Landmark Study Unveils Crisis in Textile Workers’ Rights

By Dr Ansab Ali
Lahore, Pakistan

LAHORE: AwazCDS-Pakistan, in collaboration with HomeNet Pakistan, on Tuesday launched a landmark study highlighting widespread violations of workers’ rights in Pakistan’s textile sector, issuing a strong call for urgent labour reforms.

The provincial launch event, titled “The State of Workers’ Rights in the Textile Sector,” brought together policymakers, trade union leaders, industry representatives, civil society members, and textile workers at a hotel in Lahore.

The study presents a comprehensive, evidence-based assessment of systemic challenges in one of Pakistan’s most critical economic sectors. Zia Ur Rehman, Chief Executive of AwazCDS-Pakistan, outlined key findings, citing persistently low wages, unsafe working conditions, absence of formal contracts, limited access to social protection, and weak enforcement of labour laws.

He drew particular attention to the heightened vulnerabilities faced by women workers, including significant wage disparities, inadequate maternity benefits, and widespread workplace harassment. According to the study, instances of wage theft are common, with a stark gender pay gap evident across the sector. Many workers reportedly earn as little as PKR 250 per day, while some female workers receive only PKR 6,000 per month—far below the legally mandated minimum wage of PKR 40,000.

Addressing the gathering, Additional Secretary Labour Punjab, Tausef Dilshad Khatana, defended the contractual labour system, noting that such arrangements are practiced globally. He said the government aims to regulate contractors by integrating them into the legal framework, making them accountable to both the Labour Department and the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP).

“Under the proposed new Labour Code, all third-party labour service providers will be required to register with the SECP and the Labour Department to ensure compliance with legal recruitment and labour standards,” Khatana said.

A panel discussion titled “Workers’ Voices & Labour Rights” featured representatives from the Punjab Labour Department, Punjab Employees Social Security Institution, trade unions, the Women Workers Federation, factory workers, and civil society organizations. Panelists stressed the need for participatory policymaking, inclusive governance, and stricter compliance mechanisms, emphasizing fair wages, worker empowerment, and robust occupational health and safety standards.

Mathieu Vervynckt, Head of Unit Value Chains at SwedWatch, highlighted the importance of ethical supply chains and adherence to global labour standards. “It is the primary responsibility of local manufacturers and international buyers to ensure transparency and accountability, and to align production processes with internationally recognized labour rights,” he said.

Sharing her experience, Nazia Bibi, a textile factory worker and panelist, described working in an unsafe and indecent environment with inadequate health and safety facilities. “We often face harassment at the workplace, and there is no effective grievance or redressal mechanism,” she told the audience.

The study concludes that without immediate reforms, strengthened enforcement, and collective responsibility from government, industry, and international buyers, labour rights violations in Pakistan’s textile sector will continue to undermine both workers’ welfare and sustainable economic growth.