"Pakistan Must Improve Working Conditions For Labour Or Risk Losing GSP+ Status: ILO", 4 June 2024

With Pakistan relying heavily on textile exports, it must improve conditions for textile industry workers to retain its Generalised Scheme of Preferences Plus (GSP+) status from the European Union.

This was stated by International Labour Organization (ILO) Country Director Geir T. Tonstol during a formal interaction with journalists in Islamabad on Tuesday.

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Tonstol said Pakistan is one of the very few countries in the world which benefits from the GSP+ preferential trade agreement with the EU. And if Pakistan wishes to retain that status, it must follow 27 labour, human rights, and environmental standards.

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He warned that no country would buy from Pakistan if there is forced labour, child labour, bonded labour, etc., in the supply chain.

"It has been reported that there may be as many as 3.4 million individuals in conditions of bonded labour," he said.

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When asked if it's challenging to deal with provinces regarding labour laws after the 18th Amendment, Tonstol admitted that it's challenging since there's no specific labour ministry at the federal level to work with. However, it was good that responsibility has been divided amongst the provinces so that they can make better laws for the province.