Asia\/ Pakistan<\/p>\n
Not a rosy picture<\/strong><\/p>\n Conditions of work of women workers in warrahs, sheds for processing fish, leave much to be desired, highlighting problems in the implementation of existing labour laws<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n By Tayyaba Ahmed, a doctoral student at the University of Karachi<\/strong><\/p>\n More and more women are stepping out to work to supplement the income of their men. This is a positive change in that finally women are also being viewed as providers, compared to their traditional roles as unpaid housekeepers. This may be a sign that women’s empowerment is finally taking place, but the picture is not as rosy as it may seem. While within their homes they are under the control of their fathers, husbands or brothers, when they step out, their problems increase, as their employers and society, in general, exploit them. This exploitation may be physical, emotional or even sexual. It brings to the fore a sad picture of human rights violations, and of little effort towards implementing laws and bringing about social awareness to help the victims. An example of this gross negligence is the condition of women who work in Pakistan’s warrahs<\/em> (sheds for processing fish), where one can witness human misery and manipulation at its worst.<\/p>\n Warrahs<\/em> are big halls or rooms, measuring 20 ft by 50 ft or more. The walls are typically bare, unplastered cement blocks, and the roofs are made of asbestos or iron sheets. Women workers sit on the floor with their backs towards the walls. The number of women workers (and their children) in each warrah<\/em> ranges between a minimum of 40 and a maximum of 250, depending on its size. Workers employed are usually female, more often than not accompanied by their young children, who also lend a helping hand with their work.<\/p>\n In the fisheries sector, warrahs<\/em> are used for peeling shrimp, cleaning and gutting fish, and extracting meat from crabs, shellfish, etc. The manager\/ operator of a warrah<\/em> could be the owner of the premises or the one who has rented it. Typically, the following activities are undertaken in warrahs<\/em>:<\/p>\n In both cases, the managers\/operators of the warrahs<\/em> are doing the job for processing plants or for some third party\/firm exporting seafood. Hence, they are called contractors in the local fisheries industry.<\/p>\n In some situations, it may be absolutely necessary to give out certain tasks to a contractor. For instance, a small publisher who does not regularly handle bookbinding work, has no option but to get this task done by a professional binder. The binder, in turn, works for many publishers, employing his own labour. Thus, if there is exploitation of labour, it is the binder who is prosecuted, not the publisher who has subcontracted work to the binder.<\/p>\n It is the job of the employer to obtain work from the labour he employs. The job of the Labour Department is to ensure a fair deal for labour and due compliance with labour laws. The contractor has to be treated as an employer and has to be made to comply with labour laws.<\/p>\n With this is mind, one must look at the status of the contractor\/owner\/operator of the warrah<\/em>. It appears obvious that in the case of fisheries warrahs<\/em> as well, the contractors must be seen as the \u0091employers’, responsible for payment of wages, labour welfare, terms and conditions of employment, discipline and compliance with labour laws. However, in practice, this does not happen. In general, workers are paid poor wages, made to work for long hours without overtime payment, are not entitled to leave, and have no social security, health or accident coverage, or access to welfare schemes. In other words, laws for the protection and welfare of labour are not adhered to. In fact, the fault is more with the poor enforcement machinery, which is the Labour and Manpower Division, and its failure to deal with such violations in a suitable manner.<\/p>\n There are several provisions in existing labour laws that should apply to the labour employed in the warrahs<\/em>, namely:<\/p>\n It is clear from the above that contractors, such as the owners\/operators of warrahs<\/em>, are already covered under most labour laws. If violation of labour laws and consequent exploitation continues to take place, the responsibility falls on those who fail to enforce the law. In order to make the law more effective, a provision could be added, making it mandatory to register addresses of worksites and offices of contractors with the Labour Department. Regular inspection of such worksites, maintenance of proper records and submission of returns by them must be made compulsory, as for other employers. These measures can check the abuses of the contract system. There is no need for any fresh legislation. The laws are already thereit is only that the people in power need to set right their priorities. Only then can this gross exploitation of labour be stopped.<\/p>\n
\n
\n\n
\n