Unfair wages

In Karachi, like pretty much all of Pakistan, a significant portion of workers do not receive the legally mandated minimum wage, exacerbating economic hardships. Many organisations and workers have rallied for their rights to a minimum wage over the years. In this era of increasing inflation, survival on anything less is almost unimaginable. Even when it comes to the minimum wage, many experts argue that it is insufficient and some are advocating for a more reasonable living wage, emphasising that current wages are insufficient to meet basic living standards.

In September 2024, labour leaders in Karachi put forward a demand for the issuance of an official notification for the minimum wage and threatened to protest if this demand was not fulfilled. On International Labour Day in May 2024, workers rallied in Karachi, demanding an increase in the minimum wage to Rs50,000 per month and rejecting agreements with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) that they believed had adverse effects on workers. There is an ongoing struggle for fair wages in Karachi and the rest of the county and one can only hope it prevails.

Sana Gulzar

Karachi