Faisalabad: May 5, 2011. (PCP) Association of Women for Awareness and Motivation (AWAM) in collaboration with Workers Party Pakistan (WPP) and other local workers’ organizations conducted a public forum on the theme “Problems of Working Class and Government Priorities” to mark international labour day on 1st May 2011, at Quaid-e-Azam Hall in Faisalabad. The purpose of the public forum was to pay tribute to the historic struggle of Chicago labourers and renew pledge for rights of workers. This forum was joined by over 350 males and females including labourers, political workers, students, journalists and representatives of human rights organizations. The speakers included: Naseem Anthony (Executive Secretary-AWAM), Arif Ayaz (WPP), Amina Zaman (Director-ASDP), Shazia George (Coordinator-AWAM), Nazia Sardar, Arshad Aziz, Asghar Shaheen, Sajid Iqbal Safdar, Ashiq Hussain, Amdad Awan and Abdul Manaf. Naseem Anthony said, “The incumbent government has done contrary to its tall claims, promises and commitments, and has failed to ensure the minimum wage and uninterrupted power supply to enable the workers to stay on their jobs.” “The government seems to be helpless against the current state of inflation, poverty, unemployment, lawlessness and loadshedding of energy, which is a clear indication that workers’ rights are on the bottom tier of the priority list of the government which is leading to mass dissention, anger and rage among the working class,” he added. Nazia Sardar said, “Women engaged in informal sectors as domestic workers, home based workers and peasant workers in Pakistan are exploited for working in an unrecognized, unregulated, unorganized and undervalued form of labour, therefore this kind of workforce must be acknowledged as workers and their rights should be protected by ratifying international ILO laws and introducing national legislation by the government.” Shazia George said, “A large number of workers have been deprived of their livelihood, as power outage has caused closure of numerous industrial units.” “Indifference on part of the government is allowing the influential employers to force the workers to work in pathetic conditions, therefore, labourers especially women workers suffer discrimination in terms of low wages, long working hours and harassment at the workplaces in Pakistan,” she added. Amina Zaman said, “A lot of global changes has been witnessed in the realm of labour rights since the inception of the Labour Day movement, but the social landscape of Pakistan is painting a thorny picture of industrial and agriculture labour communities who are living in an endless pain and misery.” “The dark night of pain, poverty and helplessness has extended into years and decades with no signs of retreat in sight, and labour being a basic unit of production has been misused merely as one of the means of production hired by the employer,” she added. Sajid Iqbal Safdar said, “The state is responsible for providing equal rights to its citizens irrespective of any discrimination on the grounds of religious, sectarian, ethnic or other differences, therefore any government failing to protect the rights of citizens should not allowed to rule the nation.” Arif Ayaz said, “The exploitation of the working class must be ended by abolition of all anti-labour laws, because under the existing labour unfriendly laws, workers are not allowed to form unions and labour inspectors are banned in factories for inspection.” Ashiq Chaudhry demanded an end to the privatization of state run institutes, and a bailout package by the government to cover the heavy deficit of the railways. At the end of the forum, all the participants unanimously passed a resolution demanding that: The government should ratify ILO convention 177 for the protection of rights of home based workers, and should ensure proper implementation of already ratified ILO convention 100 for the protection of rights of working women engaged in informal sectors; Women should be protected against sexual harassment at workplaces by making the women friendly environment in offices, factories, fields and other workplaces; Proper implementation of existing labour laws, fully protecting the interest and welfare of the workers, must be ensured; IRA 2010 and other anti-labour laws should be repealed and new pro-labour policies & laws must be framed in accordance with the ILO conventions; Minimum salary level of workers must be increased commensurate with inflation and an effective policy should be formed for poverty reduction in the country; Privatization of state run institutes must be stopped and ban on labour inspections must be lifted; Home-based workers, peasant workers and domestic workers should be recognized legally as part of the labour force and should be given equal share in trade unions; Proper steps should be taken to ensure provisions for labourers such as: social security, pension, old age benefits, free medical facilities, in all industrial units especially power looms factories and brick kilns.