Mapping Labour Unions in Pakistan 1.5.3. Key challenges highlighted by Trade Unions Labour unions outline several concerns about trade unions today. However, their most pressing issue is the declining strength and capacities of unions. There is a consensus over a number of internal and external reasons behind it. Externally, growing informality, the government’s lack of political will to advance labour rights and a shrinking democratic space are outlined as reasons behind trade unions decline. Internally, labour unions point to deep­seated divides and corruption within their ranks that are pulling unions away from their agenda of serving on workers rights. In structured interviews with trade unions and allies for this study, key themes regarding trade unions concerns about the trade union movement in Pakistan emerged as follows: External challenges: Workers organisations find political parties’ labour wings as most concerning: Trade unions widely believe the very origin of the decay of unions can be traced to the initiation of labour wings of the political parties. Unions are acutely critical of the way political parties have“exploited” trade unions, which has caused divisions among workers based on political party affiliations, eventually leading to linguistic and sectarian divides. The ruling political party supports its union in an organisation which eventually becomes the CBA. So, support for general labour has practically ended. Growing informality in employment: It is also observed to be a major contributor to the decline of trade unions. The informal employment arrangement adopted even in the formal sector has promoted contract labour and outsourcing.“As a result, regular workers have decreased.(As unions represent regular workers only) the catchments area of trade unions has also reduced,” observes a labour expert. He also observes that even though the law also states that everyone is qualified for the membership, neither trade union nor management makes any effort towards the representation of contract workers,“who are treated differently.” On their part, trade unions state they are helpless if the state denies the right to unionisation to the informal sector such as the construction sector, 16