Laborers Rights - Still A Distant Dream In KP

PESHAWAR, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 18th May, 2025) Under blistering heat in the outskirts of Peshawar, 40-year-old Qudratullah pushes a wheelbarrow stacked with bricks at a dusty construction site of Wapda Town to earn living for his family amidst a relentless rise in living costs.

For his backbreaking labor, Qudratullah earns Rs. 700 a day—barely enough to feed his six-member family in wake of inflation and soaring prices of daily commodities in open market of Khyber Pakthunkhwa.

“We work from dawn till dusk and still live hand to mouth,” he says, wiping sweat dripping from his brow. “We have no proper healthcare, no specific educational facilities for our children and no home of our own.”

Qudratullah’s story reflects the harsh reality of millions of poor laborers across Pakistan as well as in KP. Daily wagers, unskilled workers, construction and agricultural laborers and domestic helpers who contribute relentlessly to national development and economy. But they are most often exploited by builders, factory owners, landlords and other businesses and remain a neglected segment of society.

After devolution of labor departments to provinces this area became more neglected with labor community mostly employed at brick kilns and agricultural lands face severe subjugation by employers.

Most of time these laborers and their families remain hostage to employers year after year for borrowing money in advance to feed their children. This vicious circle of taking money in advance makes them hostage with employers treating them as slaves – a replica of dark ages.

“Nearly 72% of Pakistan’s workforce is employed in informal sector especially in construction, transport and agriculture and these workers often lack written contracts, social protections and even minimum wage guarantees,” remarked Prof. Dr. Naeemur Rehman Khattak, former Chairman of Economics Department, University of Peshawar.

“Most often their situation is bad. They are less paid and face shortage of opportunities to prosper. And if there are epidemics or calamities like COVID-19, life becomes even worse for them,” Dr. Khattak said.

“Economic instability, weak industrialization and social inequalities continue to push the poor deeper into hardship. And when the economy shrinks, it’s always the laborers who suffer the most,” he added.

Pakistan, a founding member of the International Labour Organization (ILO), has ratified 36 ILO conventions, including eight fundamental ones. The 1973 Constitution also guarantees workers the right to unionize, bargain collectively and secure fair wages.

But in many instances, the employers shy away from ensuring all facilities like sufficient wages, residences, educational, health and working hours facilities for their workers

“This is a sheer disconnect between policy and practice,” said Syed Noman Bokhari, a senior labor law expert and member of the High Court Bar Association.

“In KP, the Minimum Wages board revises salaries annually, but enforcement remains a major challenge—especially in rural areas.”

“Labour courts exist but are under-resourced, and many workers can’t even afford to take a day off to lodge a complaint,” he stated.

Although he acknowledged some signs of progress like the KP government’s increase in minimum wage to Rs. 36,000 in the last budget and pilot programs using digital tools for social security registration, yet he said, “we have to see how far the government remains successful in implementing these measures in every nook and corner of the province.”

There are some other worth mentioning measures of the government like construction of affordable flats for laborers by Provincial Housing Authority (PHA) KP in different housing projects across the province.

In Labour City Regi Lalma, over 2,000 flats have been completed, while major housing projects are underway in Swat, Charsadda, Hangu, and Peshawar’s Surizai and Nishtarabad areas.

PHA Director Waqas Anjum says 9,000 units are being built in the Jalozai Housing Scheme, with 1,300 reserved specifically for laborers.

Meanwhile, in Mardan, infrastructure upgrades are underway in the Labour Colony, and large tracts of land have been earmarked for worker-friendly housing.

Further support is also being provided for overseas Pakistanis through one-window facilitation desks and financial aid for their children's international education.

Although these efforts are complemented by WWF- and PSDP-backed initiatives focusing on worker welfare and development infrastructure, yet the question of reaching these benefits to actual deserving still remains unaddressed.

Some civil society organizations and NGOs like Aurat Foundation and Labor Education Foundation are educating workers about their rights and helping them organize for better conditions. Youth and middle-class support for ethical labor practices is also growing.

But still, Dr. Khattak warns that systemic change demands more than scattered reforms. “We need digital worker databases, empowered inspection systems and above all, the political will to prioritize the rights of laborers.”

The current government touts its new labor policy as a turning point—with promises of a 400% wage hike, job regularization and benefits for sacked employees.

Yet critics argue that implementation remains sluggish, especially compared to unmet promises like the PTI’s pledge to construct five million homes for the poor.

“All we ask is fairness,” Qudratullah says, taking a brief rest before returning to his load. “Not charity—just a little dignity.”

He might be hinting towards political maneuvering, bureaucratic hurdles, lack of transparency and merit and calling upon the government for a judicious mechanism and identifying real deserving to benefit from these schemes.

APP/fam/maz (APP Feature Service)