Conference on mining labour rights held under auspices of CRSD

Speakers at a conference on mining Labour rights have stressed for making mandatory filling of forms from miners and marble labours working with different leasing companies for their life safety. The conference held under auspices of Citizen Rights and Sustainable Development (CRSD) in collaboration with Action Aid Pakistan here at a local hotel on Thursday.
Notable speakers were included Deputy Secretary, Mine & Mineral Department, Irfan ullah Khan, Idress Kamal CRSD, Imdad Khan and Abdus Salam Advocates, Luqmanuddin Khattak, People Labour Bureau, Mohammad Rafique, representative of Pakistan Workers Federation (PWF), Ejaz Durrani, member CSO, and Mushtaq of Muttahida Labour Federation (MLF), Mustajab Mazdoor Yar, Wapda Hydro Union Peshawar.
Speakers said that most of the miners' were unaware about the labour rights because of lack of education. Around 99 percent labours working in marble factories and mines were illiterate, who having no information about procedure of Employment Old-age Benefit Institution (EOBI) for employees' social security. They emphasised that the mining and marble labour force should be exempted from registration in Employment Old-age Benefit Institution (EOBI).
The speakers informed that the workers welfare board had extended facility of death grant and dowry along with other benefits for registered workers with Employees Social Security (ESS) and EOBI. But, he added the labours working in mines and marble factories aren't registered with them.
Abdus-Salam and Imdad advocates had highlighted the problems were faced by the labours in District Buner, and said the workers had no co-ordination with each other of the different districts. He further added that they were deliberately kept in dark, so that they could not demand for their rights.
They informed that the mine inspectors were bound to create awareness among the labours about their rights and get form filled from them in order to provide all facilities to them in case any unpleasant incident occurred including death. The mine inspectors, they maintained that instead of performing their duties in a fitting manner to support workers, benefit the lease-holders, adding that mine department despite knowing the labours' problems was least bothered to solve it. "The mine department and its deputed inspectors always benefited lease holder, he added.
Referring working hours, Imdad advocate said, the working at late night shift was totally illegal, but the leaseholders forcibly running the shift. He added the practice was causing number of labour serious casualties. He informed that more than 600 labours were injured and 70 lost their lives, saying that WWB had extended death grant or other benefit to the heirs of deceased workers.
The speakers alleged that the lease-holders threaten them for dire consequences and made fake claims of loans taken by the labours (Deaths) aimed at compelling their children for working in the mines. He said even technical training to the labours were not imparted how to blast and work adding there were no tools and helmets etc were provided them by the leaseholders, while the mine inspectors did not take action in this regard. The leaseholders even don't provide even clean water to the workers.
Rafique on the occasion said it was responsibility of the mine inspectors to create awareness among the labours about their rights saying the mine labours and working factories were given as industry status but despite this, privileges of WWB were not provided them.