May 1: In absence of labour laws, miners exploited in FATA

As the industry lacks extraction technology, workers have to blast mines.

SHABQADAR: Although the tribal areas are one of the three largest marble producing and exporting areas in the country, they have no labour law or unions to date.

There are more than 2,000 marble mines and 500 marble factories in the tribal belt with a workforce of more than 15,000. Many of the factories are located in Safi Ambar and Khwaizai area of Mohmand Agency.

Khalid Khan, a miner in Pandiayali, said three workers died of lung cancer, while one person died in Shabqadar after contracting eye cancer by the fumes last year.

Two more people died inside the mine when a heavy marble stone fell on them, he said, adding that their families were only given Rs5,000 in financial compensation.

As the industry lacks extraction technology, miners have to blast mines which not only increases wastage, but also puts the lives of the workers at risk.

Many have died due to lung cancer, eye cancer and incidents on the job, but their families have not received pensions or gratuity.



As marble dust contains particles of calcium carbonate and silica, workers in mine sites and factories have to wear protective headgear or masks to avoid inhaling the powder. “We cover our faces with shawls, as we have no masks. This leads to many workers having lung problems, including lung cancer,” said a labourer in Ghallanai, requesting anonymity.

Many institutions like the Pakistan Stone Development Corporation (PASDIC), SMEDA and the development authority for the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata) are functioning there but they have made no rules for the welfare of these labourers, said Shakirullah.

There is no health insurance for the workers. “If a person suffers an injury, they are disabled for life.”

There are no institutions here to provide treatment for such injuries, no institute for their training, and due to the severe power shortage, many people have been sacked or are not being paid on time, he added.

When contacted, a Fata secretariat official said the only departments related to the industry are there to impose tax and ‘other benefits for themselves’.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 1^st, 2013.