LAHORE, June 26: Bonded labour remains one of the most reprehensible and widespread forms of exploitation in Pakistan even 20 years after the promulgation of a law to abolish it, and therefore the state and civil society both must redouble their efforts to eliminate the evil. This was the consensus at a two-day wide-ranging consultation among organisations working for the elimination of bonded labour that concluded in Lahore on June 24. The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) had organised the consultation. The participants agreed that since bonded labour was universally recognised as a slavery-like practice the state had an obligation to attach top priority to its eradication. The way the Bonded Labour System (Abolition) Act of 1992 had been left unimplemented did not … [Read more...]
Experts for reviewing system of labour courts, tribunals
LAHORE, June 1: The whole system of labour courts and tribunals needs to be reviewed if the goal of expeditious and fair adjudication of labour cases is to be realised. This was the main recommendation of an expert group comprising trade union representatives, lawyers and civil society organisations that met here the other day. The recommendations of the meeting were released here on May 31 by the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) head office. The experts were of the view that the working of labour courts and tribunals could not be viewed in isolation as it reflected state’s attitude towards the workers’ rights and problems. As the government had little time for drawing up a comprehensive labour policy or programme it tended to ignore the need to make forums to … [Read more...]
Three to eight million people work as bonded labour in Pakistan
KARACHI, Jan 2: Activists from human rights organisations held a protest on December 30, 2011 to show solidarity with bonded labour. The protesters were holding placards and banners in front of Karachi Press Club. They were demanding the government to ensure the labourers got their rights. According to the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP), there are more than three to eight million people working as bonded labour in Sindh and Punjab. They claim that these people work for land lords and brick kiln owners because of debt. Sharafat Ali, programme officer at the Pakistan Labour Education and Research (PLIER), told the The Express Tribune that the bonded labourers in Punjab were not paid by the owners and thus unable to pay their debt. He said that if brick furnaces in Sindh … [Read more...]
New laws under 18th Amendment: ignorance of labour rights deplored
LAHORE : The representatives of trade unions in a meeting organised by the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) has deplored the mindset ignoring labour rights and international conventions, while adopting new labour laws following the transfer of different subjects to the provinces under the 18th Amendment. The trade union leaders who attended the meeting included General Secretary of Pakistan Workers Federation, Khurshid Ahmed, President of Progressive Workers Federation, Khalid Bhatti, Bonded Labour Liberation Front, Syeda Ghulam Fatima, Hotel and Restaurants Employees Federation, Zulfiqar Sarmadi, Pakistan Mazdoor Mahaz, Shaukat Ali Chaudhry, National Trade Union Federation, Yousuf Baloch, and Muttahida Labour Federation, Muhammad Yaqub. The labour representatives took … [Read more...]