Awareness and Implementations of Decent Work Practices: A case study of Pakistan Railways

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to develop an understanding about the the awareness and implementation of Decent Work Practices in Pakistan Railways. This studyis exploratory in nature. The qualitative data were collected using in-depth face-to-face interviews. Eighteen different respondents from nine core departments of the Pakistan Railways agreed to participate in our study. Purposive sampling methods was used to identify and select the key informants of the study. This study has found that the awareness as well as the implementation of key Decent Work Practices in Pakistan Railways is lacking. However, the employees are willing to continue working despite the poor working conditions due to the high unemployment rate and few employment opportunities available in the labor market. Yet the level of their curiosity to know about their labor rights in temrs of Decent Work Practices is very high. Another interesting finding of the study is that the perceptions of higher authorities, their level of awareness and concern to the employee’s issues is very low. This also represents a significant communication gap between different levels of management. Moreover, there is a significant lack of a fully functional and distinct Human Resource Department.