Pakistan: Employees in Karachi face difficulties due to unfair labour laws

Karachi [Pakistan], May 12 : Blue-collared and white-collared employees in Pakistan's Karachi face several difficulties as the administration has made no clear labour laws, defining the set norms of the employee class in Pakistan. Hence, people face employment-related issues and are forced to work on the terms decided by the employer, willingly or unwillingly as they have no other option due to unemployment.

Ramzan, a resident of Pakistan's Karachi, stated that the Pakistani government has not paid any attention to the matter. He said that the people of the labour class have to face major issues of survival due to inflation, unemployment, and no job security and guarantees.

Ramzan said, "The government has not yet given any weightage to the matter, they have taken no significant steps regarding the matter. Especially the people of the labour class have to face major issues in survival because of inflation, unemployment, and no job security and guarantees, and they also don't get any benefits related to their employment. Moreover, the minimum wage law that is present in Pakistan is not being ensured by the employers. Regardless, it is the responsibility of the employers and the government to ensure that the employee is not harassed at the workplace. They must ensure that there are enough opportunities for employment for them so that they are trapped to work without any law."

He further stated, "The government first needs to ensure peace in big cities and stabilize the economy. And then only they can establish new industries and generate more employment for the people. Or if they are not able to establish industries and provide employment then they must start an unemployment allowance as compensation. They also have to manage their expenses and ensure the survival of their families, the education of their children, and roofs over their heads. Currently, they are not able to afford any of the basic amenities for their families and have to suffer a lot".

Mir Baloch, who is a labourer himself, said, that Pakistan no doubt celebrates a labour day, however, they don't think that the labourers are forced to work in inhumane situations. He said that the Pakistani government announced a minimum wage of around Pakistani Rupees (PKR) 35000, however, the factory owners do not pay them more than PKR 20,000.

Mir Baloch said, "The country no doubt celebrates a labour day, but they don't think that we are forced to work in inhumane situations. The government has announced a minimum wage of around PKR 35000 thousand but the factory owners never give us more than PKR 20000 or even less sometimes. We have to raise our demands as we are not able to survive in these situations anyway. The government needs to ensure that the autocratic rules formed by the factory owners are kept in check, otherwise, our families will suffer.

Earlier in April, it was reported that affording basic amenities in Pakistan is becoming more and more difficult due to skyrocketing inflation in the country. People in Pakistan's Karachi are not able to afford essential items to gather a decent meal for their family. A small shop owner from Karachi, Abdul Hameed, described the increasing rates of amenities and said that the government is ignoring the needs of the common public.

"The public is barely surviving and the authorities are not at all worried. We are not able to afford basic amenities for our families and the leaders of our country are enjoying and are still not satisfied. All basic needs like electricity, water, and gas are expensive. We have been voting for the wrong people, and they are enjoying without paying any attention to our needs," he said.

"A single 'Roti' in the market today costs us more than PKR 25 and a poor person cannot afford it for his family in any way. To survive we are ready to pay more money but the administration must at least think about the people like us who are not able to afford basic amenities for our families," he added.

Abdul Jabbar a primary school teacher from Karachi stated that "basic things are out of our reach now. Take the example of gas, they keep fooling us that the government is arranging for Gas (LPG). I am a teacher and teach my students that our country has abundant natural resources, I don't know myself if it is true or not, because if we had abundant resources the gas would not have been so costly."

"All resources in Pakistan are being diverted to make the rich even richer, and we the common people of the country are struggling every day. Additionally, we pay heavy electric bill every month, and in turn it gets more costlier. The issues have remained the same for a long time and we have been struggling, we face load shedding of around 16 hours a day in a major city," he added.

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