Joint Meeting of ITGLWF, ICEM and IMF Pakistani Affiliates on OHS
Lahore 9th September 2011
A joint meeting of ITGLWF, ICEM and IMF Affiliates took place on the 9th of September in Lahore, Pakistan. The meeting brought together 22 male and 4 female officials from 11 trade unions affiliated to the three Global Unions.
The focus of the one day meeting was to bring together the affiliates to discuss the issues of OHS in Pakistan and map the common problems faced by unions in the three sectors.
The meeting began with short presentations by the three representatives one from each of the sectors. Mr Niaz Khan from the ILUCIP representing the ITGLWF affiliates introduced each of the unions in the carpet and textile sectors, outlining the issues faced in each area of the production chain in Pakistan.
Mr Sultan Khan of the PCMLWF gave an overview of conditions in the ICEM sectors in Pakistan with a particular focus on the mining sector in Balochistan. Mr Sadik Khan from the PMF gave an introduction to the problems faced by metal workers in Pakistan and the work of his union on these issues.
The participants were then divided into smaller working groups and asked to discuss in detail the particular OHS problems in each sector and identify common issues and problems faced by the workers in Pakistan.
The groups reported the following common issues:
- Legislative problems – Enforcement and Design, Devolution of power to Provincial Level
- Social Security – Extremely low numbers of workers registered in social security system
- Personal Protective Equipment – The lack of equipment or inadequate equipment was a cause of most OHS workplace injuries
- Worker Awareness – The Lack of Training on laws and safe workplaces and the fact that safety instructions on machines are only in English, but most workers are illiterate.
- Working Hours – Fatigue causing workplace injury and fatalities
- Chemicals - lack of adequate control and management, training for workers
- Water – The lack of clean and safe drinking water
The affiliates of all three global unions indicated their willingness to work in a coordinated manner. The ITGLWF affiliates the ILUCIP and the PNTGLWF took the lead on this issue of coordination and Niaz Khan General Secretary of the ILUCIP has taken a copy of all contact details to follow up in the coming months.
The affiliates also requested international support and solidarity from the current GUFS and future merged GUF for Pakistan. The unions all agreed that OHS was the single most important issue facing workers in Pakistan at the present time.
