Effective plan urged against bonded labour

LAHORE: Human rights activists in a seminar on Friday demanded the government abolish the exploitative practices of advance restructuring district vigilance committees, raising minimum wages to reflect the real cost of living to end bonded labour in the country.

The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan organised a convention developing strategy against bonded labour while civil society and rights activists participated in the convention. Speaking on occasion, HRCP Director Farah Zia said that labour unions across the country faced curbs; this was a larger problem that required not only workers to unionise, but also for human rights organisations to bring labour rights back to the forefront.

The HRCP council member Nazir Ahmed expressed his concern over the sharp decline in labour union membership, saying that HRCP had always stood with the bonded labour and peasant communities of Pakistan, including southern Punjab. Shaista Bokhari, director of a rights organisation, said that minor girls hired as domestic workers by landlords were often relegated to the same status as bonded labour.

Pointing out those women bonded labourers were usually hired under a male relative’s name, Muniza Hashmi, a district vigilance committee member, said that they were not aware of the rights to which they were entitled under the law. Labour rights campaigner Mahar Safdar Ali pointed to the wide gulf between what bonded labourers earned and what their employers earned in a year. Senior lawyer Nafees Ansari said that political leaders invariably sided with kiln owners rather than workers. Syeda Ghulam Fatima, secretary-general of the NGO, urged all bonded labourers to invest some of their time and earnings in setting up and sustaining labour unions.

“I understand it is very difficult to speak out against your kiln owner, but that will become easier when you unite to seek your rights,” she added. Kiln workers: An NGO held a tripartite dialogue on social protection in which kiln workers’ groups, trade unions, civil society members, kiln owners association and government departments especially the labour department participated.

Brick-kiln workers shared that they were not getting minimum wages, fixed rate by government, EOBI cards and social security cards. They also shared their miserable living condition at kilns and demanded social security cards so that they could get rid of advance which is nothing other than slavery.

They said the kiln workers were well aware of their rights; therefore, their voice cannot be suppressed. Unfortunately, their rights are being denied by the owners. Shoaib Khan Niazi, President Brick Kilns Owners Association and Mehr Abdul Haq, General Secretary Kilns Owners Association, said they were happy to meet with the real brick-kiln workers union representatives at this dialogue. Further, they showed willingness to sit with government departments especially with the social security department for the registration of kiln workers into the social security department.

The government representatives, including Muhammad Farooq Tahir, Deputy Director EOBI, Muzaffar Mohsin, Director-General PESSI, Abdul Majid, Assistant Director BISP, Waqar Azeem, Chief Operating Officer PSPA, Daud Abdullah, Director Headquarters Labour dept shared the existing facilities which government is offering to the workers.