HomeNet Pakistan has organized a special event to commemorate International Home Based Workers’ day and to provide exclusive training on Occupational Health & Safety (OHS). Some 50 women home workers and eight homeworker leaders gathered in the commemoration of HBWs day and training on OHS at Piston College Hall in Baldia. Local government’s Deputy Director West, Tariq Ahmed Bughio and representative of HBW, Gulfam Nabi Memon were invited as guests for the auspicious occasion. Aisha Mughal from HomeNet Pakistan shared the initiatives taken so far for the uplift of the HBWs in Karachi. She said that around 150 HBW registration forms have been filled by workers and they are hopeful that Sindh government will soon progress towards the implementation of Sindh home based workers law. The registration of HBWs and their access to the social security would make them more empowered to work and earn better. The law once implemented would give them the right to be a worker ad enjoy the perks as workers. She mentioned that considering the current pandemic situation HomeNet Pakistan has catered to the needs of homeworkers through ration distribution, awareness-raising on covid-19, as well as, linking them with formal and informal organizations to receive training on digital literacy, e-commerce and social enterprise.
In October, HNP has trained 400 women home based workers on occupational health and safety, that involves awareness about the Sindh occupational health and safety law, the common prevalent health issues among home based workers and ways to cater them. Gulfam Nabi Memon, the representative of HBW, explained the complete registration form in detail. He mentioned that home workers should have their own bank accounts or any easy paisa, jazz cash or Omni account. They should not mention the account of another person in the form. Informing about HBWs card, Gulfam shared he was hopeful that cards will be issued 3 days after submission of registration forms. All registration forms should be submitted at LHRD office. Sharing benefits of registration, he explained that under social security, home workers and their family members will get free medical treatment, whereas under workers’ welfare board, women workers will get sewing machines, men workers will get bikes and home workers will be eligible for pensions where the age set for women is 55 years and for men is 65 years. Moreover, under the SHBW law, the contractor is bound to pay a wage equal to minimum wage, deviation from which will lodge a complaint against him. Forms will only be verified by Union Council of the area because home workers will lodge all their complaints at UC and they will forward it to Labor department.
In addition, he mentioned that we are requesting the government to provide a proper workplace for women homeworkers so that it is convenient for them to work. Tariq Ahmed Bughio, Deputy Director Local Government attended the event and praised HomeNet Pakistan for their commendable efforts in increasing the visibility of home based workers. He requested home workers that if they face issues related to Bay form, marriage certificate, birth certificate, water and sanitation issues of the area, then local government will resolve those. He emphasized that HomeNet Pakistan will help identify such problems in the areas and local government will cater issues of all home workers.
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