I have worked my entire life in the mines, and what do I have in return? Nothing,” laments Sarangzaib, a 54-year-old coal miner who has been working in Sharag Harnai coal mines since 2000. “I'd never want my children to follow in my footsteps."

Father to three boys and five girls, Sarangzaib shared a troubling tale. With a monthly income capped at 40,000 rupees and no guaranteed source of earning for the next two months, the burden of worry weighs heavily on his shoulders. “Labourers are said to be the backbone of the country, but what facilities do the labourers have to meet their basic needs?” he questioned. With a tone of pessimism, he said that claims are made, and laws are passed but nothing happens here.

"When it comes to our health, we're on our own,” said the miner. “The company offers no support if we fall ill.” He emphasised that the contractor system (known as thekadari) shows no regard for workers. “There are no ambulances or doctors on site," he said, before disappearing into an underground tunnel in the darkness of night. It is Ramazan, so the mining work starts after Iftar at sunset.

Haji Muhammad Ali Changezi hails from Mach and is involved in the mining sector. "My family has been involved in coal mining for five generations. We have our own coal mines as well as our labourers," he said. "The difficulties of workers regarding compensation are very high. Most of them are Afghan refugees who do not have identity cards," he explained. "In such a case, when an accident happens, they do not get financial compensation. In case of an accident, in principle, the contractor has to pay the worker's wages until he recovers, along with medical treatment, but contractors do not comply," he added.

In the southwestern province of Pakistan, the coal mining industry is mired in issues despite its significant worth and contribution to the energy sector. On March 20, 2024, a tragic incident took place at a privately owned mine in the Zardalo area of Harnai district, situated in the mining area of Khost. A blast in the mine was reported to have claimed 12 lives and occurred due to a methane gas explosion. The explosion resulted in workers being trapped roughly 240 metres (800 feet) below ground. The incident sparked a wave of anger and fear among the coalminers. Protests and demonstrations were also held in this regard.

President of the All Pakistan Labour Federation Lala Sultan contends that the blast was not caused by a methane gas explosion but rather by explosives. He explains that in the rush to extract more coal, excessive use of explosives leads to such tragic incidents. Exploitation here is seen at its fullest as miners are veritably sent to their deaths without provisions of any proper safeguard against the dangers of working underground.

Changezi pointed out the lack of safety measures and facilities for mine workers. “Coal mine workers go down to 3,000 feet inside a mine which is quite dangerous. Many dangerous gases accumulate and cause explosions or a mine collapse. Sometimes the rope of a trolley breaks and the trolley falls on the workers,” he said, sharing some of the routine dangers that coal mine workers face.

Labour Federation’s Sultan refers to the era when robust trade and labour unions played a significant role in national politics. "The influence of the left wing was once deeply felt in national politics. However, with the rise of counter-revolutionary or anti-revolutionary factions, discussions surrounding workers' rights began to fade." Sultan further suggested that non-governmental organisations (NGOs) have consistently been exploited to undermine the strength of labour unions, which have been involved in getting funds.

Similarly, the International Labor Organization plays no constructive role in this regard. Sultan also questioned the role of government-led initiatives like the Benazir Income Support Program (BISP) and departments like social welfare. “There are around 20,000 families which are bound in the shackles of child labour, if 1/4th of the BISP budget is spent on the social security of these families, it would be enough for them,” said Sultan.

There is no cohesive will to change or address the situation. “Even the definition of child labour is in contradiction according to different organisations: some say [the age limit] is 15, some say it's 14 and so on,” he said.

According to him, 300 deaths occur in the coal mines in Pakistan and almost 3,000 workers suffer from disabilities. “Mechanisms and laws exist about coal miners’ safety, precautions and compensation and so on but questions arise when it comes to their implementation.”

The Labour Federation president pointed out the corruption of mine inspectors and other officials saying that influential people get to implement their will and no other regulations are imposed, while checks and balance are absent. Illegal mines, he added, are also a major problem in Balochistan.

