of women workers in the informal sector. She paid homage to the martyrs of Chicago and asked the women workers to continue with their mission.
Khalid Mahmood, Executive Director, Labour Education Foundation (LEF), focused on the need for measures to ensure Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) for women workers. He said they were vulnerable to diseases of all types as they had to work with hazardous chemicals and acids, sit in harmful postures for years, had to inhale smoke and so. Therefore, he said, the government shall realise the need for providing health and social security cover to them who did not have enough money to spend on their health.
Ghulam Fatima, Secretary General of an organisation. lamented that despite government’s promises, NGOs initiatives and labour unions’ activism, poor workers were facing atrocities. Dr Javaid Iqbal Gill, Director, Labour Punjab said they were working on ensuring health and safety of workers and developing model workplaces. Besides, he said they were also working on a project supported by the UN Women under which they were registering HBWs in three districts.
MPA Farzana Butt said she could easily relate to the women workers present there as she herself had struggled throughout her life to achieve her goals. Aima Mahmood, Shaheena Kausar, Jalwat Ali and HBW leaders spoke on the occasion.