Ehsaas Programme be extended to informal workers

ISLAMABAD: The National Labour Federation (NLF) has demanded of the government to extend the Ehsaas Programme to informal labour and working class of the country which had lost their livelihood due to lockdown.

Addressing executive body meeting of the Federation, Shamsur Rehman Swati, the NLF President, said as a result of lockdown, around 70 million workers including 10 million formal workers associated with the industrial sector and 60 millionn informal workers who are daily wagers have not been able to earn their bread and butter for the last three weeks.

He observed that extending support of Rs12,000 to 10 million formal workers would not be able to serve purpose of the Ehsaas Programme. Referring to a report of Human Rights Watch, he observed that informal workers were deprived of registration and becoming members labour unions.

Swati also drew attention of the government to the fact that owners of various establishments and industrial units were not paying minimum monthly wages to workers and they were also being forced to work under unsafe environment.