In Pakistan, make a living in an uncertain market has devastated the lives of local labor. The low employment rate is continuously playing havoc with trembling economic condition of the state. Due to inconsistent economic stability business has lost somewhere, thus circulation of capital has jammed, this very scenario has watered the unemployment rate to the point, it was never before.
Meanwhile, according to trade economic macro models, Pakistan’s unemployment rate is anticipated to drift around 5.90 percent by 2020. In accordance with the report “Jobs and Entrepreneurship in Pakistan” by World Bank, claims that the country’s working-age population is likely to grow at 2.1% per annum for the next decade. Thus, more people are likely to lose their jobs by next year.
Another major cause helping unemployment, is a high pace of growing population, as an enormous number of working power is constantly being added with the existing labour force leading to an immense surplus in labour market, while employer class is taking advantage of this situation and keep on exploiting the working class by suppressing their labor rights.
Owing to minimal jobs in public and private sector, incredibly low salaries are offered to even skilled jobseekers, furthermore, they are required to work more than their working hours and are not given fair wages for overtime. Sometimes they are even asked to do above and beyond their duties. When comes to performance, the trend of no appreciation has prevailed all over, which is often taken as a hindrance in achieving ultimate targets, thus cause bad impression on the employers.
In addition, occupational safety is completely ignored, over 3.5 percent of the workers report to meet some kind of occupational injury or disease. Construction works, chemical factories and coal mines are considered as most hazardous places to work, even then they are not given health insurance benefits, whereas the owners keep on making a huge amount of money.
One more annihilation, psychological exploitation of labor is practiced which almost destroy the self- integrity of the labor class. Any worker cannot make eye contact with his employer as they are suppressed in a way that they cannot make any fair demand before them. Most of the places, workers are not even allowed to meet their employer, and making a call to the owner is considered as blasphemous as, enough to get one fired. The ambiance, hurdles, protocol barriers to meet the boss and the psychological terror wreck them up mentally, that they cannot even speak well before them.
The exploitation of the employees does not wrap-up here. Other traits of abusing power such as late payments, holding salaries, long delays in wages for daily wage workers, last warnings, threats to get fired, undoubtedly bring forth stress to them, consequently affect their working capabilities and ultimate impact hits to their family which are dependent on the single salary of their breadwinner.
Due to the fear of losing a job, workers are tended to do more than, their regular job. When an individual becomes scared of losing a job, they become more apt to be manipulated or treated gravely by their bosses since they don’t want to risk their livelihood or being terminated… While some employers take this anxiousness as a chance and use it as a tool to exploit their laborers, at the point when organizations abuse their workers, they are doing as such to save profits.
If we come to the pays, despite the minimum wages set by the Govt., employers are paying the lowest possible salaries which hardly fulfill their two ends meal. A big question arises, how do they manage their house rent, health expenses, education for their children? Undeniably, they are living below the midline.
Working rights are not being successfully upheld owing to an influx in joblessness and low economic growth. The working environment is dangerous and labor laws violation frequently remains unquestioned due to weak counter system. Constitution of Pakistan ensures the provisions with regard to labor rights in Article 17, 18, 25, 37e which proclaims the right to form unions, makes provision for securing just and humane working conditions.
It is humorous to increase wages for unskilled labor every year but do not keep a check upon implementation. However, Federal, as well as Provincial governments, are badly failed to ensure the implementation of laws in favor of the working class. As per laws, a month implies 26 working days regardless of overtime, which is hardly followed by any firm, consequence a huge loss to the income of the labor community.
Provincial labor departments are too weak and hand-cuffed to inspect or enforce enactments under the factories act 1934. As the present government claims itself a representative of working-class, people expect this new Government, rather than rhetoric statements in processions, must constitute new laws which truly serve the labor class, a comfort.
As this would not only serve the local worker but also would help increase productivity and export sector.