Plight of Pakistan\'s marble workers gets worse

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Plight of Pakistans marble workers gets worse
Web posted at: 7/27/2008 1:28:56
Source ::: Internews
KARACHI " Face tense, Mohammad Saleem, 47, is toiling away at asmall marble factory unit in Qasba, Metroville Colony in Pakistanslargest city, Karachi.
He has no gloves to shield his hands and no mask to spare him fromthe hazardous dust particles he is breathing in. Saleem is pastcaring; he gets paid only for every piece he makes, and hedesperately needs every rupee he can scrounge.
When he migrated to Karachi to work in his marble unit eight ornine years ago, Saleem paid Rs90 for a 10kg bag of flour, and Rs170for a 5-kg tin of cooking oil. Nearly a decade later, he pays Rs320for the same bag of flour and Rs650 for the same tin of oil.
The prices have soared. His earnings have not. For making dishes,ashtrays, flower pots, and telephone stands, Saleem scrapestogether Rs6,000 every month