Labour Rights in Pakistan Declining Decent Work and Emerging Struggles A Report July 2010 Pakistan Institute of Labour Education & Research 2 Labour Rights in Pakistan Advisor Karamat Ali Editor Zeenat Hisam Section One Contributers Zeenat Hisam Shujauddin Qureshi Noriko Hara Section Two Contributers Dr. Ali Ercelawn and Karamat Ali Dr. Shahida Wizarat Bisharat Ali Noriko Hara Zeenia Shaukat Zeenat Hisam Cover Design and Layout K.B. Abro First published July 2010 ISBN 978-969-9153-08-2 Published by Pakistan Institute of Labour Education & Research PILER Centre ST-001, Sector X, Sub-Sector V Gulshan-e-Maymar, Karachi-75340, Pakistan Tel: (92-21) 6351145-7 Fax: (92-21) 6350354 Email:
[email protected] 3 Labour Rights in Pakistan Contents Foreword Section One 1. Introduction National Context War on Terror Political Turmoil and the Change of Government Faltering Economy, Rising Poverty 2. Legislation, Policies and Tri-partite Consultations: The Gaps and the Widening Chasm IRA 2008 The Workers' Perspective: Labour Charter 2008 Stakeholdrs' Efforts for Alternative Industrial Relations Law Tri-partite Labour Conference 2010 Services Tribunal (Amendment) Bill 2010 Labour Policy 2010 3. Status of Labour Rights and Workers' Struggles in Selected Sectors Manufacturing: Textile Industry (Garments and Power Looms Sectors) Manufacturing: Hand stitched Footballs Agriculture Fisheries 4. Women in Employment Section Two Special Articles 1. Enabling Equitable Access to Land & Fisheries (Dr. Ercelawn & Karamat Ali) 2. Food security (Dr. Shahida Wizarat) 3. Migrant Workers in Karachi (Noriko Hara) 4. Social Protection (Zeenia Shaukat) 5. IRA 2010: Route to Change (Zeenia Shaukat) 6. Minimum Wages and Collective Bargaining: Emerging Initiatives in the Informal Sector (Zeenat Hisam) 7.