Pakistan Institute of Labour Education & Research (PILER) was founded on 1 May 1982 by a group of concerned individuals from the trade union movement, academia and various other professions. Prominent among the founding members included Dr. Zaki Hassan, Nabi Ahmed, Muhammad Usman Baloch, Ghulam Kibria, Omer Asghar Khan, Karamat Ali, Anita Ghulam Ali and others.
