Pakistan Institute of Labour Education and Research (PILER) has urged the government to start social security programmes to protect and facilitate workers in the country. The institute also appealed for raising the minimum wage of Rs 6000 for the most vulnerable segment of the society to offset the impact of inflation.
"With the federal budget soon to be announced, we urge the government to keep social welfare of labourers high on the agenda," said a report launched on occasion of International Labour Day. The report said that the government should look more seriously into the issues of workers, who make up the majority of the population, and ensure right of dignified life for them like other citizens.
PILER also urged the legislators to incorporate provisions of International Labour Organisation (ILO) Conventions No 87 and 98 relating to freedom of association and collective bargaining. "Industrial Relations Act (IRA)- 2008 be amended to make it acceptable to the workers' organisations and extend coverage of social protection schemes to all workers particularly the vulnerable informal sector, home-based women workers and sub-contracted workers," it added.
The report said that, during last year, a number of workers lost their lives due to inadequate health and safety arrangement at workplace. PILER statement said that even though the present government has replaced the notorious Industrial Relations Ordinance 2002 with the new Industrial Relations Act 2008, but "the trade unions still have reservations over the newly enacted Act." However, it said, the government has assured that the new Act is for a shorter duration and would be replaced by a comprehensive law by 2010.
It also mentioned that the democratic government also conducted Pakistan Tripartite Labour Conference in February 2009 to review IRA 2008 for consensus on a new legislation but the institute report stressed for more broad-based tripartite consultations among social partners.
Quoting figures, the PILER statement said that out of total labour force of over 50 million in Pakistan, only 6.62 million workers are benefited from the formal social protection schemes. The main social insurance schemes including EOBI and ESSI cover less than 3 percent of the total employed workforce in Pakistan as only a small number of establishments with 5 or more workers are registered, report added.
According to a review of the newspapers during last one-year conducted by PILER, the report said that numerous accidents at workplace were reported, reflecting highly unsafe occupational standards across all the sectors of the industry. "Of the 311 people affected by these accidents, 100 lost their lives, almost 150 workers got seriously injured. This is primarily because currently there are no effective inspection mechanism in place," it claimed.
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