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Pakistani workers’ conditions similar to 1886 Chicago labourers - Lahore_Real_Estate - 05-01-2010 10:18 AM
* WWO ED says working women ready to sacrifice anything for their rights
LAHORE: The condition of workers in Pakistan is very similar to that of the labourers of Chicago in 1886, Working Women Organisation (WWO) Executive Director Aima Mehmood said on Friday.
Aima was addressing a demonstration organised by the WWO outside the Lahore Press Club to commemorate the Labour Day. She said female workers had been demanding less working hours, better pays, permanent jobs and implementation of labour laws. She also said working women in Pakistan were ready to sacrifice anything for their rights just as the rebels of Chicago did.
Scores of labourers participated in the demonstration and held banners and placards. They demanded the government ensure safety of female workers at the workplace according to the labour policy. The labourers also demanded women workers be given the right to form their own unions and that the already existing organisations ensure proper representation to females. They were of the view that labour laws should also incorporate the informal industry, agriculture, kiln and construction workers. Moreover, they said the labour department and labour courts should be made effective with their performance evaluated on international standards. They also demanded social security and legal protection for labourers. The speakers lauded the writing off of the Service Tribunal Ordinance 2002 and urged the government to resume labour inspection. They said the government should set the minimum wage in line with the inflation rate and ensure its effective implementation. They also said the government should educate working women and arrange small loans for them. Prominent personalities who addressed the gathering included Salma Liaqat, Nabeela Gulzar, Shumaila Taj, Tasneem Ijaz among others.
Origins of Labour Day: Labour Day originated after the labour movement of the US on May 1, 1886. Certain labour organisations in the country protested demanding an eight-hour working day instead of 10, 12 or 14 prevalent at that time. There was carnage in the Haymarket Square in Chicago on May 4 as a rebel threw a bomb into the area, which killed nearly 12 people, including a few police officers. About 100 people were injured.
The rebels did not find an urgent result but gained a success gradually. When the demand for an eight-hour working day was met, it became a standard in many countries around the world. staff report