Low-paid workers
THE findings of a new global ILO study that 29pc of key workers in essential services, covering health, cleaning and sanitation, education, food systems, security, transportation and manual technical and clerical occupations, are low paid shows how the world treats its real heroes who are expected to carry on with their jobs and serve the rest. Such workers, according to the report, earn 26pc less than other employees. The share of low-paid workers in critical services varies from profession to profession and country to country. In food systems, the share of low-paid key employees is especially high at 47pc, and in cleaning and sanitation at 31pc. Nearly a third of these workers are employed on temporary contracts, although there are considerable country and sectoral differences. In the food industry, 46pc have temporary jobs. A significant number of employees in manual occupations are reported to be on temporary contracts and forced to work longer hours as they lack social protection, especially in low- and middle-income countries.
Although we do not have very reliable data in Pakistan regarding the key socioeconomic indicators as they relate to our critical workers, most findings of the ILO study would apply here. In fact, our key workers may be worse off on most indicators when compared to their counterparts in other parts of the world. While the public sector does have some mechanisms to partially compensate them, working conditions in the private sector continue to deteriorate due to lack of government regulations on protecting such employees against arbitrary dismissals or during health and financial emergencies. The systematic destruction of labour unions, which could protect workers’ rights by plugging the gap between employers and their employees, has exacerbated poor conditions in the workplace. The report suggests improvements in working conditions and greater investment in food systems, healthcare, and other key sectors for building economic and social resilience to shocks like the Covid pandemic. One hopes the government will pay heed.
Published in Dawn, March 17th, 2023
Innocence lost
WITH the uneasy ‘ceasefire’ in Lahore appearing to hold, we finally have time to catch our breath and make sense of the political developments that have happened so far this week. Matters have taken a turn after the PTI — perhaps for the first time in its history — demonstrated that if push comes to shove, it can also assert itself on the streets.
The party has certainly come a long way from that unforgettable day in 2011, when one of its supporters, in his youthful innocence and naiveté, gave a statement to television media beseeching the police not to beat up PTI workers as they had only come out on the streets to start a ‘revolution’.
By comparison, the young men and women who fought back against riot police outside Zaman Park this week seemed much more hardened in their resolve.
To be clear, the PTI workers’ long stand-off with police personnel is no cause for celebration — indeed, it is quite regretful that a large subsection of our youth seems to have turned so hostile to the state. It is impossible, in so limited a space, to go over the timeline of events that have brought us to a state of near anarchy.
Yet, it wouldn’t be wrong to surmise that, for yet another episode in our country’s brief history, its youth have started to believe that they must fight to regain the spaces being denied to them.
The democratic electoral process, which is supposed to act as the safety valve for the public’s pent-up emotions, remains in limbo, and this may be why more people are feeling the need to act violently to assert their wishes in front of the state.
It is a shame that there are powerful people on both sides of the current political divide who would see matters continue on this same trajectory. They either wish to or are willing to risk radicalising the youth rather than reconsidering the inflexible positions they have taken.
In their war of narratives, they have already polarised society to the point where it has become difficult for ordinary people to extend common courtesies to people whose political views are opposed to theirs. Now, they would have them perpetrate violence against each other as well. Is it all worth it? Do our leaders want a nation to rule or a mob?
Published in Dawn, March 17th, 2023
Anti-Muslim bigotry
IN a civilised world, there can be no place for hatred and violence based on race, religion, ethnicity, etc. However, humanity is far from these lofty ideals, though advances have been made in combating bigotry. In the modern age, one of the most rampant forms of hatred is Islamophobia, that manifests itself in various forms, ranging from the harassment of women wearing the hijab, to murderous rampages such as the one carried out by a white supremacist in Christchurch in 2019. It was this incident that led to the observance of the International Day to Combat Islamophobia every March 15. Pakistan, particularly the former PTI government, played an instrumental role in the observance of the day internationally.
As the UN chief has observed, Muslims in many parts “face bigotry and prejudice simply because of their faith”. Some interesting observations were made during the discussion on a resolution condemning Islamophobia during the General Assembly in 2022, perhaps reflecting the anti-Muslim prejudices of supposedly secular states. The French delegate could not understand why a specific day was dedicated to Islamophobia. Meanwhile, the Indian representative also had issues with observing the day. These views highlight the fact that despite declared secularity, some states have issues with Islam and the Muslim culture. For example, in Europe, the far right has combined Islamophobia with racism and anti-immigrant sentiment to create a toxic atmosphere for Muslims and people of colour. France has been championing restrictions on the hijab in government buildings. Vile examples of Quran burning in different European states illustrate that for some, the continent’s mediaeval animus for Islam is very much alive. India, on the other hand, specifically under the BJP’s watch, has woven Islamophobia into state policy. The Sangh Parivar has for long reviled Islam — as seen in the Babri Masjid episode, the lynching of Muslims on suspicions of eating beef, and the disenfranchisement of Indian Muslim citizens on flimsy grounds. These episodes simply prove that for millions of people, Islamophobia is a lived reality that needs to be fought, as does prejudice against other faiths.
Yet it is also true that Muslim states need to do a better job of protecting minorities that live within their borders. When non-Muslims are not completely free to practise their faiths, not only is it a violation of their fundamental rights, it also gives fodder to Islamophobes to further spread poison. For centuries, the world of Islam and non-Muslim cultures have mingled and traded with each other, exchanging ideas and concepts, while also confronting one another on the battlefield. In fact, were it not for Europe’s interaction with Islam, the continent may have had a difficult time exiting the Dark Ages. Therefore, either we can learn from history and coexist, or continue regurgitating the venom of the past.
Published in Dawn, March 17th, 2023