Labour Day: Toil and tears

Iglance out of the window at the high rise coming up across the road. I stare with astonishment and fear — construction is now at the twelfth floor: Precariously balanced on a flimsy frame, with all the aplomb of a trapeze artist — minus a safety net — is a labourer slapping cement plaster on the building's outer wall. Unbidden, my prayer goes out for his safety. Why do labourers work under such risky conditions? Two groups of workers recently suffered severely, highlighting the predicament for all labourers — 45 miners in the Sorrange coal mines in Balochistan lost their lives. A peaceful protest by Lady Health Workers was shamelessly lathi charged by male police. 88 dignified, trained Lady Health Workers were arrested — many are still under arrest. Doctors and paramedics have been so unhappy with their work conditions that they protested despite knowing that critically ill patients would suffer. A deeper probe into the difficult work environment for labourers clarified the situation, when Nasir Mansoor, secretary of the National Trade Union Federation, Pakistan (NTUFPk) said that although the ILO Convention* had been signed and agreed to by Pakistan, it remained largely unimplemented. The reasons for this are two-fold: Pakistan's large informal economy, with numerous uncounted workers, does not facilitate implementation of labour laws, nor the just demands of workers. Labour laws are implemented in the corporate sector, which is smaller, where unionisation is possible. But for the majority of workers, safety factors are negligible. In the ship-breaking industry at Gadani, 88 workers lost their lives in the last nine months. No precautionary measures are taken. Chemical and leather industries have high incidence of cancer. Bangle industry workers suffer from asthma, eye problems, skin rashes and respiratory ailments. Worse, bone malformation occurs due to long hours of sitting or squatting in one position. Consequently, in several industries, including construction, mining, electrical installations, road building, etc., contractors have a field day. Barely four to five per cent contractors provide appointment letters to their workers, as a result of which the majority are left without any workers' rights whatsoever. Because no relationship is built up between employer and workers, no union can be formed. The four Export Processing Zones in the country operate under worse rules; government laws do not apply here. Mansoor is bitter, "We have no pro-people policies". Yet so great is the poverty in this country that people consider any work acceptable, despite the privations that it may mean. For women, work conditions are worse. Only young unmarried women are eligible for employment at EPZs. Women's wages are lower than those for men, for the same work output. Incidence of sexual harassment is high. Protest is prohibited. Lady Health Workers are anxious about future prospects. Said Bushra, an LHW from Sindh, "Our programme, brainchild of Benazir Bhutto, began in 1994. We've worked beyond the call of duty, through the earthquake and floods; we are regarded as the backbone of the health system for the rural areas, where the need is critical. "All we've received were stipends of Rs. 1200/-, raised later to Rs. 3000/- per month. Only recently, due to an order of the Supreme Court, salaries have finally been agreed at a minimal Rs. 7000/- per month" "Our problems have not received due significance", added other LHWs, "but we are now far more aware of our rights, and we will continue for fight for them". A service structure with registration of all workers is essential, with a viable career structure, to establish a system of feasible wages, medical insurance, annual leave, and greater dignity. Home Based Women Workers (HBWWs) struggle to earn through traditional skills: handicrafts, sewing and embroidery. An informal system, through which contractors supply them with raw materials, and periodically collect completed work (stitched clothes, bangles, embroidered goods) provides these hardworking women some money. Unfortunately, these women are, largely, unaware of the exploitative nature of this informal work system, in which contractors and middle-men skim off the major profits, leaving only a pittance for the women workers. Zehra Khan, secretary of the HBWW Federation, related how Adult Literacy Centres and Study Circles for HBWs helped the women understand that their homes were being used as factories, to the benefit of contractors and businessmen, while they remain low-paid, even though their products are for local and international markets. Zehra Khan is hopeful. "We want effective legislation. A Bill is already in Parliament: once this is passed, we can hope for firm implementation of laws, and a better deal for HBWWs. Linkages have now grown to a Regional South Asia Network. "Our biggest success is that awareness is growing, both in the government and in women. In the on-going census, women are insisting that their labour be listed — many are refusing to cooperate in filling in Census forms unless their labour is recognised!" Workers are hopeful that now, with a democratic government, their demands will be heard and fulfilled. They determinately plan nation-wide May Day rallies, where all workers will march, women and men, towards a positive future. *Convention of the International Labour Organisation