Mayor pays tribute to labourers on Int’l Labour Day

Karachi Mayor Wasim Akhtar paid a tribute to the labourers on International Labour Day, marked on May 1 every year.

In a statement issued on Friday, he said International Labour Day reminded us the struggle of the labourers who were still struggling for their rights.

He said daily-wage earners were facing economic hardship and it had become difficult for them to feed their families during the COVID-19 pandemic.

"Billions of labourers have been rendered jobless due to lockdown across the world," he said.

According to the press statement from the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC), the mayor said the country’s prosperity could only be ensured if the labourers prospered.

He said World Labour Day taught us to protect rights of the labourers. "Islam guarantees the rights of the labourers,” he said and demanded the government to take effective measures for the betterment of the labourers.

He was of the view that the provision of ration and essential commodities to the labourers who were jobless was the need of the hour. “The Khidmat-e-Khalq Foundation has provided ration to 150,000 labourers so far," he said.Akhtar said the current situation demanded that the government should help the needy people, including the labourers.

He said 81 per cent labourers in Pakistan were neither registered with any organisations nor could they avail their rights. "The labourers have achieved some of their rights in a struggle which spans over 100 years, but there’s still a long way to go," he said.

He was of the view that the lockdown had brought more miseries for the lower-income class. He asked the labourers to raise their voice for their rights so that poverty and joblessness could be eradicated.

The mayor urged that International Labour Day should be observed with taking a vow to speed up the efforts for the betterment of the labourers and to stop their exploitation.