[Pakistan] 80% of workers denied minimum wage as cost of living bites

An estimated 80 per cent of unskilled workers in Pakistan are not receiving the minimum wage and the government is failing to enforce minimum wage laws as the country’s population struggles to bear the burden of high inflation, The Print reports.

In an interview with Pakistan’s The Express Tribune, Pakistan Institute of Labour Education and Research (PILER) Executive Director Karamat Ali said 80 per cent of unskilled workers do not receive the minimum wage and historically high inflation has only made people’s suffering worse.

In March, the level of inflation was reportedly 35.4 per cent and this has had a major impact on purchasing power.

An estimated 80 per cent of unskilled workers are not receiving the minimum wage of PKR25,000 per month, which was awarded ten months ago. A recent World Bank report found that 83 per cent of households in Pakistan are not receiving the minimum $2 a day needed to sustain their basic needs, according to PILER.

The Punjab government recently announced an increase in the minimum wage to PKR32,000 a month, however, Mr Ali told The Express Tribune that there is no mechanism to ensure the implementation of the government order or to check how much industrial and commercial houses are paying their employees.

Mr Ali reportedly stated that each worker should receive at least PKR50,000 per month to cover the costs of necessities including food, clean drinking water, education and healthcare.

He added that the ongoing economic crisis has caused a rise in unemployment in Pakistan. Estimates put the number of jobless in the country at five million.

The climbing rate of unemployment in Pakistan and the country’s denial of basic rights are reportedly causing people to become violent and there has been a surge in the rise of street crime and theft.

While the lack of minimum wages in Pakistan has led to poor living conditions for the majority of workers.

With such escalating economic hardships, people are being hit extra hard by frequent hikes in petrol, rising power tariffs and inflation.

Source: The Print

An estimated 80 per cent of unskilled workers in Pakistan are not receiving the minimum wage and the government is failing to enforce minimum wage laws as the country’s population struggles to bear the burden of high inflation, The Print reports.

In an interview with Pakistan’s The Express Tribune, Pakistan Institute of Labour Education and Research (PILER) Executive Director Karamat Ali said 80 per cent of unskilled workers do not receive the minimum wage and historically high inflation has only made people’s suffering worse.

In March, the level of inflation was reportedly 35.4 per cent and this has had a major impact on purchasing power.

An estimated 80 per cent of unskilled workers are not receiving the minimum wage of PKR25,000 per month, which was awarded ten months ago. A recent World Bank report found that 83 per cent of households in Pakistan are not receiving the minimum $2 a day needed to sustain their basic needs, according to PILER.

The Punjab government recently announced an increase in the minimum wage to PKR32,000 a month, however, Mr Ali told The Express Tribune that there is no mechanism to ensure the implementation of the government order or to check how much industrial and commercial houses are paying their employees.

Mr Ali reportedly stated that each worker should receive at least PKR50,000 per month to cover the costs of necessities including food, clean drinking water, education and healthcare.

He added that the ongoing economic crisis has caused a rise in unemployment in Pakistan. Estimates put the number of jobless in the country at five million.

The climbing rate of unemployment in Pakistan and the country’s denial of basic rights are reportedly causing people to become violent and there has been a surge in the rise of street crime and theft.

While the lack of minimum wages in Pakistan has led to poor living conditions for the majority of workers.

With such escalating economic hardships, people are being hit extra hard by frequent hikes in petrol, rising power tariffs and inflation.

Source: The Print