Labor Day: 8 million Pakistanis fear losing their jobs due to coronavirus lockdown

Labor Day: 8 million Pakistanis fear losing their jobs due to coronavirus lockdown

Labor Day: 8 million Pakistanis fear losing their jobs due to coronavirus lockdown
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President of the National Labor Federation (NLF) Shams-ur-Rehman, said that after the coronavirus lockdown was imposed, contract workers were being fired without any notice.

Shams-ur-Rehman said that dozens of workers across the country are losing their jobs every day due to the lockdown imposed by the government since last month.

Prime Minister Imran Khan has also urged private companies and factories not to fire their employees during the lockdown but the dismissal of employees is still going on.

The federal government has also recently announced incentives for factories that will not lay off employees during lockdown, but trade unions claim that thousands have lost their jobs over the past month. ۔

The government has also launched a scheme to provide up to Rs 12,000 to the people under the Ehsas Emergency cash program which will provide financial assistance to 12 million families across the country as the employment has been badly affected due to the lockdown.

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Lockdown will continue till May 9 in the country. It is believed that this period will be further extended as Pakistan is witnessing an increase in the spread of coronavirus.

By the evening of April 30, the number of COVID-19 patients in Pakistan had risen to 16,272, while the death toll had risen to 361.

Karachi trade union official Liaquat Ali Shah said the coronavirus has exposed Pakistan’s labor system and the government is now realizing how 78 to 80 percent of the country’s workers are not even registered, they have no socio-economic status and no protection.

Liaquat Ali Shah, who is also the secretary of the SBP Employees’ Union, says that up to 80 percent of the country’s workers work without a letter of employment, without any social, economic or health benefits.

He said that constitution of Pakistani gives right to very worker who works anywhere for 90 days should be made permanent, but the ground realities are different and it does not implement anywhere.

He claimed that even in state institutions like SBP, lower level employees are recruited under third party contract.

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According to conservative estimates, between 12 million to 18 million people in Pakistan could lose their jobs due to the coronavirus lockdown, while the country’s economy could suffer between $13 billion and $16 billion.

For the first time in the 73-year history of the country,on the occasion of International Labor Day no rallies or seminars will be held across the country due to the pandemic.

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