The writer is a consultant in employee relations at AKUH and teaches labour welfare laws at IBA.
EVERY year May 1 is observed as International Labour Day in several countries including Pakistan to commemorate the labour movement which ushered in various reforms such as capping work hours at eight and paid leave.
In Pakistan, seminars and get-togethers are organised on the day by the federal and the provincial governments as well as labour federations that highlight the miserable and distressful conditions of our workers. They also point out the flagrant violation of workers’ welfare laws regarding medical and old-age pension benefits by employers, facilitated by government functionaries.