- Monday, 11 December 2017 12:43
NCRI Staff
NCRI - Due to using non-standard and outdated safety equipments,
there are currently extremely harsh working conditions in Iran’s coal
mines, threatening lives of thousands of the country’s coal miners.
“Lives of 13,000 coal miners are in danger”, says head of Iran’s Coalmine Community.
Acknowledging that governments all over the world routinely promote
coal mines’ safety standards, he confesses that this has been neglected
in Iran, threatening lives of 13,000 coal miners.
Mohammad Mojtahedzadeh points to shortcomings in coal mines’ safety
measures, saying “we’re still unfamiliar with mining safety standards.”
According to Mojtahedzadeh, since starting operation in 1966, Iran’s
coal mines are still being operated using an outdated Russian
technology, with no changes being made ever since (State-run ILNA news
agency, December 4, 2017).
It’s been many years now that Iran has been ranked among the world’s worst countries with regard to workplace accidents.
As acknowledged by Alireza Mahjoub, regime’s MP and General Secretary
of Worker House, “with regard to workplace accidents, Iran is ranked
second or third in the world, which is quite worrying.” (State-run
IranOnline website, April 29, 2017)
Its’ obvious that the main cause of workplace accidents is regime
officials’ inaction and their ignorance towards workers’ health and
safety in factories and industrial units, including coal mines, as
exploiting workers is the only thing that matters for regime officials.
The main cause of work accidents in factories, and coal mines in
particular, is using non-standard safety equipments, so much so that no
equipment or workforce safety standards are met.
This has led to a point where fatal workplace incidents are awaiting
workers any moment. The disastrous explosions in Yurt coalmine as well
as Boyer-Ahmad Steel Plant are just a few instances in this regard.
Safety status in Minudasht coalmine was so critical that Golestan’s
provincial officials had to close it following miners’ protest.
Coalmines in Ramyan and Azadshahr were also shut down due to the same
reason.
While coal miners are constantly subject to workplace accidents and
following the heart-wrenching disasters in Iran’s coalmines, the
mullahs’ regime denies any shortcomings and even faults the miners.
Regarding the accident in Gloestan province’s Yurt coalmine, regime
officials flagrantly put the blame on miners, so that regime’s governor
in Golestan announced that “the negligence of a repairer” has caused the
explosion in the coalmine.” (State-run Mehr news agency, May 3, 2017)
Regime’s Labor Minister ‘Rabiei’ has also pointed the finger at
miners, saying “apparently the coal-carrying locomotive broke down while
working 700 meters below ground and the explosion occurred after a
battery to battery charger was used to start the locomotive.” (State-run
Shargh newspaper, May 3, 2017)
This is while the extremely harsh working conditions make such
incidents inevitable in mines that are non-standard and lack any modern
equipment.
Despite all these problems and miseries hurting coalminers and in
addition to the fact that they’re exploited in the most brutal way by
regime officials, they have to work even in two shifts deep below
ground. In many cases, miners are forced to work in10-hour shifts, 4
hours more than legally allowed.
Nonetheless, Iranian miners have to work under the most inhumane
working conditions imposed on them, only to be paid a meager monthly
wage of $150-$200 or $250 at most, which is one fourth of the country’s
poverty line. This is one tenth of that paid in many other countries,
developed ones in particular. Yet, exploiting miners reaches its peak
when we note that they have to work under one-year, six-month, and even
three-month contracts, and there are even employers that basically don’t
offer any employment contract to poor miners.
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