Karachi Mayor Wasim Akhtar Friday paid tribute to labourers on the 'International Labour Day' and said this reminds us the struggle of labourers.

In his message on International Labour Day, Akhtar said labourers are still struggling for their rights. He said daily wagers are facing hardships to feed their families during Covid-19 pandemic and lockdown. "Billions of labourers rendered jobless due to lockdown across the world," he added.

The Mayor said prosperity of country lies in prosperity of labourers, adding that the day teaches to protect rights of the labourers.

"Our religion Islam guarantees labourers' rights," he said and demanded of the government to take effective measures for betterment of the labourers. He was of the view that provision of ration and essential commodities to labourers who went jobless after the lockdown is the need of the hour. Khidmat-e-Khalq Foundation has provided ration to 150,000 labourers so far," he added.

Akhtar said current situation demands the government to provide helping hand to the needy people including labourers. He said 81 percent labourers in Pakistan neither registered in any organisation nor they can claim their rights.

"The labourers have achieved some of their rights in a struggle span over 100 years but there are a lot of rights still to get," he said. He was of the view that lockdown and pandemic have added miseries of lower class people.

He also asked labourers to raise voice for their rights so that poverty and joblessness could be eradicated.

The Mayor urged that Labor Day should be observed with woe to expedite measures for betterment of the labourers and stop exploiting them so that they could play their role as respectable citizens.