LAHORE : There are 20 million home-based workers (HBWs) in Pakistan and more than 71 percent (two-third) are women.
Most of them are piece-rate workers, involved in manufacturing and post-manufacturing tasks, such as garment stitching, embroidery, knitting, carpet weaving and handlooms, woodwork, shoe making and other handicrafts, bangle making, fruit and vegetable processing and packaging, etc.
Sometimes their work is linked with international brands through the factories producing for such brands.
Shamim and seven women in her neighbourhood stitch women’s clothes. They were getting as little as Rs8 for stitching a trouser. A trouser takes 20 minutes to stitch, the women said.
Even if they managed to stitch three trousers in an hour, they earned Rs24 for an hour’s work. If they worked for eight hours like this, they earned no more than Rs192. What? Only Rs192 for a day’s work?
The minimum wage was then Rs 20,000 a month. Going by that minimum wage, a worker’s wage should be more than Rs650 a day.
These home-based workers who live in Baghbanpura decided they will not accept less than Rs15 for stitching a trouser and conveyed this to the fellow who brought work to them and collected the finished products. Their demand was not entertained and they settled at Rs10 per piece. Even if they had succeeded in getting Rs15 per piece and had worked for eight hours, it would be less than half of the minimum wage for a day’s work.
The poor women are uneducated. They do not know the math, do not know how to calculate fair wages, hence suffer hugely.
The Punjab government formulated a policy on home-based workers and a law, ‘Punjab Home Based Workers Act, 2013,’ which was passed by the assembly in June 2021.
The question is whether Home-Based Workers Bill 2021 has made any difference in the lives of workers. It has not. The Domestic Workers Bill is also there. Even rules of business have been made but what difference has it made in the lives of those for whom it is meant. The problem is with the implementation.
Jalwat Ali, a labour rights activist, who has been on the forefront demanding legislation for home-based workers, sees the workers as ‘scared’.
“There is a problem with thinking. Nobody is ready to sacrifice. There is leadership crisis,” she said.
“Even in the formal sector, people are working 12-14 hours in the textile sector and are getting Rs13,000 to Rs17,000 which is less than minimum wage, irrespective of whether they are male or female,” she said.
Ume Laila of Homenet Pakistan held a consultation with home-based workers who revealed they could not eliminate the middleman from their system because they are the people the market relies on. On the other hand, the middlemen try to get work done from home-based workers for as little money as possible.
A number of these women complained of a lot of unpleasantness at home due to lack of resources and time. Some complained of violence. The work that fetches little money eats up all the time of these women who have to attend to the household chores as well. Little money means lots of people living under one roof and putting up with more people than is desirable. Unfair wage is perpetuating poverty. There is a cable TV in every house, at least in cities. Also huge number of people in Pakistan are using smart phones. These can be used to inform women of their rights. There is a need to connect these women to those who are doing similar work, the rates that are acceptable for certain work and so on. Connected and informed people make better choices and can certainly improve their lives, she said.