Labor Law Implementation Concerns In Sindh, Pakistan

 Labor unions as well as support organizations in Sindh, Pakistan have voiced their displeasure with Sindh's anti-worker policies and demanded immediate action to quell growing anger among the working class.

On Tuesday, some political figures participated in a press conference at the Karachi Press Club while representing regional Tripartite Committees. Their names are the following:

● National labor Council convenor Karamat Ali

● National Trade Union Federation secretary-general Nasir Mansoor, 

● Liaquat Sahi of Democratic Workers Federation, 

● Home-Based Women Workers Federation General Secretary Zehra Khan and Riaz Abassi.

They expressed alarm over the province's dismal working conditions, claiming that the Sindh government had failed to protect workers' rights and enforce labor regulations.

They said that, in light of the requests made during the press conference, an emergency meeting of all representing labor organizations would be called, and that, after mutual consultation, a future plan of action would be mapped out.

The speakers claimed that workers in Sindh's industrial, financial, and other sectors were denied their legal rights and that the Sindh labor department and other groups associated with agencies had turned a blind eye to the situation, harassing and repressing workers' voices instead of assisting them.

They claimed that forming trade unions had grown difficult and that the labor department's refusal to release data on newly enrolled labor unions demonstrated its indifference and anti-worker stance.

They went on to say that department offices were in remote locations, out of reach of workers.

They claimed that Sindh was the first province to announce Rs25,000 minimum wages for unskilled workers in 2021 and that the Sindh High Court had upheld this decision. However, factory owners appealed to the Supreme Court, which instructed the Sindh Minimum Wages Board to evaluate the minimum salaries within 2 months.

They demanded legal rights for agricultural and fisheries workers, claiming that they were recognized as workers under the Sindh Industrial Relations Act 2014.

But that the Act's rules had yet to be written, and the enrollment of these workers with social security and other institutions had yet to begin.