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| CLARA Conference Report 'Labour in Pakistan' |
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Labour in Pakistan The conference was organized by the Pakistan Institute of Labour Education and Research (PILER) with partial support from the Changing Labour Relations in Asia (CLARA). The conference, the first of its kind in Pakistan, had the formative agenda of initiating a dialogue and discussion between trade union activists and academics on Pakistani labour history on the changing labour relations in late twentieth century. The introductory session was marked by its emphasis on creating a central archive of trade union politics. A general appeal was made to the participating trade union leaders and activist to donate relevant material consisting of reports, meeting memoranda, pamphlets, posters, photographs, newsletters, correspondences, etc. Participants were also requested to be interviewed either on tape or on camera in order to consolidate, along with a print archive, a collection of audio-visual resources at one primary site. The first session, in the shape of the key note address given by the convenor of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, further spelled out the other major themes that became the central discussion agenda fo the following three days. The speaker stressed how the process of globalization has reduced the number of factory-based organized workers. A majority of workers are employedas casual or contractlabourers and/or in the informal sector with female home based production processes and child labour becoming dominant forms of labour relations. The speaker argued that in light of these changes Pakistani trade union politics cannot be divorced from the larger struggle for democratic norms and social justice in the country. Moreover, there is an urgent need to rethink traditional forms of trade union politics and strategies for organizing labour. Hence it is necessary to link the process of labour rights to the struggle for citizenss rights and the subsequent construction of a vibrant civil society. The following three days of presentations were divided into sessions on labour history, the construction of class and community, the legal aspects of labour problems, the history of left parties and the contemporary changes in labour relations. The discussions and responses provided further nuances and subtleties to the arguments put forward in the opening session. Papers, for example, demonstrated the historically diverse and fragmented nature of the working class. Presenters emphasized that labour organizational effort need to take into account the fundamental role ethnic/cultural difference and religion play in the creatioin of working class aspirations, consciousness and politics. A major contribution to the conference was the analysis of non-factory based work processes and the level of union formation in these sectors. Detailed examination was presented on the working conditions and plight of mine workers, of rural labour, of white collar bank employees, of bonded labourers in brick manufacturing, of child labour and of home based female labour in the garment and other industry. These presentations served to strengthen a set of pivotal papers on the declining numbers of factory based workersand the expansion of non-formal sector which was increasingly absorbed the majority of the working population in Pakistan. Arguments were also presented at the narrowly focussed trade union politics of plant-based unions and collective barganing agents, which helpsto further weaken labour bargaining power in the ever shrinking formal sector. Suggestions were put forward to organize labour in the informal sector and also to pay attention to industry wide trade unions. Legal and political problems that would hinder the process of labour organization in the informal sector were finally addressed by reemphasizing the political process itself. The discussion crystallized around the issue of how labour politics has to address the diverse forms of prevalent working conditions and the lived experiences within working class communities. A larger social movement on democratic reform and on a rights based agenda was thought to be the major form in which working men, women and children in Pakistan would acquire their legitimate place in society. This process would help create a new and inclusive meaning of citizenship within the context of Pakistani politics. Workshop participants committed themselves to further cooperation and continuing dialogue. Proposals were made for regional cooperation and sharing of experiences with researchers from South Asian and Middle Eastern countries. Tentatively in this regard a timetable was proposed to organize a comparative regional labour workshop at the end of the next two years. Concrete undertakings were also given by all the trade union activists and eladers for providing resource material for the archives. They were persuaded to identify key individuals who could be a part of a proposed oral history project on Pakistani labour history. A consensus also developed on long term and short term research agenda which would incorporate historical and contemporary situations. Finally, a commitment was made toward a social action based research enabling a close association among the participating academics and labour activists. Speakers: (By Kamran Asdar Ali)
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