Pakistan coal mine workers: left behind in the fight against climate change

Published on May 21, 2020

Bettercoal’s purpose is to build a more responsible global coal supply chain. But with climate change being the main priority, it is becoming increasingly challenging to engage stakeholders around the issues of workers’ rights and improving Health and Safety practices in coal mining.

Bettercoal has leveraged the power of the buyer to hold actors in the supply chain accountable, but our biggest challenge today is how to effect change in countries where coal is produced domestically and bought by local buyers who show no interest in the ESG performance of producers. This is the case of Pakistan, where an average of 200 miners die and more than 250 are injured every year in coal mining work-related accidents.

In this thought piece, Bettercoal dives into the current situation following an interview with the Pakistan Central Mines Labour Federation (PCMLF) to better understand the challenges workers are facing and what the international community could do to help.

Read the full article here.