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SULAIMANI, Kurdistan Region — A Kurdistan Region syndicate is sounding the alarm on a fatal lack of protections for workers.
Kawan Osman, 20, tragically died on Sunday while constructing a pool in Halabja.
“It was 9:30 am when we were installing steel frames to construct a pool in Halabja. The frames fell, hitting the left side of his head. He died because of this,” said Mohammed Karwan, a friend and coworker of the deceased. “He did not die immediately, but by the time he got to the hospital, he was already dead.”
On Monday, Hazhar Ibrahim, 22, died after receiving a massive electric shock on the job.
Sulaimani’s workers’ syndicate says employers do not prioritize the safety of the workers.
“It is clear that there was no helmet at the project. This is one of the problems. Sadly, the project owners do not abide by the guidelines,” said Osman Zindani, the head of Sulaimani workers’ syndicate. “I would like to call on the Sulaimani’s public prosecution not to ignore these incidents, even if the owners reached an agreement with the victims’ families. This is a public right.”
According to Zindani, 26 workers have lost their lives in the Kurdistan Region since the end of 2019.
According to Iraq's Labor Code of 1987, Act no. 71, an employer has to ensure safe conditions at the workplace and to take sufficient safety measures designed to protect the worker on the job.
"If the injury has resulted in the worker's total incapacity or death, it shall be 100 percent of the worker's daily or monthly wages over the period of one year," the act says.
Hangaw Abdullah, head of the Kurdistan Workers Syndicate, told Rudaw English on Tuesday "If the employers do not compensate the family of the victim, they can file a lawsuit at the court and ask for compensation."
With reporting by Horvan Rafaat
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