Daily Times

This May Day was dotted with massive rallies in countries around the world. From Cuba, Portugal, France, Greece, Russia, Hong Kong, Korea to Indonesia, thousands of workers took to the streets to demand their rights. Even in Pakistan, a significant number of rallies were held in different parts of the country. After many years, this May Day sent out strong signals of the revival of the labour movement. In Pakistan, labour unions are active only in the public sector. There is not so much activity in the private sector, where workers are at the mercy of the their bosses’ arbitrary decisions. The passage of the 18th Amendment has devolved the system of labour legislation to the provinces. An example of how provinces are dealing with this issue is the Punjab Industrial Relations (PIR) Act 2010. Labour and human rights activists have severely criticised this piece of legislation enacted by the Punjab Assembly, stating that it is in conflict with Pakistan’s international obligation to implement the provisions of the International Labour Organisation (ILO) rules and the Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR), ratified by Pakistan. PIR Act 2010 stipulates that no trade union can be set up in industrial units employing less than 50 workers. In the present circumstances, when not many large units are in operation, the private sector mostly comprises small and medium enterprises, the number of whose workers is often less than 50. In effect, this provision deprives the majority of workers of the right of collective bargaining with their employers. In addition, the system of labour inspection has been abolished on the plea that it promotes corruption in the labour department and unnecessarily harasses business owners. It is regrettable that instead of improving the system, the government took the easier course and left labour at the mercy of the employers. The absence of such a system has given a carte blanche to treat the workers as they like. How is it possible to enforce minimum wages for workers without on the spot inspections by the government?

The undermining of labour rights is not just the case in Punjab or Pakistan as a whole. Workers are facing difficult circumstances throughout the world. Therefore, the resurgence of the labour movement will help them gain their rights — those that they have lost and also those that they have still not gained. *