KARACHI – The National Trade Union Federation Pakistan (NTUF) and the Home Based Women Workers Federation Pakistan (HBWWF) jointly hosted a Labor Conference at a local auditorium, drawing significant attendance from workers, including women laborers and representatives from various labor and human rights organizations.

Speakers included NTUF General Secretary, Nasir Mansoor; President of People’s Labor Bureau Sindh, Habibuddin Junaidi; HBWWF General Secretary, Zahra Khan, and other labor leaders and activists representing various labor organizations.

The conference participants strongly criticized the Sindh government’s anti-labor policies, particularly highlighting the three-month delay in issuing the official minimum wage notification, which has adversely affected millions of workers and their families. They specifically called out labor department officials for prioritizing foreign trips over addressing urgent worker concerns.

Labor representatives emphasized that while the federal government and three other provinces had already implemented their announced minimum wages, the Sindh government, despite its claims of being pro-worker, had failed to protect basic worker rights without valid justification.

The speakers outlined several critical issues plaguing Sindh’s industrial sector, including:

• Widespread violations of labor laws in factories
• Unjustified worker dismissals
• Persistent harassment of female workers
• Forced overtime
• Non-compliance with minimum wage requirements
• Failure to register workers with social security and pension institutions

Union leaders also expressed strong opposition to the proposed Sindh Labor Code, which they argue would legitimize the illegal third-party contract (Thekedari) system. They appealed to Pakistan People’s Party Chairperson Bilawal Bhutto Zardari to address the growing worker unrest and the Labor Ministry’s anti-worker stance.

The conference addressed the rising concern of religious extremism in Sindh, calling for workers to unite across religious, linguistic, and sectarian lines under a shared class identity to combat exploitation.

Key Demands:

1. Immediate issuance of the minimum wage notification
2. Implementation of measures to end the illegal contract system
3. Withdrawal of the proposed Sindh Labor Code
4. Disciplinary action against Labor Department officials responsible for anti-worker legislation
5. Mandatory registration of all workers with social security and pension institutions

The conference concluded with an ultimatum: if the government fails to issue the minimum wage notification within a week and address these crucial issues, workers will organize a “Mazdoor dharna” (workers’ sit-in protest) outside the Sindh Assembly.