Pakistan
The objectives of the project are to support the Federal and Provincial States to bring labour law and practice in line with International Labour Standards and build institutional capacity on social dialogue and dispute resolution.
Pakistan has been a member of the ILO since 1960 and has ratified eight Fundamental Conventions, two Governance Conventions and 26 Technical Conventions.
The project supports the effective implementation of the Decent Work Country Programme for Pakistan, in particular one critical priority area- to strengthen compliance with International Labour Standards through social dialogue. This is also in line with the commitments of the country as a beneficiary of the Generalized System of Preferences Plus (GSP+) granted by the European Union in 2014. The GSP+ offers Pakistan a preferential tariff regime, with its continuity contingent upon ratification and effective compliance with United Nations instruments, including the ILO Fundamental Conventions. The project formally commenced its support in January 2021. The focus was primarily on the Province of Balochistan which was not covered by other ILO projects and was in urgent need of support to undertake a labour law reform as required by the ILO supervisory bodies. While providing technical support on the legislative framework, the project also promotes a culture of dialogue between the government, the social partners and other stakeholders through meetings and forums, enabling open discussions and decisions on issues relating to the implementation of international labour standards, the labour inspection system and dispute resolution.
Objectives
In Pakistan, the project focused on strengthening compliance with International Labour Standards through social dialogue, with a particular focus on the province of Balochistan.
Achievements
The project achieved notable results including:
- The promulgation of ten provincial labour laws.
- The completion of business rules for seven of the ten promulgated laws.
- The creation of a model law on forced labour.
- The enhancement of the evidence base and legislative framework on forced labour.
- Facilitating the development of accessible technical avenues to measure child labour through routine forced labour surveys.
- Empowering the labour judiciary to incorporate international labour standards in labour dispute resolution (LDR) and labour jurisprudence.
- Bolstering social dialogue on national legislation that complies with international labour standards, particularly the Fundamental Conventions on Freedom of Association and Collective Bargaining.
- Participation in and contribution to the National Action Plan on Business and Human Rights and the UPR mechanism.
- Clearing the reporting backlog and ensuring the timely submission of high-quality reports to the ILO supervisory bodies, particularly the Committee of Experts on the Application of Conventions and Recommendations.
This collaboration reflected a commitment to aligning national norms with international labour instruments and advancing labour rights through compliance with international labour standards.
Activities
In Pakistan, the project focused on the following activities:
- Supporting the country in the ratification of the Protocol of 2014 to the Forced Labour Convention, 1930 (P.29).
- Strengthening the capacities of institutions, the labour inspectorate, and the social partners on international labour standards in order to support their application and integration into national law.
- Supporting constituents in promoting sustainable, responsible, and inclusive business practices in alignment with the Declaration of Tripartite Principles on Multinational Enterprises and Social Policy.
- Supporting the country in implementing ratified ILO Conventions, particularly those covered by the 1998 ILO Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work.
Resources
Fundamental Conventions and select international labour standards and protocols ratified
Ratification of ILO Conventions and Protocols
Abolition of Forced Labour
Following the prioritization by the Government of the ratification of the Protocol of 2014 to the Forced Labour Convention, 1930 (P.29), the project supported the National Labour Council to work towards the ratification of this protocol. Recommendations were made to harmonize the national legislation and the Forced Labour/Trafficking in Persons Reports and to promote interdepartmental collaboration to effectively address the issue of forced labour and trafficking in persons.
Action
- Supported the Government to work towards the ratification of P.29
- Conducted workshops and supported Provincial Tripartite Consultative Committee (PTCC) meetings
Results
- Development of an action plan for the ratification of P.29
- Development of a gap analysis to identify areas within the national legislation needing amendment to align better with international labour standards
- Formulation of a model law on forced labour to drive labour reform on forced labour across Pakistan
- Strengthened social dialogue in the country on the topic of forced labour
Implementation of ratified conventions
Strengthening social dialogue on the implementation of international labour standards
In the context of investment promotion, ease of doing business and the interest of employers and workers, the project focused on strengthening bipartite and tripartite social dialogue in Balochistan to identify durable solutions that ensure the application of international labour standards. Rich social dialogue at the provincial tripartite consultative committee resulted in tripartite endorsed solutions.
