KARACHI: A fresh study has shown that roughly half of the children coming from textile supply chain workers of Karachi cannot afford to go to school despite two to three people in the family working full-time.
The study conducted by the National Organisation for Working Communities (NOWCommunities) has shown that more than 80 per cent of such workers themselves have some experience of formal education themselves but now their next generation may not have the same story.
Of the sample, over 60pc said that two or three persons contributed to household expenses but still, the total household income hardly reached the legal minimum wage.
Most respondents reported earnings between PKR 31,000 and PKR 40,000, with progressively fewer respondents in higher income categories. Only a very small fraction reported earnings above PKR 50,000, indicating limited upward mobility within the current wage structure.
The minimum wage is set at Rs40,000 by the Sindh government for 26 days of work per month.
The data presents a detailed picture of workers navigating low incomes, insecure employment, limited benefits, and constrained living conditions, while simultaneously expressing clear expectations for improvement.
Although basic workplace facilities were found to be present in many cases, deeper structural issues persist, particularly in areas of job security, labour rights awareness, safety training, and worker representation. The gap between current conditions and worker expectations remains significant, reflecting both economic pressure and a strong desire for improved quality of life.
The NOWCommunities study also shows that more than half of these people with eight to 11 persons in a family live in small 60 or 80-square-yard houses. Over 61pc live in two-room houses.
It also highlights that over 89pc of these workers do not have any permanent jobs while only 6.6pc can claim to have permanent jobs. The rest were not even fully employed.
Awareness of labour rights is extremely limited among respondents. All respondents reported no awareness of labour laws, and nearly all were unfamiliar with international labour standards and initiatives such as GSP+ or organisations like the International Labour Organisation.
Institutional representation of workers is almost nonexistent. The overwhelming majority reported no unions (96.4pc) and no presence of a Collective Bargaining Agent (88.1pc). Worker participation mechanisms such as councils, committees, or shop stewards are either absent or unknown to most respondents.
Government oversight is weak or largely invisible to workers. Most respondents reported either no inspections by labour department officials or a lack of awareness regarding such visits. Even when inspections occur, interaction with workers is minimal, the study points out.
Published in Dawn, May 4th, 2026.
