mtiaz comes to Hathi Chowk, Saddar, Rawalpindi, every day looking for work. He has been coming here for the last 30 years as a daily wage labourer. At 62, he is one of many daily wage workers who come and sit here every day but are often unable to find work. He emphasises that “while we once had plenty of work, it has significantly decreased as a result of rising building material prices.”

Another daily wage labourer, Waqif Khan, who has been coming to the Chowk for 20 years, complains, “we don’t get regular work, at first; when we do, people negotiate, and we are given a maximum of 1,000 rupees. It is sad that one doesn’t receive a fair wage.”

Khan also says, “my family lives in the village. We try to save every penny we can make.” Khan and many like him frequently eat at various free dastarkhwaans and langarkhanas. “Sometimes we sleep on the roadside; other times we stay in a serai where they provide us with a charpoy for Rs 150. We do this to save the little money we make here in the city,” he continues.

The Hathi Chowk daily wage workers say that they try to work with contractors because construction is continuing in many housing societies in Rawalpindi and Islamabad. They lament that the contractors frequently delay their payments and withhold wages, especially toward the end of a construction project. Their only remaining choice is to find work on their own.

Inflation has made these workers vulnerable since fewer people are getting construction and restoration work done due to the sharp rise in building material prices. At the same time, workers’ personal expenses have risen due to the changing economic patterns.

Many of them say that they have received electricity bills running into thousands of rupees that they cannot afford to pay with their meagre earnings. “Due to a significant rise in the cost of basic food items, it is getting increasingly difficult for us to make ends meet,” they say.

Tariq Ahmed, 50, stresses, “we are hardworking people and will continue to be, if we can only find work.” He says that they are happy to work from eight in the morning to 4 in the afternoon in exchange for food, shelter and clothing.

“Due to a significant rise in the cost of basic food items, it is getting increasingly difficult for us to make ends meet,” they say.

Thousands of daily wage workers arrive in various squares and locations throughout Pakistan every morning in search of work. Most of them return dissatisfied because they are unable to find any work. It is estimated that 85 percent of construction and agriculture labour depends on daily wage workers.

According to the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics, the annual consumer price inflation rate in Pakistan increased to 24.9 percent in July from 21.3 percent in June, marking the highest level in 14 years. The overall inflation rate in the country has reached 37.67 percent. Fuel and electricity prices are the leading cause of the increase. Rising prices for wheat flour, milk, vegetables, pulses and cooking oil are also playing a significant role. The last week of July saw an increase of 3.68 percent, due to the rise in prices of basic food and non-food items, including tomatoes 17.53 percent, LPG 7.02 percent, daal masoor 4.18 percent, daal mash 2.87 percent, daal moong washed 2.02 percent, vegetable ghee 2.5 kg 1.80 percent, garlic 1.69 percent, rice basmati broken 1.21 percent.

Since daily wage workers used to make between Rs 25,000 and Rs 30,000 each month, which was already little for living, their lives are becoming incredibly challenging now that they aren’t getting regular work and inflation is rising.

It is even more difficult for older workers like Imtiaz, as they are usually not selected for work, considering their age and health condition. People prefer younger labourers. Imtiaz and many other older workers who have spent their lives doing the daily labour work are distressed.

They say that they have worked hard throughout their life and been involved in several major construction projects in the city; therefore, now the government should support them with a pension so that they can lead a dignified life in their old age.

Pakistan has two pension schemes. One is a tax-funded scheme for government employees, which reaches only seven to ten percent of older people. The second is a contributory Employee Old Age Benefit Institute (EOBI) scheme for employees in the private sector.

A majority of Pakistan’s labour force works in the informal sector, including agriculture and self-employment. Pakistan has a big private sector, with a labour force of around 75 million people, and people want to contribute to their pension so that they can receive an income in later life. The government should explore ways of enabling informal workers like Imtiaz to enroll in the scheme and introduce a subsidised pension scheme for daily wage workers.

The government should also plan and develop new policies and programmes for the daily wage workers.

The author is a   communications   specialist and a freelance writer based in   Rawalpindi. He can be reached at qureshiwaqas@gmail.com. He tweets @qureshiwaqasA