Trade Union representatives have drafted the proposed law after holding consultative meetings
Karachi: Representatives of labor unions Tuesday demanded of the Sindh government to go for lawmaking to ensure universal social security as per a draft made by them.
Addressing a press conference at Karachi Press Club, representatives of workers’ federations and unions said that social security is the basic right of every citizen. They said that Pakistani Constitution accepts the declaration of Human Rights of the UN, standards of social security of ILO especially recommendation on social security No. 2020 adopted in 2012, and other international standards.
They said that Pakistan is among those countries of the world where despite constitutional guarantees, a large number of citizens are going beneath the poverty line. “The main cause of it is non implementation of the social security laws,” they said adding that many of these laws are also outdated.
The labor leaders said that the article 38 of the Constitution of Pakistan make social security of every citizen mandatory, but sadly a very few sections of our population actually get it, as it is limited to government servants and some workers of the organized sector. “Only five percent of the organized sector workers are being benefited by social security schemes.”
They said that the social security include healthcare, joblessness allowance, old age and disability pension. These basic rights are available not only to the citizens of the developed countries but also to the citizens of the developing countries like Bolivia, China, India, Kenya and others
“In Pakistan as per constitution it is the basic responsibility of the State to provide social security to all citizens without any discrimination of caste, color and creed. Social security for all is called universalization of social security,” they said.
They said that universalization of social security in Pakistan is imperative because more than 20 million people are fully or partially jobless and also 20 million more people have gone under the poverty line. “Pakistan is facing such dreadful situation for the first time of its history. Resultantly, the country is facing acute political, economic and social crisis. It has become necessary that the State play its due role to meet these challenges. It should make laws so that all citizens get pension, medical treatment, joblessness and disability allowances,” they urged.
They said it is heartening that after the 18th amendment now the provinces have got this constitutional right to make laws for social security of their citizens. Sindh government, especially its labor minister Saeed Ghani has assured the workers’ organizations of their full cooperation. “The trade unions and organizations for workers’ rights have jointly made an initial draft law for universal social security.”
They said in the first phase of proposed law, more than ten million families would get facilities of medical treatment of 12 chronic diseases at government expenses in Sindh.
They said under the proposed draft citizens would get expenses up to Rs.50000 paid for maternity, while up to Rs.5 million for bone marrow transplant, kidney, liver and other organ transplant.
Zehra Khan of HBWWF, Kaiser Bengali economist, Karamat Ali of National Labor Council, Habibuddin Junaidi of People Labor Bureau, Nasir Mansoor of NTUF, Saeed Baloch Pakistan of FisherFolk Forum, Mir Zulfiqar, Qazi Khizr of HRCP, Riaz Abbasi of Site Labor Forum, M. Usman of IUF and others addressed the press conference.
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Sindh Courier
