Pakistan
Peace Coalition
In
the aftermath of the 1998 nuclear tests by India and Pakistan, PILER
initially formed the Action Committee against Armed Race (ACAR) with
the aim to lobby against the production and use of nuclear weapons.
After remaining active for four months, in September 1998, ACAR took
the shape of Pakistan Peace Coalition (PPC). PPC comprises numerous
pro-peace groups from Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad, Peshawar, Quetta
and various other cities across Pakistan. PPC that has largely been
inactive for about five years now, is in the process of being revived
again.
Labour
Rights Committees
Labour
Rights Committees (LRCs) were formed as a part of the project on “Promoting
Economics and Social Rights through Labour in Local Government” after
the Local Government System was instituted in the year 2001. The project,
which lasted from April 2002 to May 2004, was funded by the Royal
Netherlands Embassy in Pakistan. The project started with the aim
to sensitize elected representatives on labour issues and strengthen
the coordination between labour councilors and civil society organizations.
The message reached more than 2000 councilors and 16000 citizens in
41 towns in 27 districts all over the Pakistan.
At present eleven
(11) LRCs exist in different cities of Pakistan, functioning voluntarily
as watch- dogs, assessing the condition of provision of labour rights
in their respective jurisdiction. LRCs constitute of many labour councilors,
lawyers, teachers, journalists, members of the civil society who work
either independently or jointly in collaboration with each other and
PILER.
Some LRCs have been very fruitful in terms of pro-actively and effectively
impacting local district-level policy and planning. The LRC of Faisalabad
supported and facilitated in launching a 55-day struggle of power-loom
workers against lower wages; the result being that the district government
had to intervene to arrange a tri-partite agreement for proper provision
of fair and decent wages.
South
Asian Labour Forum
The
South Asian Labour Forum evolved as a consequence of a South Asian
Consultation Conference on Labour Rights known as “The Katmandu Consultation”
during 20th to 23rd May, 1996. The aim was to devise a region-based
platform that mobilizes labour organizations in South Asia that allows
them to :
