May 23: The Labour Watch Pakistan highlights the need of an effective Labour Market Information System in Pakistan in its latest e-newsletter. There are different aspects of a functioning labour market information system (LMIS) catering to labour market information and analysis, labour market diagnosis/monitoring, and labour market intermediation. Employment services are provided and labour market related data is generated through registration of unemployed, getting notifications of vacancies and facilitating placement. Read Now the full article by Dr Sabur Ghayur! … [Read more...]
The lowly brick kiln
May 20: More than a trillion baked-clay bricks are produced every year in 300,000 brick kilns around the world. China alone accounts for over three-fifths of their global production. India, Pakistan and Bangladesh account for a quarter of the global production. Demand for bricks is increasing in emerging and developing economies because of rising populations, urbanisation, increasing pace of development and modernisation. Brick kilns are a source of employment for millions of working women and men. In South Asia there is the practice of brick kiln owners employing families by giving them part of the total wages for the new consignment as advance payment (peshgi). This practice leads to debt-bondage of the brick-making workers. Brick kilns continue to use primitive technology, … [Read more...]
A tale of two tragedies
May 17: September 11, 2012 – over 1,000 workers reported for duty at Karachi’s Baldia garment factory, most for the last time in their lives. Till today, we are unclear over how many of them were there at the start of the day and how many were burnt alive in the tragic inferno, charred and unrecognisable bodies continuing to be unearthed days after the fire. The official death toll stopped at a vague and insensitive official note stating “over 300 people died in the fire”. That there were more who were still missing, bodies that were never identified or traced is hardly relevant to the capitalistic machinery that is interested solely in profits and deadlines. Located on the outskirts of Dhaka, Rana Plaza – an eight-storey building, many of which were constructed illegally – … [Read more...]
Down to business
May 13: A new political leadership has been chosen by the people of Pakistan. Another opportunity has been provided to politicians to form governments at the national and provincial levels, while those left behind are set to become opposition members. The voter turnover demonstrates the confidence of the people in the electoral process and their hope to elect a political party that can deliver. Let us hope that this time around their confidence is not shattered. The euphoria over the hotly contested elections, despite the looming security threat, was understandable. However, it should now be over as the enormous challenges that await the elected government demand an immediate and prudent action plan to pull the country out of the current quagmire of multifarious crises. Various … [Read more...]