The pharma factories are virtually sweat shops. Their production process is being outsourced in dangerous COVID conditions to the places that are utterly unhygienic. It poses threats to not only workers but the users of these products also.
Karachi
Workers of pharmaceutical industry in Pakistan face the worst exploitation and the industry owners despite earning billions of rupees are not ready to give basic labor rights to these workers, said labor leaders at a press conference arranged by National Trade Unions Federation (NTUF) and workers of Pharmaceutical industry at the Karachi Pakistan Club on Wednesday.
They said the pharma industry was among the sectors that made the most profits during the Coronavirus pandemic. They also got huge incentives and benefits from the government. However, the workers of this sector faced the worst working condition.
They said in Pakistan the prices of medicines are hiked by 311 percent and more increase is expected in the coming mini-budget. “Presently, in Pakistan there are more than 700 pharmaceutical companies that are also exporting drugs to more than 60 other countries. Their annual sale in more than Rs.560 billion and it increases at the rate if 15 percent per year. More than 100000 workers are directly and one million people indirectly related to this sector. However, the workers of this sector are deprived of their basic rights including making their trade unions,” they said.
Labor leaders said as per local and international laws workers of all categories have the right of making their labor unions and the Supreme Court has also ratified it, but still the workers of the pharma sector are deprived of this right.
They said that the nature of jobs in the pharma sector is that of permanent work, but 90 percent of its workforce is compelled to work on temporary basis. The illegal contract labor system is present in almost all factories and medicines are made in unhygienic conditions, which is an anti-human act. These factories are virtual sweat shops. Their production process is being outsourced in dangerous COVID conditions to the places that are utterly unhygienic. It poses threats to not only workers but the users of these products also.
The majority of workers in the pharma sector are not issued social security and EOBI cards. The workers contribution to SESSI and EOBI is deposited through contractors so as that relation to industry could not be established.
They said that the Supreme Court has already decided that all industries related to life-saving sector would hire permanent employees, but the verdicts of the court are not being implemented. Instead of regularization of the jobs of workers they are being appointed on temporary basis under the title of production support officers (PSOs) and hence deprived of their due rights. The institutions like Social Security, EOBI and workers welfare board have become the dens of corruption. They said the workers welfare board is badly marred with corruption, where dowry grant, education scholarship and even death grant is not issued without taking bribes.
They said that houses of the workers welfare board were allotted in 2013 but despite passage of nine years their possession is yet to be given to the workers. These houses are not livable as they have no water, power and gas facilities.
The union of pharma sector workers announced to wage a struggle from the platform of NTUF for their rights and in this regard on February 15 an All Pakistan Pharma Workers Conference would be organized to launch a movement for realization of their rights.
They demanded that the government of Sindh like other provinces should increase the funds of dowry, death grants and educational scholarship. The houses of workers should be given the facilities of water, power and gas and their possession should be given to the allottees.
Those spoke included Nasir Mansoor NTUF, Rafiq Baloch NTUF, Manzoor Ahmed Martin Dow Market Workers Union (CBA), Bakht Zameen Hilex Pharma Employees Union (CBA), Farman Khan Asprin Pharma Workman Union, Muhammad Kashif Khan Glaxco Smith Line Workers Union, Fazal-e-Wahab OBS Pakistan Employees Union (CBA), Muhammad Bachal Searl Employees Union, Sher Ali Avient Pakistan Employees Union, Zahir Shah Essity Employees Union, Nazar Abbas Opal Employees Union, Gul Rehman Labour Rights Movement, and Riaz Abbasi SITE Labour Forum.
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Sindh Courier
