ISLAMABAD: 26 percent Pakistani women lost their jobs due coronaviruspandemic economic crisis lockdown, reveals data survey conducted by Freeand Fair Election Network (FAFEN).
FAFEN revealed that at least 26 per cent women were terminated or suspendedfrom their jobs during the ongoing coronavirus lockdown, ARY News reportedon Friday.
The non-profit and non-governmental organisation, FAFEN, released a pressstatement on Labour Day regarding the unemployment of workers from theiremployers particularly women during the ongoing lockdown in wake ofcoronavirus pandemic.
The statement read that a survey of working women revealed 26 per cent of904 respondents were terminated from their jobs after the announcement ofthe lockdown by the government.
Of the workers who lost their jobs, 14 per cent were permanently laid offwhile the services of the remaining 12 per cent were temporarily suspended.The factory workers had the highest ratio among those whose jobs wereterminated.
15 per cent women who said their jobs were terminated were from Sindhrespondents, and three per cent from Balochistan.
The survey was conducted in eight districts across the country includingFaisalabad, Haripur, Lahore, Sialkot, Peshawar, Rahimyar Khan, Quetta, andKarachi between April 15-30.
The survey respondents included factory workers, salespersons, andemployees of private schools, hospitals, and other commercialestablishments.
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Of the women interviewed, seven per cent were daily wage workers, 85 percent were working on monthly wages and the remaining were paid onbi-monthly or weekly basis.
A majority of terminated workers up to 51 per cent were awaiting their duesto be cleared by their employers and the delays in payment of dues canfurther exacerbate the economic woes of the terminated workers.
Of the women who lost their jobs, more than three-quarter up to 78 per centdid not know whether they were registered with any social securityorganization, whereas, 13 per cent said they were registered withEmployees’ Old-Age Benefits Institution (EOBI). One per cent women saidthey were registered with Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) and only28 per cent women workers said that they were able to apply for supportunder the federal government’s emergency cash program.
Nearly half up to 49 per cent of the interviewed workers shared that nopreventive measures were adopted at their workplaces since the onset of thepandemic.
FAFEN recommends the federal and provincial labour departments to keep aclose vigil at workplaces to ensure the enforcement of the government’sdirections and guidelines regarding preventive and safety measures for theworkplaces.
The FAFEN has also urged the federal and provincial governments to takeimmediate actions to ensure that employers do not terminate or suspend theemployment of workers, particularly women during the ongoing lockdown inthe wake of COVID-19.
