KP Workers Demand Ownership Rights in Labour Colonies

Workers from the Nowshera -- Pakistan United Workers Federation, in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, have long been demanding ownership rights in labour colonies. Led by President Muhammad Iqbal, they have been advocating for these rights before the provincial government. The situation came to a head when Iqbal asked the KP government to grant ownership rights, mirroring the approach of Punjab, Sindh, and Balochistan governments.

The KP government has been slow to respond to workers' demands, with Iqbal expressing frustration that a meeting with the provincial minister for Labour was denied. This led to an appeal to Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur to invite labour organisations for talks and resolve the issue of ownership rights in labour colonies. If no progress is made by October, labour organisations from across KP will stage a sit-in outside the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly.

Key Takeaways:

• KP workers have been denied ownership rights in labour colonies despite decisions from the Workers Welfare Fund's governing body and judgments of the Peshawar High Court (PHC).
• The Workers Welfare Fund's governing body had approved ownership rights for workers in 2011, but the Labour secretary challenged this decision in the SC in 2017.
• The PHC had ruled in favour of workers, ordering monthly progress reports on ownership allotments, but the Labour secretary's challenge has stalled progress.
• KP workers demand that the provincial government withdraw the case from the Supreme Court and immediately implement the decisions of the PHC and the Workers Welfare Fund.
• Provincial General Secretary Razim Khan, Labour Colonies Action Committee Convener Muslim Khan, and other labour leaders have joined Iqbal in his demands.

Statistics:

• 2011: Ownership rights were approved for workers by the Workers Welfare Fund's governing body.
• 2017: The Labour secretary challenged the decision ordering ownership allotments in the Supreme Court.
• *Peshawar High Court (PHC) judgments in favour of workers ordering monthly progress reports on ownership allotments*.
• *Number of labour colonies with allotted ownership rights in Punjab, Sindh, and Balochistan*: unavailable.
• *Number of labour organizations planning to stage a sit-in outside the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly in October*: unavailable.

Sources:

• Muhammad Iqbal, President, Nowshera -- Pakistan United Workers Federation, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
• Razim Khan, Provincial General Secretary, Labour Colonies Action Committee Convener Muslim Khan, Labour Colonies Action Committee