ILO and Climate Change

Employers Call for a Policy to Combat the

Implications of Climate Change on Labour Market

Al-Bab Report

18^th May 2016, Karachi: Climate change is posing a direct threat to the lives and livelihoods of people across the globe. This is also evident from recurrent disasters in Pakistan since 2005, which have inflicted huge human and financial losses. There is thus an urgent need to develop a national policy to address the labour market implications of climate change.

This was the consensus reached during the 9^th Business Talk Sustainability meeting organized by the Employers’ Federation of Pakistan (EFP) in collaboration with ILO and the Global Compact Network Pakistan on 13 May, 2016. The meeting was attended by experts and intellectuals drawn from business, government, NGOs, workers organizations, academia and the representatives of three Agricultural Employers (Small Landlords) Associations and Agricultural Workers Unions, recently established in Dadu and Mirpukhas districts, under the auspices of a One-UN project implemented by ILO, FAO and UN-Women with the financial support of the UN Trust Fund on Human Security.

The President of EFP, Mr. Khawaja Muhammad Nauman, while welcoming the participants to the meeting stated that it was an opportune time for the stakeholders to develop a comprehensive policy to combat the implications of climate change on the labour market as a part of a holistic employment oriented labour and industrial approach at the Federal and Provincial levels.

The meeting participants identified the risks posed by the climate change to livelihoods and employment emphasizing the need to enhance awareness on climate change and its adverse impact on farmers’ communities throughout Pakistan and particularly in Sindh. They also proposed the development of a Water Policy for Sindh, because water mismanagement is also promoting unemployment at a larger scale

During the focused group discussions,  recommendations  were made  for land reforms, the need for a consistent policy with national consensus on labour, agriculture, water management, food security and other issues related to climate change and employment generation. Participants also called for a removal of the disconnect between policy, communication and implementation, and the shift from a loan based economy with structural changes, imposition of agricultural tax, interaction of parliamentary standing committees with stakeholders, promotion of public-private partnership in the design and implementation of projects to combat adverse impacts of climate change on employment with particular emphasis on the promotion of alternative and agro-based skills in rural women and youth.

Mr. Ahsanullah Khan, President, Global Compact Network Pakistan, Mr. Karamat Ali, Executive Director, Pakistan Institute of Labour Education and Research, Mr. Nasir Mansoor, General Secretary, National Trade Union Federation,      Mr. Qazi Wajid Mahesar, President, Agricultural Employers (Small Landlords) Association Dadu, Mr. Noor Muhmmad Baloch, Director General, Research, Agricultural Research Center TandoJam, Mr. Nazar Ali, CEO, Skill Development Council, Ms. Zehra Khan, General Secretary, Home-Based Women Workers Federation addressed the business talk sustainability meeting.

The meeting was attended by a range of stakeholders which included, among others, the Presidents, Secretaries and Members of Agricultural Employers’ Associations and Agricultural Worker Unions of Mipurkhas and Mehar, K. N. Shah of Dadu, Mr. Abdul Aziz Channa, Deputy Secretary, Technical, Department of Agriculture Sindh, Mr. Toshio Fujita of Saita Pakistan Limited, Ms. Zeenat Hussain of PILER, Ms. Meher Marker Noshirwani, Sociologist and Consultant on Gender and Environment.

Mr. Fasihul Karim Siddiqi, Secretary General, E F P, in his closing remarks, called for strong bilateral dialogue between employers and workers to effectively advocate the need for an employment and productivity oriented labour, industrial and agricultural policy which can create conducive climate for responsible investments in industry and agriculture for employment generation, implementing labour standards and promoting social dialogue and decent work approaches.

A special task force was formed at the conclusion of the meeting to develop a policy framework in the light of discussions and suggestions made in the focus group meeting. The recommendations of this meeting will be placed for discussion before the forthcoming National Industrial Relations and Provincial Tripartite Labour Convention being organized by EFP on 19^th & 20^th May, 2016 at Karachi.