ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court (SC) will start hearing a constitutional plea from brick kiln (bhatta) workers on Monday, to determine whether brick kiln workers have the same fundamental rights as other citizens, reports a local media outlet.
The apex court’s three-judge bench, headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Mian Saqib Nisar, will take up the constitutional petition filed by Manzoor Ahmed along with 11 other workers through Aftab Alam Yasir advocate.
The petitioners have said that if they are the citizens of Pakistan, they should have fundamental rights to guard themselves against the tyranny of the brick kiln owners, “who are consistently violating their fundamental rights through bonded labour”.
They have also asked to end the practice of ‘banddis’ (slavery for life). They called for laws and minimum wages for labourers falling under this category.
The petitioners have asked the SC that the federal and provincial governments be directed to frame proper laws and rules to end their miseries and of their class, and to determine their minimum wages.
They alleged that the kiln owners consistently violated the fundamental rights of labourers through bonded labour.