Karachi, April 30, 2023 (PPI-OT):Labour leaders on the eve of the May 1st, International Workers Day, has decried that the real wages of the workers have been declined by 45percent due to brisk inflation, especially food inflation. Nasir Mansoor of National Trade Union Federation (NTUF), Zehra Khan of Home Based Women Workers Federation (HBWWF), Hassnia Khatoon of Association of the Affectees of Baldia Factory Fire, and Riaz Abbasi of SITE Labour Forum in a joint statement paid rich tributes to the workers martyred in Chicago in 1886.
They said the worst exploitation against which the workers of Chicago had bravely fought is still present in our society. More than seven Crore labours are compelled to work for 12 to 14 hours a day in factories and workplaces and resultantly their quality of life is going from bad to worse.
Today the workers despite the announcement of the Sindh government about Rs25000 per month minimum wage are getting meagre wages that are not enough to even buy basic kitchen items like wheat flour, pulses, rice, milk, cooking oil and vegetables.
Their current wages are not enough to pay for the utilities of electricity, gas, education and healthcare whose rates have been doubled and tripled. Due to fast depreciation of the Pakistani rupee against the US dollar the real wages of the Pakistani workers have already fallen by up to 45 percent.
They said irrespective of which political party is ruling the country, the factory owners are not ready to give their workers the government-announced minimum wage. The voice against the exploitation of Capital is being silenced with force.
They said that on the Labour Day, the NTUF and HBWWF will arrange rallies, processions and demos in different cities of Pakistan to pay homage to the martyrs of Chicago. In Karachi a grand Workers Rally would be taken in Karachi on May 1 at 4:00 PM that would march from Regal Chowk to Karachi Press Club (KPC).
For more information, contact:
Home Based Women Workers Federation (HBWWF)
726, Mashrique Centre, Block 14, Gulshan-e-Iqbal,
Karachi, Pakistan
Tel: +92-21-37075324
Website: https://hbwwf.org/