Progressive Labour Federation, Haqooq e Khalq Movement, Progressive Students Collective and Labour Education Foundation organised a webinar today to celebrate the International Workers Day
01-May-2020
• Governments and employers are unable to
protect workers in covid-19 times
• capitalist system is more concern about
profits not the lives of the workers even in
this pandemic.
• Workers need safety for their health and
jobs at the same time
• All kind of workers should be registered
and should be given same rights
Progressive Labour Federation, Haqooq e
Khalq Movement, Progressive Students
Collective and Labour Education Foundation
organised a webinar today to celebrate the
International Workers Day. More than 150
workers and trade union representatives from
across Pakistan and from different other
countries participated in the webinar. This
was one of the unique events celebrated on
International Workers Day in Pakistan as the
workers were not able to organise big
release on the roads as usual.
Speakers in seminar included; Khurshid Ahmed
from All Pakistan Workers Confederation,
Hina Jilani of Human Rights Commission of
Pakistan, Farooq Tariq secretary Pakistan
Kissan Rabita Committee, Dr Ammar Jaan from
Haqooq e Khalq Movement, Rana Muhammad
Hassan and Niaz Khan from Progressive Labour
Federation, Muhammad Shabbir general
secretary Pakistan Bhatta Mazdoor Union,
Abrar Ullah from Mehnatkash Labour
Federation KP, Tajmeena presiden Home Based
Workers Union KP, Zanaya Chaudhry
representative from Transgender community,
Dr Alia Haider from Young Doctors
Association, Aslam Meraj general secretary
of Labour Qaumi Movement Faisalabad and
Muhsin Abdali from Progressive Students
Collective.
Workers from formal, informal sectors and
public sector expressed their views over the
situation they are facing during the
lockdown when majority of the work places
are closed. Workers from textile and garment
sector, brick kiln sector, home based
workers, domestic workers, small traders,
communication sector workers and public
sector workers expressed their concerns over
the inability of the government to implement
labour laws and the special notifications
produced for the protection of wages and
employment of the workers during lockdown
period. They said that employers are not
respecting the notifications issued by
different provincial governments for
protection of jobs of the workers. Thousands
of workers are being laid off or sacked from
the jobs during the lockdown.
Representatives of textile and garment
sector from Lahore Faisalabad and Mardan
districts inform that many thousand workers
in the factories from these districts are
sacked from the jobs.
Homebase workers representatives from Lahore
and Mardan said that due to the closure of
the markets workers are not able to get
their work orders and they are not even paid
for the work done before the lockdown.
Condition of home based workers is worsening
as they do not have any other income source
and their families are facing hunger.
Speakers raised questions on inability of
the capitalist system which could not
provide basic health facilities to the
people for testing and safeguarding from
dekh covid-19. Speakers also stressed the
need for spending more from the budget on
people's health and education instead of
other non productive costs.
Workers expressed their dissatisfaction over
the support scheme announced by the
government to pay 12000 rupees per month to
workers. They informed that majority of the
workers have still not got this amount.
Trade union leaders also talked about the
situation of labour laws implementation even
before the covid-19 lockdowns. They said
that due to the weak implementation of
labour laws, majority of the workers were
not registered in social protection schemes,
especially those who work on daily wages or
piece rate basis.
Speakers said that it is important to
understand that what will be the world after
covid-19. The capitalist system was not able
to fulfill needs of the majority of the
people around the world before covid-19 and
it will not be possible for the capitalist
system to cater the needs of the people
after covid-19. They expressed concerns for
the future that efforts will be made to
laydown more control mecanisms by the
capitalist governments. But their will be a
possibility for workers as well to presnet
their own politics to masses in which
peoples lives will be more impotant than the
profits.
Representatives of the young doctors
association also spoke in the webinar. They
informed that government has failed to
provide PPEs to all healthcare workers they
are facing threats of infection due to
unsafe working conditions. government in
Punjab privince is not willing to negotiate
and discuss with the representatives of the
Young Doctors Association despite several
process and the hunger strike which is going
on since last two weeks. Trade union leaders
from other sectors Express their solidarity
with the healthcare staff who are fighting
the covid-19 at forefront and are protecting
the lives of millions of people across
Pakistan.
Representatives of Pakistani community
living in countries like USA, UK, Sweden,
New Zealand and some other countries also
participated in the webinar and showed
solidairy with workers of Pakistan.
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