The National Coalition Against Bonded Labour (NCABL), an alliance of more than a score of organisations working for the end of bonded labour, at its general body meeting here on Sunday called upon all political parties to make clear commitments for the eradication of all slavery-like practices in the country.
This general body meeting of the National Coalition Against Bonded Labour expressed its shock and dismay over the political parties for not paying due attention over country's labouring masses, especially of the bonded workers. It seems they have no time to take notice of Article 3 of the Constitution that obliges the state to strive for an end to exploitation and the acceptance of the principle of taking from each according to one's capacity and guaranteeing each according to one's needs. These political parties cannot be unaware of the exploitation of workers, trapped in various forms of bondage, in agriculture, in the brick-kiln industry, in carpet weaving factories and in mines, nor can they deny the plight of factory workers, landless tenants and farm labour. The NCABL calls upon all political parties to make clear and firm pledge that they will give priority to measures needed to eradicate bonded labour in whatever form and wherever it exists they will carry out land reforms and provide land to bona fide tenants, they will ratify and implement ILO Convention 141 on unionisation of agricultural workers: and they will fully implement all the ILO conventions that government of Pakistan has ratified, especially the conventions 87,98,100, 111, 29,105, 138 and 182.