Press Release Dialogue on Mines Worker Rights

 

SWABI, Dec 18: Speakers in a dialogue programme here Sunday said that
the illiterate nature of the mine workers has resulted in their
failure to know their job  related risks like  pollution, disabilities
and deaths) while the owners/contractors tactfully exploited the
feeble monitoring policies and weak mechanism to put them on track.

In the last 10-day it was the third dialogue programme on mine
workers,  organized by Citizen Rights and sustainable Development
(CRSD) with collaboration of Actionaid Pakistan. The main objective of
the organizer s was that to educate the minors about their rights,
enabling them to work for their rights in a peaceful way. They said at
the same they also want to strengthen the monitoring system of the
government and working for a formula under which the registration of
the workers become possible.

In the district a number of people have been working in mines and they
did not know that what would be their rights if they face a fateful
incident.  The workers who turned disabled alleged that their
treatment was not conducted by the contractors and after their
disability they were left high and dry, leading to becoming burden
over their weak families.

The main speakers were:  CRSD director, Zar Ali Afridi, Shafeeq Ur
Rehman Coordinator, social workers; Muhammad Ashfaq, Liaqat Yousafzai,
Muhammad Rafiq of Pakistan Workers Confederation, Waqas Ahmad, Mines
Inspector. Community Development Organization chairman, Sher Rehman,
Mines Worker Union leader Sher Bacha, Miner workers, Umat Shah, Sher
Jang and handicapped Mianjee, Saeedul Abrar, Syed Nabi Shah Asghar.

They said that the contractors and owners of the mines did not adopt
proper safety measures to safeguard the poor workers who live in the
areas which lack basic facilities of living. They said due to lack of
safety, low paid wages, no proper payment for overtime and working
hours, none provision of social security and old age pension, no,
death compensation and none existing of the workers welfare fund had
already pushed them into the shadows of poverty.

They unanimously demanded that all those who died during work must be
given death grants by the owners. They said the children of the
handicapped workers should receive free proper education, enabling
their families to earn their livelihood with dignity and honour.
However, they expressed unhappiness over none availability of these
facilities.

 They said those workers who got the nominal assistances and so far
the labour laws are concerned that were neither enforced nor monitored
by the government agencies who just made tale claimed, backing the
affluent mine contractors and owners.

Speaking on the occasion the mines inspector said that owing to some
problems in the area they can not register the mines workers because
most the leaseholders have contacted with third party. He admitted
that contractors are reluctant to register them with the mine
department and that led to the prevailing situation because without
registration how can it possible for the workers to get benefits under
the relevant laws.

 However, he said that the government devised plans to bring the mine
workers of the district at par with other labours of the country.


Muhammad Idrees Kamal
0300-5862104

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