Home-based workers (HBWs) in Pakistan must unite on a platform to raise their collective voice, to claim their rights, to make government institutions responsive towards their needs, to pressurize government to ratify the ILO convention 177 on Home Work and to strive for implementation of Minimum Wage Act.
This was the joint opinion shared by participants in the ‘Home-Based Workers Convention’ held by Labour Education Foundation (LEF) on 18th October 2012 at Bakhtiar Labour Hall Lahore. The convention was organized to commemorate South Asia Day for Home Based Workers, which is celebrated on 20th October throughout South Asia.
More than 400 HBWs representatives attended the convention from Lahore and Shekhupura districts including government and non-government stakeholders besides development practitioners and human rights activists and media persons.
Speakers were Shahnaz Iqbal from Labour Education Foundation, Maria Kokab from HomeNet Pakistan, Usama Tariq Deputy General Secretary Pakistan Workers Confederation, National Trade Union Federation’s General Sectary Niaz Khan, representative of Labour Department Muhammad Ishaq and home based workers from different areas of Lahore and Sheikhupura.
While speaking on this occasion, Labour Education Foundation Associate Director, Shahnaz Iqbal presented an overall situation of HBWs, reasons for increase in informal sector, challenges faced by the workers, constitutional guarantees and steps to be taken by the civil society and the government. Shahnaz Iqbal also highlighted the efforts done by LEF to organize HBWs in unions across Pakistan at district level. LEF has been recently active in organizing district unions of HBWs in Lahore, Sheikhupura, Kasur, Toba Tek Singh, Nowshehra, Mardan, Charssada and Rawalpindi.
Mohammad Ishaq from Labour Department said that the draft policy and the proposed law on home based workers interlinked and would simultaneously come into force. After the legislation, home based workers would be indentified and registered. Bill is under observation of Chief Minister.
Maria Kokab from HomeNet Pakistan explained the salient components of the drafted policy for home based workers and how it will ensure their status as workers and other benefits. Advocacy for the social protection and legislation supporting HBW’s by civil society and efforts by the government of Pakistan over the last decade resulted in a series of consultation and a draft national policy on HBW’s.
Social activist Nazli Javaid said the HBWs, particularly women, needed to unite in unions so that their voice could be heard. She further said it is important to get recognition and for that you have to be active and demand your rights.
To ensure that the rights of the HBWs are protected and to make a significant contribution to the social development of the community, it is necessary that the home based workers are united in form of trade unions, senior trade union activist Niaz Khan said while describing the importance of organizing.
A documentary about condition and unionizing of home based bangle women workers of Hyderabad was shown to the participants. Bangle workers of Hyderabad are organized in union with support of LEF. This documentary is produced by LEF and is directed by Ammar Aziz.
Issued by; Khalid Mahmood, Director, Labour Education Foundation
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