LAHORE : There are 20 million home-based workers (HBWs) in Pakistan and more than 71 percent (two-third) are women.
Most of them are piece-rate workers, involved in manufacturing and post-manufacturing tasks, such as garment stitching, embroidery, knitting, carpet weaving and handlooms, woodwork, shoe making and other handicrafts, bangle making, fruit and vegetable processing and packaging, etc.
Sometimes their work is linked with international brands through the factories producing for such brands.
Shamim and seven women in her neighbourhood stitch women’s clothes. They were getting as little as Rs8 for stitching a trouser. A trouser takes 20 minutes to stitch, the women said.
Even if they managed to stitch three trousers in an hour, they earned Rs24 for an hour’s work. If they worked for eight hours like this, they earned no more than Rs192. What? Only Rs192 for a day’s work?
The minimum wage was then Rs 20,000 a month. Going by that minimum wage, a worker’s wage should be more than Rs650 a day.
These home-based workers who live in Baghbanpura decided they will not accept less than Rs15 for stitching a trouser and conveyed this to the fellow who brought work to them and collected the finished products. Their demand was not entertained and they settled at Rs10 per piece. Even if they had succeeded in getting Rs15 per piece and had worked for eight hours, it would be less than half of the minimum wage for a day’s work.
The poor women are uneducated. They do not know the...
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