Despite a convention recognising home based workers (HBWs) having
been signed by the International Labour Organisation’s (ILO) general
assembly on June 20, 1996, their silent contribution to the global
economy was hardly ever paid attention to, observed civil society
activists of Sunday.
Marking two decades of the passing of ILO’s Home Work Convention
(C177), 1996, representatives of HomeNet Pakistan along with other civil
society members called for Pakistan to ratify the convention at the
earliest.
Addressing the presser, HomeNet’s representative Rehana Yasmin
observed that female workers although making up a significant proportion
of the workforce were still denied their basic rights.
The Kathmandu Declaration of 2000 and the South Asian Regional Plan
of Action for Home-Based Workers, 2007, were a few of the legislations
identified by Rehana.
The conventions recognise home-based workers, call for their share of
work to be included in mainstream economies as well as formulation of
national policies safeguarding their rights, and their integration into
national and regional markets.
She observed that after a decade long struggle, the policy draft of
HBWs was finalised and presented in cabinet of Sindh for approval –
pending for over four years now.
“We can link the drafting of the policy as the HBWs empowerment to
international commitment but the government needs to immediately ratify
C-177.”
She demanded approval of HBWs policy in cabinets of Punjab and Sindh
and in other provinces, Rehana stated, adding, HBWs should be included
in the social protection system.
The Sindh government should develop informal workers and utilise
their potential to generate revenue for the province, she observed.
Mehnaz Rehman of the Aurat Foundation said Pakistan had achieved a
milestone in policy formulation but it was very important to ensure the
law was practically implemented.
A representative of Piler said the Sindh government’s claims of being
pro-poor and pro-women were hollow since the informal sector was yet to
be regulated and protected. He stated that HBW comprises a major
portion of the informal sector and, thus, needs exclusive legislative
cover.
He also demanded speedy approval of HBWs draft policy in Sindh. A
signature campaign was also organised after the event by the activists.
