The workers employed in stone quarries of El Minya, Egypt, get low
wages and work in awful conditions that are not addressed by safety
regulations. Their human rights are not protected and they don't have
health insurance.
Thousands of Egyptians including children work under unbearable
conditions in the stone quarry located in El Minya just to make ends
meet. Akhmad who is 11 years old throws scabbled stones in a stone
crusher. The stone will be turned into powder for cement production and
used as an additive in dyes and pharmaceuticals.
The work is considered to be dangerous and low-paid. The workers get 20
to 30 Egyptian pounds or 3 to 5 US dollars a day. However, their income
salary isn't stable and depends on the demand. Cleaners, security
officers and low-level managers get a similar income. Nevertheless, the
workers run higher professional risks such as tolerated traumas and
irregular employment. The available alternatives are represented by
farming and fishing allowing to get 12 Egyptian pounds per day depending
on the season.
It's not even the regular violation of the workers' rights that
constitutes a problem but the long-term and destructive influence on
their health. Processing and lifting stone blocks lead to
inter-vertebral disc displacement and back problems.
Asthma, respiratory and pulmonary diseases are developed because of
dust. A number of those people who lost their health while working in
stone quarries can't be estimated by statistical data... However,
chronic diseases are widely spread among the workers.
The highest percentage of injuries results from accidents and can be
caused by electric current or stone cutting with daily fatalities and
non-fatal severe traumas occurring at 172 registered and 220
unregistered regional opencast mines.
The saw of the stone crusher can maim anyone nearby.
Hard labor undermines the workers' health. The majority of them will
not be able to work when they turn 40. A working shift lasts 9 to 10
hours. In summer they work from 4 a.m. till noon when the heat gets
unbearable. A number of working days per week depends on the demand and
varies from 4 to 6.
Those who work in stone quarries don't have a right for state health
insurance. They belong to the informal employment sector. Nowadays the
workers are not able to pay to the insurance company to purchase a
health insurance plan. Mubarak's government was trying to introduce some
changes into the system.
In spite of the fact that child labor is illegal, the families that are
short of money keep sending their children to stone quarries instead of
schools. Extensive amendments to Egypt's Child Law in June 2008
included establishing the minimum age of employment at 15. Children of
13 are permitted to be employed in seasonal work that doesn't threaten
their health, growth, or school attendance. However, in some cases
children under 7 still participate in such work. Wadi El-Nil Association
protects the rights of those children who work in quarries.
Wadi El-Nil Association promotes the issues in protective clothing and
supplies the mothers of the kids engaged in quarry work with
micro-credit lines and professional development opportunities giving
them a chance to increase their income in future.
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