Khaadi management, protesting workers reach agreement

National Trade Union Federation’s (NTUF) General Secretary Nasir Mansoor welcomed the accord reached between the management of the leading lifestyle clothing brand, Khaadi, and its workers, whereby the former has promised to improve the implementation of labour laws at the production unit.

He was addressing the media at the Karachi Press Club (KPC) on Tuesday.

According to the provisions of the agreement, workers who had not been issued appointment letters at the unit will be served the letters soon, whereas the Khaadi management agreed to implement payment of the minimum wage - Rs15,000 - to each worker.

Other provisions included registration of workers with the Employees’ Old Age Benefits Institution and the Sindh Employees Social Security Institution (SESSI).

The 125 employees of the unit who had instituted proceedings with the National Industrial Relations Commission (NIRC) were also agreed to be allowed to continue the job without being harassed.

The management and workers also agreed upon Khaadi not objecting to any of the 32 workers who have left the job to come to collect their dues if they wanted to work with any other vendor.

Furthermore, facilities for safe drinking water, a canteen, and bathrooms will be upgraded at all production units; health and safety facilities were also agreed to be improved in accordance with the country’s laws.

The provisions further entail that as usual and in accordance with the country’s laws, workers will be disbursed a month’s advance salary as Eid Bonus, whereas working hours and overtime allowances will be in accordance with the relevant laws at all the units.

All kinds of gender-based discrimination will be shunned.

Besides, the workers will ensure completing their rational daily production targets and will maintain discipline within the factory premises.

Mansoor, said this could be considered a landmark agreement, in that in a vast majority of industrial units, the workers were being taken for a ride and despite the laws of the land, the concept of minimum wage prevailed nowhere.

“There were no social security provisions for the workers or their families; no uniform wages; or health and safety facilities.”

These brands, he said, were reaping a mighty bonanza due to the hard work of the workers and as such they must be given a fair share from the mighty profits.

The NTUF representative, however, was disappointed with the provincial labour
department, and said that a worker-management dispute always came as a windfall for them as it gave them an opportunity to line their pockets with bribes from the managements.

“In case of a dispute, the Labour Department officials get hand-in-glove with the managements to take unfair decisions against the workers and extract large amounts from them as bribes.”

“Khaadi is just the tip of the iceberg and the Labour Department is just an extension of the management,” Mansoor observed.

He added that Pakistan has a total workforce of 62 million, but only one percent of them was unionised. “In the private sector, there is zero unionisation,” he said.

The NTUF general secretary maintained that there were brands which had an international reach and their products were very popular overseas. “They, on the basis of misinformation, sell their products overseas like hot cakes but refuse to give workers their due.” This, he said, was against all canons of morality.

Counted among one of the most popular clothing brands of the country, Khaadi found itself at the centre of a social media campaign against appalling working conditions of its labourers among other labour issues. The campaign began sometime in late May and struck a responsive chord among a number of people.

Protests outside the brand’s outlets as well as in other places were staged in Lahore and Karachi.