Decent work

Promotion of Decent Work Opportunities for the Economic Empowerment of Vulnerable Segments of Society

Decent Work is a measure to reduce poverty and inequalities in the society. This project proposed three distinct sets of interventions to promote decent work opportunities in Pakistan for vulnerable groups including Child and Bonded Labourers in Brick Kiln Sector, Social Protection; and engaging Pakistani diaspora in Italy.

At a glance 

Partners
  • Government of Pakistan through the Ministry of Overseas Pakistanis & Human Resource Development (OP&HRD)
  • At provincial level, the project will work closely with the Department of Labour, relevant employers’ and workers’ organizations, the Department of Literacy and Non-Formal Education, the Employees Social Security Institutions; and the Social Protection Reform Unit, KP
  • The ILO-Country Office in Rome and the Trade Unions Institute for Development Co-operation (ISCOS) for activities with Pakistani diaspora in Italy
Target beneficiaries
Brick Kiln Owners’ Association of Pakistan, brick kiln workers and their families; may be replicated in precarious work sectors, e.g., mining and construction. Vulnerable families selected based on poverty scorecard of the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) from selected districts and Pakistani diaspora in Italy.

Geographical focus
Pakistan

Project objectives

The project aims to support job creation, social protection and promote decent work in Pakistan. It comprises of three main components i.e.:
  1. Strengthen national capacities to effectively eliminate exploitative labour practices (child and bonded labour);
  2. Promote coordinated social protection system based on social protection floors concept; and
  3. Engage Pakistani diaspora in Italy in the areas of job creation, entrepreneurship, skills development and other areas of decent work in Pakistan.
The project will build upon the previous work done by the ILO and the Italian donor to eliminate child and bonded labour in Pakistan and support ongoing work on promoting a coordinated social protection system in KP Province for replication in other provinces.

Main activities

Component-1
  • Study supply chain of the brick kiln sector to identify “decent work deficits” focusing child and bonded labour;
  • Develop a roadmap for a model on extension of social security to brick kiln workers;
  • Capacity building of key actors engaged with brick kiln sector on the application of Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work (FPRW);
  • Provide ‘functional literacy’ and rights education to brick kiln workers’ to prevent bondage situation in a selected target district of Punjab;
  • Develop replicable and sustainable institutional arrangements for effective monitoring against child and bonded labour in the brick kiln sector;
  • Support advocacy on green jobs and promote the use of environment-friendly technologies in the brick kiln sector;
  • Replicate brick kiln model in precarious work sectors, e.g., mining and construction; and
  • Arrange a “mega event” focusing on the achievements in terms of reducing child labour, youth development and decent work in order to seize the opportunity of converging milestones, the Italian-ILO cooperation and the start of the Pakistani-Italian cooperation on the elimination of child labour.
Component-2
  • Support access to social protection services for vulnerable families through One-Window-Operation (OWO) in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province;
  • Pilot intervention enabling 300 households to access social protection services– through the OWO facility in two districts of KP province;
  • Provide technical support to provincial government to update and review the draft KP Social Protection Policy;
  • Support Public Policy and Social Protection Reform Unit [PP&SPRU] in reviewing existing SP programmes.
  • Exploratory study on national registry/database of workers and enterprises (formal and informal economy) in Pakistan;
  • Study on Unemployment Insurance for livelihood protection and youth employment;
  • Review of Punjab Employees’ Social Security Institution (Amendment) Ordinance 2021;
  • Strengthen national social security institutions and support related platforms; and
  • Provide technical assistance to provincial Employees Social Security Institutions to expand the coverage of social security.
Component-3
  • Train and support Pakistani migrant workers in Italy to access Decent Work opportunities;
  • Survey and consult Pakistani diaspora in Italy to identify potential areas to support Decent Work in Pakistan;
  • Train trade union leadership in Leadership Skills; and
  • Support networking opportunities between Pakistani and Italian business community through Pakistan-Italy Network (PIN).

Project outcomes

  • Institutional capacities developed to promote decent work in Pakistan focusing Brick Kiln Sector, Social Protection and engaging Pakistani diaspora in Italy;
  • Legislation, regulations, policies and programmes at the federal, provincial and district levels strengthened in the following areas:
  • Protecting workers from unacceptable forms of work
  • Creating and extending social protection floors
  • Strengthening International Labour Standards (ILS) Compliance through social dialogue and;
  •  Creation of employment opportunities & decent work
  • TheVision-2025 of the Government of Pakistan, the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UNSDGs), the United Nations Sustainable Development Framework for Pakistan (UNSDF) and the Pakistan Decent Work Country Programme (DWCP, 2016-22) supported.