Compliance of Pakistan with ILO Standards on Freedom of Association

Abstract

The author examines the adherence of Pakistani legislation with ILO standards regarding freedom of association. Current Industrial Relations regulation has undergone several positive changes on a provincial level, including granting rights to form trade unions and collectively bargain, expanding union rights to female workers in the agricultural sector in Sadh and Punjab, creating the Industrial Relations Bill in Balochistan, expanding the right to freedom of association and collective bargaining to workers in Special Economic Zones, etc. However, despite the indisputable progress, Industrial Relations regulation is subject to criticism. For instance, it still does not resolve the inability of an employee to be a member of several trade unions if he/she works part-time although Pakistani law allows workers to work at multiple workplaces under certain conditions on a case-by-case basis. Since the legislation of Pakistan does not recognize and regulate part-time work, those few that are allowed to be doubly employed are not subject to the fundamental rights of a full-time worker including the right to freedom of association. Besides that, Industrial Relations regulation considers the concept of go-slow an unfair labour practice although ILO has justified it in multiple conventions. The author finds the aforementioned criticism valid. However, regarding the empowerment of the Registrar to inspect the accounts and records of a registered trade union, the author considers the criticism unwarranted. In the conclusion the author mentions the necessity of the creation of regulation on the enterprise level similar to that which exists on the provincial one.