Rally demands protection for brick kiln workers' rights

Freedom Bhatta Workers Union, Association of Women for Awareness and Motivation (AWAM), Peace and Human Development (PHD Foundation), Workers Party Pakistan (WPP) and Liaison for Enforcement of Human Rights (LEHR) jointly staged a peaceful protest rally and sit-in in front of the office of Naseem Sadiq, DCO Faisalabad.
This protest rally was joined by over 200 brick kiln workers and people from different walks of life including students, representatives of trade unions, workers' unions, political parties and civil society organisations namely; PHD Foundation, AWAM, WPP, NCJP and Rural Development Society.
The participants in the protest rally shouted slogans against poverty, inflation and miseries of brick kiln workers. The participants were also carrying banners and placards inscribed with their demands to protect rights of brick kiln workers. At this juncture, Asghar Shaheen, Arif Ayaz, Shazia George (Co-ordinator AWAM), Sajid Iqbal Safdar, Yaseen Inqlabi and others addressed the protesters and expressed their grave concerns on the situation of brick kiln workers.
The participants of the protest rally and sit-in for the improvement in the situation of brick kiln workers demanded that: The writ of the government and all the labour laws including elimination of Bonded Labour and Child Labour must be strictly enforced in brick kiln industry; the brick kiln workers must be provided with their wages as per notification of the government fixing PKR 517 for 1,000 bricks; the loan system and registration of fabricated cases against brick kiln workers by brick kiln owners must be discouraged; the issuance of social security cards and CNIC must be ensured for all brick kiln workers, whereas all brick kilns as well as workers must be registered with government departments; the arrangements must be made for education, health and housing facilities for families engaged with brick kiln industry; the women workers must be provided protection against harassment and discrimination at work places, and safe women friendly atmosphere should be created at work places; the participation of the brick kiln workers should be ensured in the monitoring committees made by the government. At this juncture, Naseem Sadiq (DCO Faisalabad) invited workers' leaders on the table of negotiation, and pledged to ensure implementation on the demands of the brick kiln workers.