Factory labourers everywhere in Pakistan are experiencing hard living conditions. Their employers refuse to raise wages in relation to inflation and even after many years of service they are still forced to work as daily wagers. That legal status denies them their basic workers’ rights, like for example a weekly day off or affiliate to a Trade Union.

Also the five to six thousand workers of Nestlé Pakistan Sheikhupura factory are facing these problems. About thirty five women are working in the administration, most other employees are daily wagers. Many of them have been working for already fourteen years in the factory and they receive a daily salary of 317 rupees (about € 4,60). They don’t have access to social security or the EOBI (Employees’ Old-Age Benefit Institution, the Pakistani pension system). Only relatives and influentially strong are hired with a permanent contract and benefit therefore of decent workers’ rights and conditions.

The Global Network regional coordinator for Asia, Labour Education Foundation (LEF), is providing legal assistance to these workers in their case against Nestlé.

 In October 2011, a LEF representative had an interview with a daily waged labourer who shares his story:

“I have been working with Nestlé Pakistan’s Sheikhupura factory since eight years. It has a variety of food units including that of water, juices, milk, Nido (dry milk), curd and related products. Our administration has permanently hired its relatives openly in these different sectors.  On this action we too demanded several times to turn us into permanent employees but our voices remained unheard of. We decided to undertake action against this injustice and on the 12^th of July 2011 we protested outside the factory. We demanded to be contracted as permanent employees after working in the factory for so many years. Around 1.400 people joined the protest which continued from 8 in the morning to 8 at night. The factory manager then requested us to stop the protest and asked us to come back the next morning to present our demands.

The next day at the manager’s office, he plainly denied all our demands and said that what he did the day before was just his duty. We then went to the Labour Officer and discussed our problem with him. He too didn’t pay heed to that and threw us out of the office. On 20^th August we sent a notice to the Labour Court demanding to reinstate us on our jobs and give us a permanent contract, just as it is established by law.

On 26^th August the daily waged employees gathered again for a new protest. Around 900 workers participated. The administration bribed the District Police Officer who by using his powers brought two loaded police vehicles. The police officers brutally beat us. Due to this violent action only 60 workers stood firm and stayed at the protest. The rest ran. A police representative called us, said that they were sorry for their intervention and asked to write down our names. He promised they would help us to get our jobs back. We gave them the names and returned.

The next day we went to factory and found out that we had been accused of kidnapping a boy and that a false complaint was filed at the police station. We went to the police station for a meeting with the Station House Officer. We explained him the accusation was false and that we were being trapped because of fighting for our rights. He admitted he knew that and that he was not going to undertake any action to follow up the kidnap case. He also negotiated with the factory administration on our behalf and denied to proceed with the accusation. Few days after, the Station House Officer went on leave and later was transferred.

A couple of days after that, a First Information Report was lodged and the daily paper Nawa e waqt published that a boy was found missing in the Nestlé factory. Since the boy was still working at the factory, it was very easy to find out that the allegation was false. The boy later appeared in court and gave the statement that he was kidnapped by Nestlé and released after two days. The Sheikhupura Nestlé factory has a Trade Union but membership is limited to the 2.200 permanent workers. Daily and contract workers are denied affiliation.

After these two protests the administration has given 500 daily wagers a contract. But around 60 daily wagers, myself included, were fired four months ago and are now involved in a false kidnap case. Our people are in jail because they have been leading the protests. We tried through LEF and the National Trade Union Federation's lawyer to get our jobs back, but we are still entrapped in this false kidnap case. We are living in rented houses in dismal living conditions. We asked the factory manager to give us minimum food supplies but he refused to provide any help. Instead he threatened us that we will have to face severe consequences. In these pathetic and pitiable conditions we demand that our people are freed and hired again at the factory, that the salary of the previous four months is paid, that we are given permanent worker status and granted annual holidays as well as a weekly day off on Sundays.”