Action
- Conducting tripartite discussions, workshops and forums on international labour standards related matters and labour reform
Results
- Strengthened social dialogue on issues of compliance with international labour conventions, particularly the Freedom of Association and Protection of the Right to Organise Convention, 1948 (No. 87) and the Right to Organise and Collective Bargaining Convention, 1949 (No. 98)
Constituents effectively participate in national processes that address gaps between national law and practice and targeted conventions
Enhanced alignment of provincial labour legislations with International Labour Standards
Supporting the Government of Balochistan to align its labour legislation with international labour instruments
The project supported the provincial Government of Balochistan to develop and enact ten labour laws along with rules for seven of the laws promulgated.
Action
- Supporting the Federal and Provincial Governments on the review of the labour legislation of the Province of Balochistan
- Supporting the development of labour regulations
- Capacitating the social partners to contribute to the development of laws and regulations
Results
- Promulgation of ten provincial labour legislations targeting various thematic areas including industrial relations, the elimination of child labour, informal home-based work, forced labour and maternity benefits.
Promoting awareness of the promulgated labour laws
The project undertook activities to enhance the awareness of the members of the National Industrial Relations Commission (NIRC), the judiciary and other relevant stakeholders on the newly promulgated labour laws which are in alignment with international labour standards.
Action
- Organization of trainings in Balochistan and Islamabad
- Dissemination of a compendium of Balochistan’s laws both in English and Urdu
Results
- Strengthened the knowledge of labour inspectors, employers and workers on the content and application of the ten labour laws and seven rules promulgated by the Government of Balochistan
- Enhanced the knowledge of members of the NIRC, Registrars of trade unions, judges, and Labour Directors on international labour standards
- Enhanced the awareness of the public on labour rights in Balochistan
Strengthening national infrastructure to facilitate labour law compliance
Integrating international labour standards into the labour dispute resolution mechanism
The project supported the integration of international labour standards into Labour Dispute Resolution (LDR) and Labour Jurisprudence.
Action
- Organization of an international labour standards training workshop tailored for judges of labour courts across the country and the members of the National Industrial Relations Commission (NIRC)
- Organization of workshops for judges of labour courts across the country and academic staff of judicial academies (both federal and provincial)
Results
- Strengthened institutional capacity to integrate international labour standards into national practice
- Enhanced the integration of international labour standards into labour dispute resolution and labour jurisprudence
- Enhanced institutional capacity of the labour judiciary to apply international labour standards
- Capacitated academic staff of judicial academies to promote the inclusion and consideration of international labour standards in labour jurisprudence
Strengthening the labour inspection system
Building on the work done by previous projects to identify the needs of the labour inspection system, the project focused on strengthening the efficiency and effectiveness of the system by working to train existing inspectors and to increase the number of inspectors, including female inspectors.
Action
- Support for the appointment of labour inspectors to the labour inspectorate
- Provided trainings to labour inspectors on strengthening and modernizing labour inspection
Results
- Increased number of labour inspectors appointed
- Increased efficiency and effectiveness of the labour inspectorate in integrating international labour standards into practice
- Capacitated labour inspectors on Balochistan’s new labour law and regulations aligned with international labour standards
There are no project interventions in this area yet.
Tripartite constituents effectively fulfil their respective roles in reporting to the supervisory bodies
Strengthening the ability of the Government and social partners to participate in international processes
Supporting the Government to draft country reports to the ILO supervisory bodies and the social partners to contribute to the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) mechanism
The project focused on capacitating the social partners to provide extensive inputs to the the Universal Periodic Review (UPR)-United Nations Country Team (UNCT) submission and to update the Global slavery observatory for Pakistan. The project also provided support to the government to ensure that the backlog on the submission of reports to the ILO supervisory bodies was compensated, resulting in the timely submission of high-quality reports.
Action
- Support to the government and social partners for the submission of reports to the ILO supervisory bodies
- Organization of technical meetings and consultation workshops for the government and social partners (tripartite constituents) on the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) process
Results
- Submission by the country of all the annual reports due to the ILO supervisory bodies, including reports that were overdue
- Strengthened the contribution of tripartite constituents to the drafting and coordinating of the ILO inputs to the United Nations Country Team (UNCT) cohort for the 3rd cycle of UPR-Pakistan