In the doldrums: Heirs of Buner mine workers yet to receive compensation

Case registered with Workers Welfare Board has been ‘largely ignored’.

PESHAWAR:

Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) MPA Mufti Abdul Ghafoor has demanded an explanation over why heirs of mine workers who have lost their lives in marble mines in Buner district have not been compensated.

Speaking in the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Assembly on Wednesday, Ghafoor said the families of mine workers who have died in the line of duty have been facing enormous challenges. However, the provincial government has yet to provide them with adequate compensation, he added.



According to an official statement made by the representatives of the labour department at the assembly session, nearly 24 mine workers lost their lives and three others were critically injured in marble mines in Buner district between 2010 and 2014. Representatives told the house that a case registered with the Workers Welfare Board to provide financial assistance to heirs of deceased miners has been largely ignored.

Wheel of misfortune

Speaking to The Express Tribune, Ghafoor said mine workers put their lives at risk to work in the marble mines for a minimal wage of Rs9,000 per month.

“This is a paltry sum as the K-P government fixed the minimum wages of workers at Rs12,000 in its last budget,” the JUI-F MPA added.

Moreover, mine workers in Buner have do not have access to medical facilities.

“There is no hospital in the area and ambulances are not available to facilitate miners if they are injured by stone-crushing machines or boulders,” Ghafoor said.

According to the MPA, Rs5 billion is allocated every year for the upkeep of marble mines, but no efforts are made to cater to the needs of mine workers.

Speaking to The Express Tribune, Minister for Mines and Minerals Ziaullah Afridi maintained the labour department is responsible for providing financial assistance to mine workers. “Companies who have leased the mines should look into the matter,” he added.

Buner has a large number of marble mines. Over 7,000 miners work in 79 marble mines in the district.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 13^th, 2014.