ludUO

A group of bald protesters shout slogans against power cuts.
employment, the odds were stacked against the labourer even in the best of
circumstances.
Most of the issues facing the workers in 2011 continued into 2012 with
little positive movement. In a dwindling economy, poor law and order, a
debilitating energy crisis, and failing public and private enterprises left thousands
upon thousands unemployed. The workers of recently privatised public
industries and corporations protested against unfair treatment. Workers of
state-owned companies slated for privatisation vociferously opposed any move
towards that.
The industrial relations law excluded the huge majority of the workforce
from the right to unionise, most prominently informal workers and those without
proof of employment, including but not confined to brick kiln workers. With
the exception of Islamabad capital territory and trans-provincial establishments,
the authority to legislate on labour-related issues lies with the provinces as a
result of the dissolution of the concurrent legislative list under the 18th Constitutional Amendment. The provincial governments did not use this
newfound legislative authority with much vigour and many pressing issues
were left unaddressed. No independent legislation existed on the health and
safety of workers. With the power of collective bargaining inaccessible to
labourers operating without unions, the worker continued to be exploited.
Much confusion still lingered over the transition of legislative authority on
labour affairs from the federal to the provincial government under the 18th Amendment to the Constitution. The responsibility for labour welfare, trade
unions and worker safety was shifted to the provincial government. The federal
government’s legislative authority continued on international conventions,
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State of Human Rights in 2012