ERBIL, Kurdistan Region — Two workers died on Wednesday as groups in the Kurdistan Region and Iraq demanded health and life insurance in order to incentivize domestic labor.
"At 10 a.m., a 25-year-old died when an old wall fell on top of him while working with his father," Koya Police Chief Amed Ali told Rudaw.
The other incident happened in Takya town in Chamchamal when a 60-year-old man died while working, according to Ayub Hama, the deputy head of the local health department.
May 1 was International Workers Day.
Red banners read: "No for class distinction" and "The KRG [Kurdistan Regional Government] must provide all the workers’ rights by law."
Lack of insurance and a growing number of foreign workers topped their slogans.
"At 10 a.m., a 25-year-old died when an old wall fell on top of him while working with his father," Koya Police Chief Amed Ali told Rudaw.
The other incident happened in Takya town in Chamchamal when a 60-year-old man died while working, according to Ayub Hama, the deputy head of the local health department.
May 1 was International Workers Day.
"We see in other countries, they pay much attention to workers, but in the Kurdistan Region, it is not the case at all," said an Erbil factory worker, Diyar Sherzard. "Today is the workers day, but we work normally like any other day."
The Erbil branch of the Kurdistan Workers' Syndicate, the Communist Party of Kurdistan, the Kurdistan Toilers' Party, and the Kurdistan Democratic Movement led marches through the streets of the Kurdistan Region's capital on Wednesday.
Red banners read: "No for class distinction" and "The KRG [Kurdistan Regional Government] must provide all the workers’ rights by law."
Lack of insurance and a growing number of foreign workers topped their slogans.
"We want foreign workers to go, so more job opportunities are provided to our domestic workers," said worker Ramazan Karim during the protest.
Some want special hospitals designated for workers who would be covered under an insurance system.
"Our situation is extremely miserable," lamented Ahmed Sulaiman, another protester, “because foreign workers are flocking into the Kurdistan Region."
Baghdad also held demonstrations. The head of the Iraqi Workers Syndicate said workers' rights are "ignored and their safety is not guaranteed at the workplace."
"A few days before the workers' day, we made some field visits to a brick plant. We realized that cancer had spread among the workers there..." Waleed Niamat said.
He added that the government must address these critical issues.
"I was supposed to sit at my home today for the workers day, but I could not do that. I had to come out just to make a living for my family," said Ala Haider, a construction worker in Baghdad, while sitting waiting for a job.
According to the ministry's data, unemployment in the Kurdistan Region is approximately 11 percent.
The ministry recently placed restrictions on the flow of foreign workers coming to the Kurdistan Region of Iraq.
"Whenever our inspection teams check places [where there are foreign workers] and find out that they do not carry work licenses and have no insurance, either the employer will be tried or asked to resolve the issue," Hito added.
They estimate around 100 companies bring foreign workers into the Kurdistan Region.
According the ministry's new regulations, these companies must bring workers based on their suitability for the job or in which sector they'll be working.
The number of foreign workers in the Kurdistan Region reached 60,000 by the end of 2017, according to ministry statistics. This fell to 40,000 last year.
Some want special hospitals designated for workers who would be covered under an insurance system.
"Our situation is extremely miserable," lamented Ahmed Sulaiman, another protester, “because foreign workers are flocking into the Kurdistan Region."
Baghdad also held demonstrations. The head of the Iraqi Workers Syndicate said workers' rights are "ignored and their safety is not guaranteed at the workplace."
"A few days before the workers' day, we made some field visits to a brick plant. We realized that cancer had spread among the workers there..." Waleed Niamat said.
He added that the government must address these critical issues.
"I was supposed to sit at my home today for the workers day, but I could not do that. I had to come out just to make a living for my family," said Ala Haider, a construction worker in Baghdad, while sitting waiting for a job.
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The KRG Ministry of Labor said through a plan they established in 2015, they worked to lessen the influence of foreign workers on domestic laborers.
"If there is a domestic worker willing to do the same job as a foreign one does, we will definitely choose the domestic worker over the foreign," Arif Hito, the general manager of Social Insurance Department at the KRG Labor and Social Affairs Ministry, told Rudaw.
According to the ministry's data, unemployment in the Kurdistan Region is approximately 11 percent.
The ministry recently placed restrictions on the flow of foreign workers coming to the Kurdistan Region of Iraq.
"Whenever our inspection teams check places [where there are foreign workers] and find out that they do not carry work licenses and have no insurance, either the employer will be tried or asked to resolve the issue," Hito added.
They estimate around 100 companies bring foreign workers into the Kurdistan Region.
According the ministry's new regulations, these companies must bring workers based on their suitability for the job or in which sector they'll be working.
The number of foreign workers in the Kurdistan Region reached 60,000 by the end of 2017, according to ministry statistics. This fell to 40,000 last year.
As the economy of the Kurdistan Region shows positive indicators, more foreign workers are expected to arrive, promoting new controls.
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