Crushed by inflation: Porters left to fend for themselves
In the present economic downturn, porters at two of the country’s busiest railway stations, responsible for hauling passengers’ luggage, are struggling, much like Pakistan Railways itself. However, while Pakistan Railways can rely on the government to bail it out, porters do not have the same luxury. Poor working conditions, docked salaries, lack of health insurance, no pension plan, and job insecurity are the hallmarks of being a porter, colloquially referred to as coolie, at the Karachi and Lahore railway stations. Furthermore, the high cost of living in the two cities means that coolies who live there can barely survive, let alone put food on the table. “This is not a salaried job. Some days I make Rs 800, other days I make Rs 1,500; out of which 30 per cent goes to the contractor who hired me,” informed Shafqat, a porter at the Karachi Railway Station, also known as Cantt Station. On average Shafqat makes somewhere around Rs 34,000 per month, which hardly covers his bills. “With th...