Trade union and labour support organisations on Saturday welcomed the Supreme Court's landmark judgment in which the apex court has held that the contract workers have legitimate and fundamental right to form a union or becoming a part of it and take part in the union referendum or elections.

In a joint statement, Executive Director, Pakistan Institute of Labour Education and Research (PILER) Karamat Ali; Secretary General, National Trade Union Federation (NTUF) Nasir Mansoor, President, Peoples Labour Bureau Sindh , Habibuddin Junaidi, Democratic Wokrkers Union State Bank of Pakistan ; Liaqat Sahi and General Secretary Home-based Women Workers Federation ; Ms. Zehra Khan and others underlined the need for implementation of the order in all corporation in the country.

The Supreme Court Judge Justice Maqbool Baqar, who was heading a two-member bench wrote in the judgment on a petition filed by Sui Southern Gas Company management against an Islamabad High Court's verdict that the purported arrangement/contract between the company and their purported labour contractors could not be allowed to be used as a device to deprive the workers of their legitimate and fundamental rights to forming a union or becoming part of it.

The labour leaders said that since introduction of neo-liberal economic policies in the country the companies have started employing their workers and employees on contract and third-party system, in which the workers do not have legal labour rights. Even they are deprived of their constitutional right of association and they are not allowed to form trade unions.

They lauded the judgment and said that the Supreme Court's judgment would set a precedence and would strengthen the trade union movement in the country.

Currently out of total 65.5 million total workforce of Pakistan only 2-3 percent workers are members of any trade unions and an overwhelming majority of workers are deprived of their legal rights of social security, pension and joining their trade unions.

© Pakistan Press International, source Asianet-Pakistan