Karachi, Nov 21: Hundreds of leather industry workers employed in factories producing leather products located in Korangi Industrial Area are fulfilling their duties without being represented by any Collective Bargaining Agents (CBAs) and a major reason is that trade unionists allow employers to form ‘pocket unions’. An employer, when asked, said, “We have never put a spoke in the wheel of trade unionists, but the factual position is they did not put up their demands before us and since we have to fulfil legal requirements in running our business affairs smoothly, we help workers to form a union and get the same registered with the concerned Labour Department.” The employer, owner of a factory where around 80 employees are working, requests not to be named and points out … [Read more...]
Alert: Expert Committee’s Views on ILO Convention No. 98
The Committee of Experts on the Application of Conventions and Recommendations is an independent body composed of legal experts charged with examining the application of ILO Conventions and Recommendations by ILO member States. Read the "The Committee of Experts' Views on the Right to Organize and Collective Bargaining Convention 1949, (No. 98) in Pakistan … [Read more...]
Workers launch campaign to ‘save’ Pakistan Railways
Karachi, Oct 26: As part of the ‘Rail Bachao Tehreek’, hundreds of railways workers staged a sit-in outside the office of the divisional superintendent at the City Station and then moved to II Chundrigar Road and gathered outside the Supreme Court Registry. The workers declared that they would not allow the government to privatise the Pakistan Railways. A leader of the workers warned, “It is the decision of 80,000 workers of the Pakistan Railways to save and protect the railways system in Pakistan under all circumstances.” Many prominent political leaders and labour leaders, including Meraj Muhammad Khan, Azhar Jameel, Qadir Khan Mandukhail, Tufail Abbas, Shaikh Majeed, Roshan Kalhorro, Tariq Khan, Shaukat Chaudhry and Zubair-ur Rehman, were present at the … [Read more...]
Alert: Expert Committee’s Views on ILO Convention No. 87
The Committee of Experts on the Application of Conventions and Recommendations is an independent body composed of legal experts charged with examining the application of ILO Conventions and Recommendations by ILO member States. Read "The Committee of Experts’ Views on the Application of Freedom of Association and Protection of the right to Organise Convention, 1948 (No. 87) in Pakistan" … [Read more...]
Workers assail plan for Pepco dissolution
HYDERABAD, Oct 13: On a call given by Pakistan Wapda Hydro Electric Labour Union, employees observed a protest day across Sindh on Oct 12 against proposed dissolution of Pepco and leasing out of powerhouses in the country. In Hyderabad, a procession was taken out by workers of Kotri and Jamshoro powerhouses and different wings of Hesco. The procession started from the Labour Hall and marched on different roads. Speaking on the occasion, the president of the CBA union Abdul Latif Nizamani said the government had decided to dissolve Pepco under the dictates of World bank and IMF. During three and a half years of its tenure, he said, the government had failed to overcome loadshedding and improve the economy. The government has taken huge loans on which an interest of Rs230 million … [Read more...]