What are the real numbers?

Peer Muhammad Kakar, general secretary of the Pakistan Workers Federation (PWF), said that coal mining happens in five or six districts of Balochistan, including the Mach area of Kachi (Bolan) district, Harnai, Quetta, Loralai, and Duki. “As per our data, there are almost 150,000 to 200,000 coal mine workers in Balochistan, including surface and underground workers,” he said.

Kakar highlighted that as per an ILO survey, 180 coal miners died in accidents and some 250 were injured in Balochistan’s mines. On the other hand, government data suggests that the yearly number of accident-related deaths in mines is around 80 to 120. “As a workers’ federation, we believe that 200 people die in these accidents and almost 250 to 300 get seriously injured.”

Another important issue he raised was that the workers are not within the parameters of the social safety net. “For instance, there is the Employees Old Age Benefit Institute (EOBI) which has been working since 1976 but only 8,000 people are registered with it. There should be much more, around a few lacs.”

“It is really hard to register in EOBI,” miner Sarangzaib shared, “therefore we don’t get any funds.” He holds the companies responsible for the plight of the coalminers and the provision of basic facilities for workers like himself.

No safety measures or training

Kakar stressed the crucial need for training for mine workers. Without proper training, the workers become more vulnerable to accidents, according to Kakar. “There should be at least two, three weeks of training before sending the mine workers underground or for surface work,” he said. He shared the incident of a young boy from Mach who was an intermediate student. He went to work in the coal mine to earn enough to pay his fee. However, he died on the first day of his job. According to Kakar, this tragedy could have been avoided had the boy received some training before entering a veritable death trap.

Kakar also sees the thekadari system as the cause of a lot of issues regarding the workers’ health and safety. Small contractors do not have suitable machinery or proper equipment, nor are the workers trained to carry out sensitive tasks like explosions. All they are engaged with is extracting more and more coal. “Before big companies like Habibullah, United Mining, and even PMDC began operations, they had the proper equipment, but these small contractors don’t have anything,” he said.

Amjid Siddiqui owns two coal mines in Marwar and Sorenj, on the outskirts of the provincial capital of Quetta. He said that training is a must for his workers. “Nobody works without basic training, we don’t send anyone underground on the first day,” he said. However, he agreed that there is a yawning gap that needs to be filled by the authorities. “Indeed, formal training doesn’t exist,” he said, adding that the provincial labour department should initiate a six-month formal training program with certifications as this would be beneficial for all stakeholders.

Laws and regulations

Mohammad Atif, senior inspector of mines in Quetta said, "Our responsibility is to ensure the implementation of safety and security measures in coal mines or surface mines. We have to see that the mines here are governed by the Coal Mines Regulation Act, of 1926. We conduct regular inspections and issue violation letters," he said.

He said that if not implemented, court action is taken under Sections 39 and 40 of the Mines Act. "Most of Balochistan's mines are not reported. However, we collect data on the mines and we have the complete record of how many workers are there in these mines," Atif said. “There is also a significant number of elderly people working in the mine.

Our labour check-up instructions are very clear," he said.

As per the Mines Act, the mine roofing inside should be of Kiker wood, as it was during the British Era but nowadays the mine owners opt for cheap material. This increases the threat of potential accidents. “The Kiker wood which is compulsory in the Mines Act doesn’t consider the current circumstances about the availability of such materials and their costs, the law is obsolete,” he said. Siddiqui suggests further progressive laws as per the current circumstances, considering all the dimensions with an approach toward the adoption of the latest technology.

PWF’s Kakar stressed that there should also be legislation on the limitations of the depth of mines, as it is problematic that the depth has gone from 3,000 ft to 6,000 ft. deep.

Kakar pointed out that kidnapping for ransom is an issue in the mines, saying, “Since the mine owners live in the major cities far from the mines, certain groups target their workers for ransom.” He quoted two such incidents. One was on December 9, 2023, when two Hazara workers were abducted from Mach and released after 40 days. Recently, on March 22 2024, seven workers were abducted from Duki, Akbar Nasir Coal Mining Company, and asked the company to pay the ransom.

