Trade unions in Pakistan are regulated under provincial industrial relations acts. Under the

Constitution of Pakistan The Constitution of Pakistan ( ur, ), also known as the 1973 Constitution, is the supreme law of Pakistan. Drafted by the government of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, with additional assistance from the country's opposition parties, it was approved b ...

, labour is considered a shared responsibility of the federal and provincial governments. The latest Industrial Relation Act was promulgated on 12 March 2012 by

President of Pakistan The president of Pakistan ( ur, , translit=s̤adr-i Pākiṣṭān), officially the President of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is the ceremonial head of state of Pakistan and the commander-in-chief of the Pakistan Armed Forces.British India The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance on the Indian subcontinent. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one ...

. After its inception, Pakistan has inherited strong railways and port unions. Popular labor unions at that time were in Lahore Railway Workshop, led by Mirza Ibrahim, Hydro-Electric Central Labor Union, led by Bashir Bakhtiar and the Komal Flour Mill, Ganesh Khopra (Coconut) Mill in Sindh which was organized by Narain Das. Founder of Pakistan

Muhammad Ali Jinnah Muhammad Ali Jinnah (, ; born Mahomedali Jinnahbhai; 25 December 1876 – 11 September 1948) was a barrister, politician, and the founder of Pakistan. Jinnah served as the leader of the All-India Muslim League from 1913 until the ...

was also a labour leader, he was elected President of All India Postal Staff Union in 1925. The rise of trade union struggle was seen during 1968 movement in Pakistan, when leaders of major unions and federation joined hands against Ayub Khan in first week of March they organized March as the workers' "demands week". As an aftermath of 1988 elections,

Benazir Bhutto Benazir Bhutto ( ur, بینظیر بُھٹو; sd, بينظير ڀُٽو; Urdu ; 21 June 1953 – 27 December 2007) was a Pakistani politician who served as the 11th and 13th prime minister of Pakistan from 1988 to 1990 and again from 1993 ...

came into power, during power she under pressure from the World Bank and IMF she adopted privatization policies which were continued by

Nawaz Sharif Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif (Urdu, Punjabi: ; born 25 December 1949) is a Pakistani businessman and politician who has served as the Prime Minister of Pakistan for three non-consecutive terms. He is the longest-serving prime minister of Pak ...

. Owing to this liberation process, contractual labour was introduced which reduced bargaining power of unions. During

Pervez Musharraf General Pervez Musharraf ( ur, , Parvez Muśharraf; born 11 August 1943) is a former Pakistani politician and four-star general of the Pakistan Army who became the tenth president of Pakistan after the successful military takeover of t ...

period, struggle of the PTCL workers against privatization attracted many activists to form alliances. Labour laws relating to trade unions or the Industrial Relations Act 2012 do not enable workers to form unions. There is also very little room for those who are already organized in trade unions to bargain for the collective rights of workers.

Trade unions in Pakistan

Major confederation * Pakistan Workers Confederation Pakistan Labour organization major federations'' * Pakistan Workers' FederationObservations made by employers' and workers' organizations of Pakistan
International Labour Organization (United Nations) website, Retrieved 13 April 2021 * All Pakistan Trade Union Federation * Pakistan Labour Federation * All Pakistan Federation of Labour * All Pakistan Federation of Trade Unions * All Pakistan Federation of United Trade Unions * All Pakistan Trade Union Congress * Pakistan National Federation of Trade Unions * Pakistan Trade Union Defence Campaign (PTUDC) Major unions * Railway Worker's Union (Open Lines) * Railway Worker's Union (Workshops)

References

{{Trade unions in Pakistan navbox, state=expanded Trade unions in Pakistan Labour movement in Pakistan Politics of Pakistan