Civil Society Representatives Ask For Ensuring HBWs Rights

Civil society representatives ask for ensuring HBWs rights

ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 15th Sep, 2019 ) :Representatives of the civil society and home-based unions Thursday demanded of the quarters concerned to address the issues of Home-Based Workers (HBWs) as per labour laws.

According to them, the authorities should establish an effective strategy to implement law regarding their basic rights and benefits including contracts, wages and social issues.

They were of the view that every registered home-based worker should be entitled to all those social, medical and maternity benefits, compensation, marriages and deaths grants envisaged in all labour laws.

Social Activist, Daood Salem said that HBWs contribute at lot to the national economy, but receive low wages and were denied legal and social rights.

There was presently no such mechanism to address their problems adding that there should be regularity body to look into the HBWs affairs, he stated.

He stressed the need for improving legal rights so that they could be more strengthened and benefited by the implementation of the law.

A worker, Tanveer said, "He works for 12 to 14 hours but face immense discrimination in terms of wages, sick leaves and contracts." He said that they face plenty of challenges while performing duties, but remained silent on all hardships just to smoothly feed their family.

They have to continue their work for long hours, but in response they faced challenges like low wages, absence of health insurance policy, long working hours, social securities, pension and rude behavior, he stated.

Raheela Bibi, who works as tailor in factory, said, "I have to do work for long hours but I don't get wages according to my work".

She said, "There should be proper mechanism where our rights could be ensured specially implementation on minimum wage law or contract law." C:bmq/P:bmq/L:mka/R:mka /778