On March 23, three coal miners were kidnapped by armed men from the Duki coal field area. They have yet to be recovered. The concerned authorities said on March 26 that security forces, including the Frontier Corps (FC) and levies force, have launched a search operation in Duki and its nearby areas to trace the whereabouts of the abducted miners.

Kakar said that a normal healthy person can only work for 15 years underground in a mine because after that he starts to suffer from certain diseases like TB, and hepatitis. He also underscored that the coal mine workers have numerous issues from residence issues to proper healthcare and no such facilities.

Occupational diseases

Dr Maqbool Ahmed Langove from Fatima Jinnah TB Hospital Quetta said that the disease of coal mine workers (Coal Worker Pneumoconiosis) develops due to dust and other particles, due to which lungs get affected, also resulting in coughing and breathing problems.

“There can be other diseases like silicosis due to inflammation in lungs due to silica particles while working in mines,” he said adding that, due to particles there also can be allergies, asthma, hypersensitivity pneumonitis, and even mesothelioma cancer. Dr Maqbool believes that precautionary measures should be taken in the mines and the safety of the workers needs to be ensured. Similarly, if the roads are blocked due to rain, they are forced to drink rainwater, which spreads diseases," he said. "Around 100-150 labourers fell victim to various diseases including diarrhea due to drinking dirty water due to recent rains and floods," he said.

Mine owners reiterate the need for governmental aid in extending safety provisions to the workers. “There are basic first-aid facilities available in my mine but I haven’t seen an ambulance in any mine,” Siddiqui said. Meanwhile, Changezi held the Labor Welfare Board responsible for establishing a dispensary, but even where there is a dispensary, it does not carry medicines.

In addition to workers’ health, security issues deserve immediate attention. "FC has set up check-posts for security which is keeping people safe to some extent but the government has to make better arrangements," he further said. "Many contractors do not register labourers which is highly inappropriate. There are three departments linked to coal mines whose work is the welfare of this sector," he said.

Workers’ rights

About refugee workers, he mentioned that the number of refugee workers is huge in different coal mines in different areas but the issue is since they do not hold any documentation, they are not compensated in case of accidents. “Employers, mine owners, the government, and the province get benefits and profit over the labour of refugees but in return, there is no compensation for them in case of any incident.”

In a reply to a question regarding child labour, Siddiqui mentioned that mine work is a hard job to do, and children cannot work there. However, in some coal depots, child workers are doing small jobs like picking up coal for loading.

“Funds coming to the Mines Department are not being used for the welfare of coal mine workers," said Habib Tahir Vice Chairman HRCP. He said that labour insurance registration is also very low. "While we believe that around 200,000 labourers are working in coal mines in Balochistan who are not able to benefit from EOBI like death insurance, or pension etc," he added. "Mine owners run the mines through contractors and the contractors do not use proper equipment and ignore safety measures to save a few bucks. If good quality wood is to be used they use normal quality wood instead," he further said.

Fateh Shah Arif, secretary general of the Pakistan Mines and Minerals Association, is also a mine owner and acknowledged the seriousness of the issues that mine owners face. “Especially if we consider Balochistan, the biggest issue is the law and order situation,” he said. “Unless mine owners have safe access to the mines, it is not possible to do other things. Only then can laws be enforced.”

"The mines sector should be declared an industry at the official level so that it can also get benefits from financial institutions," Arif said. "Financial support should be given to develop the mineral areas and to grow the industry. He said that it is the responsibility of the government institutions to work for the welfare of the mine workers with the funds they receive.

"Like Workers Welfare Board schools or Education Department schools. Regularly our contribution goes there but unfortunately, the people on the ground do not execute," he said.

Mohammad Zafar Baloch is a freelance journalist based in Quetta
All facts and information are the sole responsibility of the writer