Founded 41 years ago, Midas Safety is the world’s largest private label manufacturer, the leading exporter of safety gloves and Industrial Clothing from Pakistan with presence in 13 countries. The Company employs over 10,500 employees across the world and sells 16,000 unique products in over 80 countries to around 120 customers. In Pakistan, Midas Safety has 8 manufacturing facilities in Karachi and Faisalabad with 7,000 personnel of which 30% are women. On our journey, we have been delighted to onboard so many inspiring women who chase their dreams, find ways to manage work and their homes together, and stop at nothing to create the life they seek. We realize that in order to encourage women participation in Pakistan, an inclusive culture, an accommodating environment and equal opportunities are pivotal in attracting them to the workplace. We are proud to offer such a culture and environment and strive to further strengthen and improve it.
We have inculcated best practices at our workplaces which include separate canteen and pick-and-drop facilities for female employees, health and life insurance, medical reimbursement, maternity and paternity leaves, employee education assistance, long service incentives and strict enforcement of the Non-discrimination and Harassment policy. These policies and practices improve the health, economic and social status of women at our organization, are important to help them progress and encourage them to continue working.
Globalization has coincided with an increase in the female labour force which is a positive shift in the market. Notwithstanding the increase, even today, women remain less likely to participate in the labour market than men. Midas Safety actively works with organizations and participates at different social forums globally to encourage female participation, broaden perceptions, challenge stereotypes and help overcome the challenges women face. Recently, we collaborated with JICA (Japan International Cooperation Agency) to reach out to females who live in remote areas with middle to low-income households and encourage them to come forward and contribute financially to their families.
Investing in women’s economic empowerment sets an undeviating path towards gender equality, reduction in poverty and inclusive economic growth. Women have huge potential to contribute to the economy and society and therefore, it is only logical for us to provide them full and equal access to social protection, literacy, education, and training, and to remove obstacles that hinder them from achieving the milestones they deserve.
Women are both past and present-day pioneers with the power to create, nurture and transform. We strongly believe that women are the architects of society and are committed to supporting them, recognizing their contributions, and will continue providing them with an ideal and safe workplace.
‘Women’s Day’ provides us an opportunity to thank our female employees and women all over Pakistan as they continue to make us proud while making valuable contributions to our society.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2021