LAHORE : Present government has risen the minimum wages for unskilled workers to Rs25000 per month but it has not raised the minimum wages of the semi-skilled and skilled and supervisory workers as well as the Old Age Pension is limited to Rs8500 per month. The minimum wages of semi-skilled, skilled and supervisory workers is also required to be raised alongwith the Old Age Pension of the workers fixed at only Rs8500 per month far lower than the present high price hike.
Khurshid Ahmad, General Secretary, All-Pakistan Workers Confederation (Regd) expressed these views while talking on the eve of International Labour Day on Saturday.
Khurshid Ahmad said it is also obligation of the government to give voice to the workers in the policy-making institution in accordance with ILO Convention No.144 ratified by the Government of Pakistan. “Working class of Pakistan celebrate May Day not only to pay tribute to the sacrifices of Chicago workers, but also they will pledge to make successful to establish a society based upon equality, fraternity, social justice, dignity of work, elimination of day-to-day rising irrational gap between rich and poor and abject poverty, aggravating unemployment and ignorance in the country”.
He said ‘First May’ is observed as International Labour Day all over the world including Pakistan. It is observed as public holiday. At this day, the tributes were paid to sacrifices of workers of Chicago Workers who sacrificed their lives for their rights.
Khurshid Ahmad said Pakistan has not only ratified the ILO but also UNO Conventions which guarantees the fundamental right of freedom of association of workers and elimination of forced and child labour and discrimination against women, ensuring social protection, provisions of safe and healthy working conditions to the workers and living wages and implementation of the Labour Laws by independent labour inspection machinery. The constitution of Pakistan guarantees those rights in its preamble and fundamental rights and principles of state policy.
He said Pakistan is fifth largest county in population in the world. “The millions of the workers living urban and rural areas required that the Federal Government ensure the implementation of the principles of ILO and UNO Convention and the fundamental rights enshrined in the constitution of Pakistan, but also implementation of more than 72 Federal and Provincial Labour Laws in the country by an independent labour inspection machinery in accordance with the principles of ILO Convention No 81”.
Whereas those laws are not being implemented due to absence of Labour Inspection Machinery. Those are lesser than 1000 Labour Inspection Officers comparing with Millions of Workforce and thousands of factories and commercial companies. That is the reason that Pakistan has been declared by ILO Report that workers employed in coal mines in Balochistan suffer largest tragic accidents in the world due to unsafe working conditions. That United Nation has reported that Pakistan is the seventh country in the world having the largest accidents in the Transport Industry in the world.
Khurshid Ahmad said there is urgent need that our policy makers take special measures to develop national industries and agriculture and commerce to raise dignity of work to provide Decent Work opportunities to our young labour force and get ridden the nation from heavy burden of foreign debts at the earliest.
