Afghanistan Peace CampaignThis comes as the National Workers’ Union of Afghanistan announced yesterday that nearly 1.5 million workers are currently unemployed in the country.
Today (Thursday), May 1st, marks International Workers’ Day.
At a ceremony held in Kabul to mark the occasion, officials from the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs announced that efforts are underway to send some Afghan workers abroad.
Mohammad Zahid Ahmadzai, deputy minister for labor affairs, stated that a department has been established to handle workers’ complaints in order to address their challenges and ensure their rights.
He said: “The Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs has created a department to handle workers’ complaints so that all concerns can be addressed. No one has the right to mistreat workers.”
Abdul Matin Molawezada, acting head of the National Workers’ Union of Afghanistan, said: “Officials and employers must ensure decent jobs, fair wages, and adequate livelihoods for workers. Society must treat them with dignity and respect and provide them with support.”
At the same event, Tite Habiyakare is a Senior Statistician at the International Labour Organization (ILO), said that due to economic hardship, one in every five children in Afghanistan is forced into hard labor.
He said: “They are half of the society, and without their participation, there can be no true progress nor sustainable development and no meaning for future for any nation.”
Safiullah, a laborer, commented: “Although our work is relatively easy and mostly machine-operated, there are workers engaged in extremely difficult and exhausting labor. We urge their employers to provide them with more support and facilities.”
This comes as the National Workers’ Union of Afghanistan announced yesterday that nearly 1.5 million workers are currently unemployed in the country.