Compensation for workers’ kin sought

KABUL (Pajhwok): More than a thousand people on Thursday marked International Labour Day, demanding compensation for the workers who lost their lives in the line of duty.

People with disabilities also participated in the event, arranged by the National Union of Afghanistan in Kabul.

A participant of the gathering, Sohaila, told Pajhwok Afghan News unemployment had caused Afghan youth to seek refuge in drugs and other illegal activities.

She called insecurity the main reason for joblessness among youth, asking the government and the private sector to provide employment opportunities for the Afghans.

NUAW Director Maroof Qadiri called disregard for merit in government offices the main cause of joblessness, saying more than a million jobless youth were addicted to drugs.

Qadiri blamed the Karzai administration, saying: “Over the past 13 years, the government has failed to set up industrial units to help Afghans find jobs.”

More than one million children engaged in hard labour were deprived of their right to education, he said, asking the incoming president to focus on the welfare of people with disabilities.

According to Qadiri, more than 150,000 foreigners were doing different jobs in Afghanistan while thousands of locals suffered from unemployment.

About recent deaths of coalmine workers in Samangan and, he said: “In accordance with the Islamic law, we want the family of each worker killed in the line of duty to be compensated with 100 camels.”

A day earlier, at least 17 workers were killed in the Samangan coalmine blast. Another 23 miners had lost their lives in the same province last year.

Six workers of a road construction company were killed by unidentified gunmen in Helmand and 10 others lost their lives in similar incidents in other parts of the country.

Qadiri warned workers would hold protests and go on hunger strike if the government failed to recognise their rights.

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