PILDAT held a briefing session on December 15, 2007 at Bakhtiar Labour Hall, Lahore for the top leadership of the Pakistan Workers Federation �PWF discussing the various aspects of engaging with the political parties in Pakistan for adoption of worker friendly policies and practices. Mr. Ahmed Bilal Mehboob, Executive Director, PILDAT in session one briefed the PWF leadership on the political structure in Pakistan and significance of political and parliamentary engagement. Possible strategies to enhance labour interaction and a steady engagement with the political party leadership were highlighted during the interactive session with the PWF leadership. It was agreed that a closer and frequent interaction of the PWF leadership is needed in order to better articulate the aspirations of the workers and lobby for including their demands in the political party policies and policies. The Briefing session was attended by the central President, Secretary General and Chairman of the Federation besides 40 regional leaders who had gathered from all across Pakistan for the occasion.

The briefing session was followed by a series of meetings of top PWF leadership with the leadership of major political parties in Pakistan in Lahore and Karachi. A 7 member delegation of the Pakistan Workers Federation (PWF) leadership met with Professor Sajid Mir, Head of the MMA Manifesto Committee and Ameer, Jamiat-e-Ahl-e-Hadeeth (JAH); Mr. Farid Ahmed Piracha, Deputy Secretary General, Jamaat-e-Islami (JI); and Mian Shahbaz Sharif, President, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) in Lahore on December 15 and 16, 2007 to exchange views on Workers-related issues within the context of the coming general election, their Election Manifestoes and policies towards workers� issues.

In Karachi the PWF leadership met with Mr. Kamal Azfar, Chairman Pakistan Peoples Party Parliamentarian-PPPP Manifesto Committee on December 17, 2007 at Karachi and highlighted the need for a continued dialogue between the PWF and PPPP in future so as to ensure adoption of worker friendly policies and practices.

In their meeting with the leadership of Muttehida Qaumi Movement �MQM the PWF leaders focused on establishing links with the labour wing of the MQM so as to develop an understanding of the workers issues and concerns in order to have these addressed as well a to have workers representation in the Parliament.

The PWF delegation is also expected to hold meetings with the Pakistan Muslim League � Quaid-e-Azam and the PPPP leadership in Islamabad next week.

The Pakistan Workers Federation (PWF) has emerged as the largest nation-wide trade union formed by the merger of three large labour organizations in 2005. The PWF, head quartered in the Bakhtiar Labour Hall, Lahore has over 880, 000 members, 8 Regional Offices and 419 Affiliated Labour Unions. Pakistan Institute of Legislative Development And Transparency � PILDAT, as part of its efforts to strengthen democratic process and institutions has been assisting PWF to enhance their interaction with the political and parliamentary leadership in Pakistan for the adoption of more worker friendly policies and practices. PILDAT also assisted PWF in preparing its �Workers Manifesto 2007� which consists of key proposals by PWF on Labour Policy and Reforms in Pakistan. PILDAT also researched and produced a comparison of election manifestoes of major political parties on Labour Issues as a background information for the PWF leadership. The Solidarity Centre funded these initiatives.