Mapping Labour Unions in Pakistan Preface Labour Unions are important social organizations in any country, giving voice to common working people, representing workers’ interests against employers and the Government, and forming links and cooperation with other social sectors. Especially in democratic societies labour unions often play a key role to develop a democratic culture of politics and strengthening the social and political participation of workers and all other employees. Beyond the economic functions in collective bargaining over wages and working conditions, these are highly valuable functions the Unions are playing in many societies. In Pakistan, though, Labour Unions are regrettably weak, as nearly all observers agree, even most of the unions themselves. While literally thousands of Unions exist, they generally are small or even very small and organized in several federations and confederations, which may sometimes compete and sometimes cooperate. The weakness is the result of unfavourable legal conditions, employers’ lack of interest or even hostility, and of the structure of the Pakistani economy since its big informal sector is difficult to unionize. At the same time, there are reasons for the weakness of unions that result from the practices or structures of the Unions themselves. Among them are their highly fragmented character and the lack of unity, as well as direct and indirect corruption amongst them, and a lack of democracy and transparency. Such factors undercut the credibility and attractiveness of Unions, which can be exploited by anti-union forces. If the Pakistani Labor movement and its unions are to recover their strength and dynamism which had been destroyed during the time of Zia ul Haq’s dictatorship, there is a need to overcome fragmentation and develop a unity of purpose and action; there is a need to internal reform; and there is need to develop more effective strategies for organizing the informal sector, women, and youth. This mapping study is providing an overview of the main characteristics, strengths and weaknesses of the Pakistani Labour Unions. Only a self­critical evaluation of those will allow the labour movement to overcome its weaknesses and regain the strength and dynamism which it should have, to make an even more important contribution to the welfare of Pakistani iii