Experts Call for Legislation To Protect Women Workers’ Rights

Monday, February 01, 2016 – Islamabad—Labour rights activists and experts have urged government to legislate for the rights of formally Home Based Workers (HBWs), Domestic Workers (DWs), factory workers and other women workers employed in different sectors.

They said that that government had the mandate to work for the welfare of labour and their families and to align national labour laws with the Pakistan’s international obligations on labour standards.

National Trade Union Federation Pakistan (NTUF) Deputy General Secretary, Nasir Mansoor has urged to legislate for the rights of formally own Home Based Workers (HBWs), domestic workers (DWs), factory workers and other women workers employed in different sectors.

He said that it was imperative that the government should immediately determine the minimum wages for DWs, define terms of their employment and ratify the ILO Convention C-189 that talks about their rights.

Syeda Ghulam Fatima, general secretary of the Bonded Labour Liberation Front Pakistan (BLLF) said women’s empowerment could not be achieved without economic empowerment.

“There is a need to identify the barriers to women’s economic empowerment, and find ways to remove them”, she added.

She said that millions home-based women workers should be given their due rights as per the constitution and labour laws.

Fatima, however welcomed the action against brick-kiln owners, terming it a wise decision by the government.

She lauded government for constituting Vigilance Committee (VC) to address issues of child labour at brick-kilns across the country.

Appreciating the new law in Punjab regarding child labor at brick-kilns, she said the District Administration should adopt and implement the law in letter and spirit.

Zehra Khan, Labour rights expert said in Pakistan, the economy had been shifting from the formal to non-formal sector rapidly.

She said that all these basic rights that should had been given to them as per the constitution of the country, labour laws and different international labour conventions and standards, were being denied.

Bangle Workers Welfare Association Union General Secretary Jameela A Latif told APP that tripartite labour conferences should be held in all provinces assuring the participation of the representatives of the federation of the home-based women workers.

The federal government was functioning in close coordination with the Provincial Governments to revive new labour and employment laws which were on its concurrent legislative list, an official of Ministry of Overseas Pakistani and Human Resource Development told APP.

As the subject of labour and employment under the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, 1973 is on the top priority of the Government, he said.

He said that under the Rules of Business, 1973 it has the mandate to seek employment opportunities for Pakistanis abroad, work for the welfare of labour and their families, within Pakistan as well as abroad and coordinate with provincial governments to align national labour laws with the Pakistan’s international obligations on labour standards.—APP

Source: http://pakobserver.net/detailnews.asp?id=287642