KARACHI: Unilever Pakistan has implemented new measures for ‘skin fitters’ in order to address safety and livelihood challenges in the outdoor advertising sector. Unilever Pakistan’s ‘Safety First’ programme includes enhanced safety standards, increased wages, and access to health and life insurance, making it an industry first initiative.

Advertising skin fitting is a high-risk job that involves working at significant heights, often without adequate safety equipment or financial safeguards. Historically, Pakistan’s out of home (OOH) advertising workers have faced poor remuneration and limited access to essential protections. This is a workforce tasked with installing and maintaining outdoor advertisements under hazardous conditions.

As part of this initiative, Unilever has ensured that skin fitters receive state-of-the-art safety gear and comprehensive training to mitigate workplace hazards. In addition, monthly wages have been increased to Rs51,000, aligned with a fair living wage benchmark. Furthermore, workers will also benefit from health and life insurance coverage, providing financial protection against medical emergencies and unforeseen circumstances.

Amir Paracha, Chairman and CEO, Unilever Pakistan, highlighted “These steps reflect a broader industry need to prioritize the safety and livelihoods of workers who play a vital role in our operational processes. While our initiative starts, we hope that our industry counterparts reflect on these efforts, evaluate at their own pace and perhaps implement similar measures so that workforce safety and well-being can benefit across the industry.”

Copyright Business Recorder, 2024