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Express Tribune
30-06-2025
- Politics
- Express Tribune
Labour leaders reject Sindh labour code
All conspiracies to impose the Sindh Labour Code through the backdoor will be defeated. Ensuring a living wage is essential for industrial peace, and any attempt to enforce lawlessness in factories will be met with strong resistance from workers. These views were expressed by labour leaders during a "Labour Conference" of the textile, garment, shoe, and leather sectors, organised by the National Trade Union Federation (NTUF) Pakistan and the Home-Based Women Workers Federation (HBWWF). The conference, chaired by HBWWF General Secretary Comrade Zehra Khan, saw participation from workers, including home-based workers from major industrial zones of the city on Sunday. Riaz Abbasi of the NTUF strongly condemned the International Labour Organization's (ILO) collaboration with provincial governments under the guise of the Punjab and Sindh Labour Codes, accusing it of abolishing workers' legal right to permanent employment. He asserted that the real objective of the code was to legitimise the exploitative contract system, suppress workers' right to strike and unionise, and ultimately weaken their collective power. Abbasi added that the proposed code legitimised bonded labour through the deceptive concept of "advance loans," effectively institutionalising the buying and selling of workers. He argued it contradicted the Bonded Labour System (Abolition) Act of 1992, violated the Constitution of Pakistan, defied ILO conventions, and threatened to reintroduce slavery under the guise of legal reform. Zehra Khan of HBWWF said that the code seeks to protect the interests of industrialists and bureaucrats-not workers. She accused the ILO, in cooperation with international financial institutions and the World Bank, of playing a neocolonial role in suppressing worker resistance in the Global South. Khan emphasised that both federal and provincial governments had become facilitators of this anti-worker agenda. She said the Punjab government, continuing its anti-labour tradition, had already approved the code despite widespread objections and was pushing it through the assembly. In Sindh, the government sent the draft to the law department without consulting labour organisations, contrary to earlier commitments. Following strong protests, the provincial labour minister promised to share the final draft with workers' representatives. Qamar-ul-Hassan of IUF warned the PPP-led Sindh government not to follow Punjab's repressive path, cautioning that doing so would bring lasting disgrace for imposing such an anti-worker code by force. He also expressed grave concern over skyrocketing inflation, which has made necessities unaffordable. Under pressure from international financial institutions, the state, he said, was abandoning its constitutional obligations, including free education and healthcare, employment guarantees, housing, affordable transport, electricity, and water. The struggle to access these basic rights was making life unbearable for ordinary people.
Express Tribune
15-03-2025
- Politics
- Express Tribune
Anti-canals protests erupt on Rivers Day
Fisherfolk Forum activists stage a protest on a boat against the proposed new canals on the Indus River, which they claim would damage the coastal ecosystem. PHOTO: EXPRESS Speakers at a seminar have highlighted the growing ecological and socio-economic challenges posed by the degradation of the Indus River. The seminar, titled "Indus River: The Lifeline of Sindh Under Threat", was organised by the National Trade Union Federation Pakistan (NTUF) and the youth organisation, Alternate, at the Karachi Press Club on Friday. It coincided with the 28th International 'Action Day for Rivers.' Leading intellectuals, public representatives, and environmental activists, spoke at the seminar where they stressed the importance of protecting the Indus River, which is vital to the survival of Sindh and its people. NTUF Secretary General Nasir Mansoor has stressed that rivers are living entities, and interfering with their natural flow is not only an ecological crime but also a threat to regional stability He also pointed out that Pakistan's coastal areas, once home to the world's seventh-largest mangrove forests, have been devastated, and the Indus Delta, the world's fifth-largest delta, is now in jeopardy. Zehra Khan, Secretary General of the Home-Based Women Workers Federation described the construction of the six canal project as a "suicidal act" that would exacerbate the region's vulnerability to climate change. Academic Sajjad Zaheer expressed solidarity with Sindh's resistance against the six canal project and other infrastructural projects that harm the region's ecology. Zaheer recalled the historical struggles of Sindh against the Kalabagh Dam. Tabassum Khoso from the Imdad Foundation highlighted the growing environmental threat to coastal areas like Thatta and Sajawal. Fisherfolk Forum On International Rivers Day, March 14, a large number of fisherwomen and men, along with political