Speakers Stress Sanitary Workers' Right To Safe And Dignified Life

Civil rights activists here Monday were joined in significant numbers by representatives of sanitary workers for urgent execution of occupational safety rights of the critically needed yet "stigmatized" working community in the country

KARACHI, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 30th Dec, 2019 ) :Civil rights activists here Monday were joined in significant numbers by representatives of sanitary workers for urgent execution of occupational safety rights of the critically needed yet "stigmatized" working community in the country.

The event jointly organized by Sindh Human Rights Commission (SHRC) and Strengthening Participatory Organisation (SPO) was addressed by Sindh Minister for Local Bodies Nasir Hussain Shah, Justice (retd) Majida Rizvi, former senator Javed Jabbar, PTI's MNA Ramesh Kumar Chawla, PPP's MPA Tanzila Qambrani, Veerji Kohli, Special Assistant to Sindh Chief Minister, Anis Haroon (former Chairperson, National Commission on Women Status), Boota Imtiaz (Sanitary Workers' Community Representative), Shafiq Ghauri (President, Sindh Labour Federation), Karamat Ali (Executive Director, Pakistan Institute of Labour education and Research) Zulfiqar Shah, Shazia Shaheen, Pirbhu Satyani, Sadequa Salahuddin (Indus Resource Centre), Ishaq (Sanitary Worker) and many others.

It was observed with deep concern that social discrimination with a certain religious connotation has severely affected sanitary workers and sewer men with dire impact on general sanitation conditions in many parts of the country.

With specific reference to Sindh, it was mentioned that on an average there are one to 1.5 sanitary workers per 1000 population in major towns of Sindh - Karachi with a population of 20 million was said to have 11,000 sanitary workers.

The speakers regretted that despite the fact that there was acute shortage of the critically important workforce, little attention was being paid towards their social security cover - encompassing mandatory provision for safety kits, mandatory vaccination, health cards.

Sanitary workers' right to minimum wage of Rs17,500 (as announced by the Sindh Government), provision for regularization, abolition of third party contract, promotion in accordance to their academic qualification and period of service, academic allowance for their children and so-forth were also strongly recommended by the speakers.

Rights guaranteed under the Constitution of the country and series of laws adopted by the province since 18th Constitutional Amendment coupled with UN Convention and associated international rules ratified by the country were also extensively discussed.

It was regretted that there exists absolute disregard for these and little implementation is registered reflecting lack of political will towards one of the most marginalized section of the society.

The speakers demanded that legal provision under which family of the deceased sewer men/ sanitation workers losing their lives while realizing their professional obligation are entitled of Rs. 500,000 as compensation must be ensured for all those who died due to unchecked exposure to hazardous fumes over the years.

Concerned government departments were urged to ensure that contractors hiring sanitary workers for local governments must be made to get registered them with social security institutions.

Both SHRC and SPO were appreciated for distributing safety kits among 250 sanitary workers in Hyderabad only recently - which was said to be replicated across the province.

Chairperson of SHRC, Justice Majida Rizvi said the commission is committed to help these workers in terms legislation designing, so as to protect their due rights.

"We are conducting research to see gaps in legislation and provision of health insurance," she said.

Mentioning that Sindh government has formulated a compensation mechanism for these workers, the senior activists regretted that hitches are registered in their implementation.

According to her SHRC is working to help getting the law duly implemented without any unnecessary delay.

Zulfiqar Shah, Joint Director PILER in his elaborate presentation said sanitary workers work under unclear legal framework, employment procedure.

"They work with local governments, municipal corporations, and others yet have unclear job description," he said.