Pakistan ranks third-worst globally for law and order, with 125th Rank in fundamental rights, an Urgent crisis for workers and unions.
According to the latest World Justice Project (WJP) Rule of Law Index, in terms of law and order and security, Pakistan stands at the third last number among the lowest. Far worse is the ranking that is 125 on fundamental rights where the problem runs much deeper than the rights of workers and trade unions.
Fundamental Rights, including the right to assembly, Right of association and Freedom of speech form the basis of any fair democracy. To workers and unions, these rights are vital for organizing, campaigning, or even defending their rights to fair treatment at the workplace.
However, Pakistan’s position indicates a serious lack in these domains, where Worker concerns are likely to be suppressed. They restrict collective bargaining, one of many ways through which labourers can secure their rights to be protected from workplace hazards, Fair wages and equal treatment.
Similarly, the WJP ranking of Pakistan shows very poor protection against discrimination as well as equal treatment in the country. Workers are equally locked out of justice which could help redress workplace disparities through these challenges. Without strong protections against discrimination, marginalized workers face added barriers, and unions struggle to ensure fair treatment for all members, regardless of background.
The score of regulatory enforcement obtained by Pakistan is 127 out of 182 where poor implementation of labour laws is reflected. The rights to wages, working conditions, OSH, and other labour rights are often violated as these laws are not implemented or are not implemented selectively to the disadvantage of workers.
If government does not intervene, establishments and industries can operate without adopting even the minimum standard precaution for the worker’s safety as seen from the incident occurring on a daily basis.
The rights to assemble and advocate are important to unions since they are the basic rights that enable workers to fight exploitation. Trade unions create a platform for workers to give an opinion on issues affecting them and their standards of living. When fundamental rights are forgone, the trade unions are rendered powerless to protect labour rights or to promote them since the workers are vulnerable to labour-law violations.
Such low rankings should therefore be an appeal for the government to wake up and protect workers and encourage unionism. For the country to enjoy sustainable economic growth and social progress in the future, Pakistan needs to safeguard the rights of the workers at the workplace as they need fair and satisfactory treatment, and adequately protected workplaces they should be given equal opportunities to compete in the market. It is not only obligatory but crucial to safeguard basic rights for Pakistan to become stronger and released from vulnerability.
