Mapping Labour Unions in Pakistan Many research participants were quick to point out(perhaps defensively) that the lack of participation of religious minorities is not because of religious discrimination among the members of the union. Syed Zulfiqar Shah however points to structural discrimination that traps religious minorities in a cycle of poverty and political invisibility: being a minority means not being hired for “qualified jobs” but for janitorial jobs; these are usually contractual and there is no contractual workers’ union, and so their political participation is relegated to the fringes. This is also evident in the case of the Metro Cash and Carry Union, where Iqtidar mentions including in their charter of demands, issues such as the housekeeping staff(mostly Christian and Hindu) working 16-17 hour days, seven days a week and not getting time off for their religious holidays. However, it is not clear if any of the Christian or Hindu workers were part of the union leadership. This also suggests even where they are in large numbers, their lower rank in the workforce debilitates their ability to speak for themselves or for others. The absence of people from religious minorities in the trade union discourse is a manifestation of the general precarity of being non-muslim. Mazhar Abbas, Secretary-General, Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists explains:“I think they(minorities) themselves are also not coming forward. Overall the environment is also there that in case a conflict happens they fear that they may be a soft target.” Only two women respondents spoke of the incidence of religious discrimination within trade unions. Ume Laila cautioned against the rise of religious intolerance among trade unions which she felt was detrimental to the participation of people from religious minorities. Zehra Khan(HBWWF) candidly recounted examples of overt social exclusion. In one instance, she mentioned that their union’s community kitchen, which sold lunches to members and the wider community, suddenly started reporting declining revenues. The development coincided with the hiring of a Christian cook to substitute for a Muslim cook. Within the union, Zehra explains, they were able to address and clarify myths and misconceptions among their members but they could not engage the wider community on the issue and the Christian cook quit before the situation was fully resolved. 2.2.2. Participation of people under thirty years of age In the’70s, trade unions in Pakistan may have been powered by young blood, as is evident from the fact that most of the respondents for this study are over 50 years old however scholarly literature does not specifically address youth activism in the context of trade unions. 28