Afghanistan Workers Union demands insurance

Xinhua / January 29, 2007

Afghanistan Workers Union on Sunday called upon government and parliament to ensure their rights in the country’s constitution.

“We want to have enough salary, health insurance, life insurance, good pension and anything envisaged in the International Labor Law,” Mohammad Qasim Ahsas said at a gathering attended by more than 100 worker representatives.

Objecting the current law on work and workers, Ahsas said that the current rule on working class is biased and prepared in the absence of labors representatives.

He also called on the Wolesi Jirga or the Lower House of Afghanistan parliament not to pass the bill without consulting the workers.

Ahsas put the number of his union’s members at more than 200, 000 across the war-ravaged country saying representatives of three syndicates were attending today’s gathering.

“With 200,000 members, the National Union of Afghanistan Workers is the biggest labors syndicate in Afghanistan,” he told Xinhua.

Three more workers unions are also active in the country, he added but declined to give their names.

Afghanistan’s constitution allows social and political groups to have activities in the post-Taliban nation.

Speaking at the conference, a former Planning Minister and lawmaker Mohammad Ramazan Bashardost backed the workers demand and urged them to stage peaceful procession until the government meets their demand.

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