Pakistan has ratified more than 38 International Labour Organisation conventions, but still, over 70 million workers in the country had not received basic rights, said speakers during a labour moot on Sunday. The moot, entitled "Textile Garments Workers Convention", was held in Korangi Industrial Area under the banner of the National Trade Union Federation (NTUF). The speakers claimed that workers in the textile and garments sector were employed in conditions that were 'worse than slavery.' Speaking on the occasion, NTUF general secretary Nasir Mansoor said that millions of textile workers were deprived of basic rights, adding that less than one per cent of labourers in Pakistan could unionise and elect collective bargaining agents. Meanwhile, Pakistan Institute of Labour Education and Research executive director Karamat Ali said workers were being forced to toil in unsafe working conditions, where industrial mishaps had become a norm.

Source: The Express Tribune October 27, 2020 05:15 UTC