Call for drawing up rules to implement newly passed law for HBWs

A two-day Capacity Development Program on the newly passed law of the Sindh Home-based Workers Act 2018 for the Labour & Human Resource Department and other stakeholders was held at a local hotel September 13 and 14 by HomeNet Pakistan, said a press release issued by the media cell of HomeNet Pakistan.

It was held under the project of UN Women and with the support of LHRD and Aurat Foundation, which focuses on the economic empowerment of female home-based workers and excluded groups in Sindh.

Ume Laila, executive director at HomeNet, briefed the audience about the history of struggle for the HBWs’ rights not only countrywide but at international level and at South Asian platform.

She said the HomeNet South Asia was a member-based organisation which had member countries, including India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal and Pakistan.

She further said HomeNet South Asia had taken up issues and uplifted the status of women HBWs in these countries. She shared with participants from the labour department, social welfare department, social security department, EOBI, minimum wage department, Pakistan Readymade garments institute the issues and challenges of HBWs. Ume Laila explained a modus operandi for the process of the registration of HBWs in detail.

Naheed Syed from HomeNet highlighted the objectives of the two-day program in the context of the new law for the HBWs. She said that under this law, the importance of each relevant department and stakeholders had increased, and now there was need to take coordinated steps for the implementation of this newly passed law.

Gulfam Nabi Memon, ex-joint director at the LHRD, explained the salient features of the HBWs Act 2018. He said that under this law, the HBWs had been ensured a number of facilities and protection.

He said the workers had been given social security coverage, EOBI coverage, health cards facility, occupational health and safety protection and grants, schemes. He spoke of the committees to be constituted under this law.

Fasih ul Karim Siddiqi of the Employers Federation of Pakistan pointed out some amendments to be made in the law, saying these changes would be easier for the implementation phase of the law. He said the EFP would support in drafting a mechanism for the proposed amendments. He ensured that he would play an effective role in the tripartite system of the labour department.