who we are

The Home Based Women Workers Federation (HBWWF) is a labor organization fighting against the exploitation of women workers in Pakistan’s textile, garment and glass bangles industries. We believe in the power of organized workers to revolutionize not just their working conditions, but the entire system that profits from their hidden labor, as well as shape the society and politics for a just, equitable and sustainable future.

Our Struggle

We fight against capitalist exploitation and patriarchal oppression through:

Class Consciousness & Collective Power

  • Building unions led by and for workers
  • Developing worker education on labor exploitation and class struggle
  • Creating spaces for grass-root revolutionary feminist organizing
  • Fighting for control over our labor and working conditions

Direct Action & Solidarity

  • Organizing strikes and demonstrations against exploitation
  • Building worker power across industries and borders
  • Confronting brands and employers who profit from our labor
  • Standing in solidarity with all workers’ struggles

Revolutionary Change

  • Fighting for systemic transformation, instead of mere reforms
  • Connecting labor struggles to broader social movements
  • Building international working-class solidarity
  • Advancing toward workers’ control and economic democracy

Our Victories

Through collective struggle, we have:

  • Successfully campaigned for the historic Sindh Home Based Workers Act of 2018
  • Secured minimum wage notifications for home-based workers
  • Contributed to the Pakistan Accord for workplace safety
  • Joined global labor networks including IndustriALL Global Union
  • Developed worker education programs on wage calculation and labor rights
  • Advanced proposals for universal social security coverage

“If workers stand up for something without any division, if they struggle collectively,
they can achieve great things.”

 

Zehra Khan, General Secretary (Jamhoor, 2023)

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Rallies and Demos

We organize impactful rallies and demonstrations to demand fair labor rights, equitable wages, and improved working conditions for home-based women workers across Pakistan

f

Union Registration Support

HBWWF assists home-based workers in forming and registering unions, empowering them to collectively negotiate for their rights and benefits with employers and authorities.

Training & Advocacy Programs

Through specialized training and advocacy initiatives, we educate workers on labor laws, safety standards, and strategies to amplify their voices and drive policy changes

237

Unions Supported Across Pakistan

346+

Women Workers Trained in Advocacy

118

Campaigns Led for Workers’ Rights

544

Cases Supported with Legal Aid

Join the Struggle

The exploitation of workers will end only through organized resistance and collective action. Whether you’re a worker ready to organize or an ally committed to revolutionary change, join us in building working-class power.

    monthly events

    HBWWF, NTUF Labor Unions Rally in Karachi Against Contract Labor System and Wage Violations Karachi, Jan 19 2025

    The National Trade Union Federation Pakistan (NTUF) and the Home-Based Women Workers Federation Pakistan (HBWWF) organized a joint rally from Regal Chowk to…

    HBWWF Honors Butterfly Sisters, Demands End to Violence and Enforced Disappearances Karachi, 25 Nov 2024

    On the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, the Home-Based Women Workers Federation, Pakistan (HBWWF) organized a seminar on “Women’s resistance knows no borders….

    NTUF, HBWWF Warn of Protests as Sindh Delays Wage Implementation Karachi, 22 Sep 2024

    The National Trade Union Federation Pakistan (NTUF) and the Home-Based Women Workers Federation Pakistan (HBWWF) jointly organized a “Labor Conference” at a local auditorium, attended by a large number…..