and human rights activists participated in the Pakistan Fisherfolk Forum's rally against Cholistan and other canals on the Indus River. The demand of the rally was No Canals, No Dams, and No Cuts on the Indus River. The protest started in Ibrahim Hyderi and ended at Mal Jetty. The Central General Secretary of Pakistan Fisherfolk Saeed Baloch, stated that the struggle of the Pakistan Fisherfolk Forum against the construction of six canals on the Indus River will continue. Rallies head to Kotri Barrage The Kotri barrage, the last engineering structure on the Indus River before it meets the Arabian sea, remained flooded on Friday albeit with the people who seemed up in arms to defend what they firmly believed to be their right on the river. Nationalist political parties, divergent groups of citizens and farmers organized separate rallies from Hyderabad and Jamshoro with the barrage being their convergence point. Protests and rallies were also taken out across the province on Friday with an unusually wider participation of the people who marked the international day of action for rivers by calling for an end to the project of building six more canals on the river. People showered rose petals at the river, paying tribute as well. "For over 150 years, Punjab's ruling elite has been exploiting Sindh's water by constructing canals and dams," alleged advocate Vasand Thari, president of Awami Tehreek, who led an over two kilometers walk to the barrage on Friday. Jeay Sindh Mahaz's Chairman Riaz Ali Chandio, who led his party's rally at the barrage, said people of Sindh won't allow feudal lords sitting in the provincial government to rob their right over the river. The Sindh Hari Committee's President Samar Hyder Jatoi argued that President Zardari's speech in which he rejected the canals also endorsed contention of the protesting people of Sindh that they foresee desertification in the province if the canals are fed the river's water.
Express Tribune
09-03-2025
- Politics
- Express Tribune
Women's rally calls for protection of Sindh's rights
Women from all walks of life unite to raise their voices against injustice and fight for their rights. PHOTO: JALAL QURESHI/EXPRESS Working-class women held a rally to raise their voices against anti-people policies and for the protection of Sindh's rights. The rally, which began at the Youth Auditorium and ended at the Arts Council of Pakistan, drew large numbers of women, men, farmers and members of the transgender community from various regions. The rally was led by Zehra Khan, General Secretary of the Home-Based Women Workers Federation, who chanted slogans against anti-Sindh water projects, land grabbing, and food crises. Speaking on the occasion, Zahra Khan said that Sindh's civilisation is on the brink of destruction due to government policies, mentioning that issues such as climate change, floods, water resource exploitation, and the destruction of the Indus Delta threaten the lives and lands of millions of people in Sindh. She further stated that these problems have forced millions of people in Sindh to migrate. The problem has also reduced crop yields, and triggered a food crisis. She appealed to progressive groups and forces in Punjab to raise their voices against their rulers in support of Sindh's rights and to stand together for Sindh's survival by resolving the issue of canals. A large number of peasant farmers also joined the rally and expressed their support for Sindh's rights and condemned the canal policy of Punjab rulers. Women empowerment govt's top priority Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah has stressed that International Women's Day symbolises the ongoing struggle for equality, rights, and justice. In his message on the occasion, he paid tribute to the women of Sindh - mothers, sisters, and daughters - while reaffirming the provincial government's unwavering commitment to their empowerment across various sectors. The chief minister highlighted that societal progress is unattainable without active female participation. The CM reiterated that ensuring equal opportunities for women in education and healthcare remains a top priority for the PPP-led government. He acknowledged the pivotal role Pakistani women have played in national development and the democratic movement, recognising the historic contributions of Mohtarma Fatima Jinnah, Begum Nusrat Bhutto, and Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto as enduring symbols of resilience and leadership. Projects especially for women Sindh Senior Minister, Sharjeel Inam Memon, has said that women deserve all praise for playing a vital role in the development, stability, and prosperity of the country. Under the historic policy of distributing land to landless farmers, women farmers are also being given land to become economically independent, the senior minister said. He further mentioned that the Pink Bus Service has been launched to allow women to continue with their daily activities without any fear. Moreover, providing free EV scooters to deserving and hardworking women is also part of PPP government's historic programme.
