Minimum wage

Like all other countries, Pakistan too has the minimum wage law. It requires that at least Rs17,500 be paid to every worker performing an eight-hour-long shift. Besides the minimum wage, a worker is also entitled to weekly holidays, EOBI, social security and overtime pay. A recent survey of Karachi’s top three government hospitals and the city’s biggest waste management organisation revealed that the government itself was in violation of its own laws. The violation was most prominent when it came to the lowest rung of the ladder – sanitary workers and private security guards who are hired on a contractual basis. While on paper, the contracts between these government orgnisations and contractors state the right amount, janitors and security guards are actually given around Rs12,000 to 14,000 per month. They have no social security and no EOBI enrolment.

This sad practice amounts to the exploitation of the poor and violation of the law. Can the head of every government organisation, the labour department and the CM of Sindh immediately look into this violation and ensure that every janitor and security guard receives minimum wages, EOBI enrolment, social security and overtime pay, where applicable?

Naeem Sadiq

Karachi