Labour Rights And The Role Of Trade Unions: Law And Policy Perspectives In Pakistan

Abstract

Violation of labor rights and consequent decline in productivity in industrial sector pose numerous challenges and are becoming increasingly important policy issue in Pakistan. The negligent regard for the health and safety of workers and gender wage disparity especially in rural areas speaks volumes of laborers' plight. Especially at the time when Gig economy is flourishing at a rapid pace with a huge bulk of youth who are working by freelancing their expertise, it is inherently important to extend legal safeguards to these workers to get them entitled to the right to have a unified voice against any sort of exploitation that they might have to confront. The issues of labor rights abuses and dwindling trade unionism in Pakistan are complex and multifaceted, and a "one-size-fits-all" strategy will not adequately address the complaints of aggrieved workers. A diverse, all-encompassing, proactive, and cogent policy approach is necessary to manage the industrial and agricultural sectors in an orderly and humane way, as opposed to relying just on one strategy. This research makes a number of policy recommendations based on the information that is currently accessible about trade unions and the generally accepted idea that labor rights should be regulated. Additionally, with the help of case studies of other jurisdictions, this work lays out a roadmap for how policy changes could help Pakistan better integrate the whole range of labor-related issues and concerns into a broader framework for developmental strategy. This work further analyzes the legal protection of workers, violation of their rights and the role of Trade unions in restoring those rights. It also lay down recommendation to fill up the lacunas left in labor legislation in Pakistan for successful Labor movement and enforcement of Labor rights.

Keywords: Labor Rights, Trade Unions, Occupational health and safety, gig economy