Workers united

Countries around the world will celebrate the International Day of Labour today (May 1) to acknowledge the tireless efforts of their workers in helping them ride the wave of prosperity and growth. From the tech haven in the US to the larger-than-life skyscrapers in the Middle East, the developed world owes its workers for what it is today. But the workers, the indispensable cog in the machine, usually remain isolated – working from dawn to dusk to help companies report record-breaking profits only to receive a meagre amount at the end of the month. In Pakistan, the situation is not any better. While political leaders consistently mention that they are aware of workers’ rights and will work for their uplift, the reality is just the opposite. Even though Pakistan’s minimum wage stands at Rs32,000, the rise of gig workers has allowed employers to evade the law and draft remuneration packages on the basis of commission with a base rate well below the minimum wage. This allows private companies to profit off the blood and sweat of unpaid workers with impunity. Worker safety at such companies often remains neglected.

Workers across the country need to unite for their rights. At present, the private sector is making the most of the country’s economic ills. As inflation rises, the companies argue that their profits have gone down, using this to absolve themselves from giving increments to employees. A majority of people are working more than one job to barely make ends meet. In a country where there is no decent transportation system to commute to and from work, even going to work has become a major financial challenge. Lack of affordable housing means workers have to live far away from their workplaces, adding additional strain on their physical and financial wellbeing. Successive governments have failed to acknowledge these issues. Policymakers see the working class as irrelevant to economic planning. This apathy leads to demotivation among people, which is why hundreds of thousands of both skilled and unskilled workers are looking for opportunities abroad, using their life savings to emigrate to a foreign country to earn a decent living for themselves.

Workers employed at foreign companies remotely are not any better. For companies in the Global North, workers in the Global South are a great way to reduce their cost of doing business. Experienced workers here are hired at rates that are significantly lower than what they would pay a worker back home. But since the pay is slightly higher than the local rates, workers agree. But these companies also hire them on a contractual basis and rarely extend other facilities like medical and house allowance to their employees. The current weak economy has drowned the voice of workers, who prefer not to resist to save whatever income they have. But this widening inequality has to end. Big Business should not be allowed to keep exploiting workers and making profits. This is where unionising comes in, a concept now almost alien to us. It is not for nothing that a working class united has always been seen as such a threat to the status quo.