KARAK: Labour union leaders on Wednesday demanded payment of compensation to heirs of the workers who lost their lives in the salt mines of Karak district, and threatened to launch a protest campaign if their demand was not met.

The demand was made by labour union`s district president Naveed Khattak and general secretary Taj Mohammad while addressing a meeting at Lakhani area, where miners also observed a strike for some time in favour of their demands.

They said a labourer had died and another injured in the Lakhani salt mine but no compensatory had been paid to the victims` families.

They said same incidents had occurred in Bahaderkhel and Narri Panos salt mines, but the family members of the victims had been awaiting compensation.

They complained that no safety equipments were being provided to labourers by the mine owners, which was a violation of the relevant laws. They demanded that labourers should be provided all basic facilities guaranteed to them by the constitution.

Meanwhile, the local chapter of class-IV employees` association has demanded increments on attaining higher qualification. The demand was made by the association`s district president Zahid Iqbal while addressing a meeting on Wednesday.

He said hundreds of class-IV employees had attained higher qualification up to bachelor and masters levels, but they had not been given a single increment. They lamented that the government had failed to devise a service structure for the class-IV workers. He demanded that the worl(ers` timings should be defined as the primary schools chowkidars were made to perform duties even after the school.Correspondent