Inferno in garment factory in Karachi

Abstract

OPINION□ SAFETYSTANDARDSININDUSTRY Inferno in garment factory in Karachi The inferno has caused a great tragedyto the familiesofthe deceased and injuredworkers The Karachi resulted devastating and in the a leather fires deaths in factory a of garment more inLahore factory than have 322 in Karachi and a leather factory inLahorehave resultedin the deaths of more than 322 workers, including womenand injuries to many workers.The infernoshave caused a great tragedyto the familiesof the deceased and injured workers. Thesetragic incidents haveonce againexposedtheabsenceofobservance ofsafety & healthlaws and thenon-implementation of otherlabourlaws bythegovernment regulatory bodies. It allowsthecontinuous exploitation of theworkers bytheunscrupulous employers. Had there beenadequatearrangements for fire fighting and exitsfortheworkers in case ofemergency, andsafety precautions against fire, thesetragedies couldhavebeenaverted. Thesetragedies also exposedthefactthatthe majority of workers in thesefactories were not coveredbymandatory labourlaws,old age benefits , orsocialsecurity. Theworkers arenotonly compelledto perform hazardousworkwithout safety measuresand humanworking conditions, buttheyarealso keptdeprived from their lawful rights. Theyevenfind that their fundamental trade unionrights are curbedso thattheycould not havetheir collective voicetodefend andpromote thesame. The Government of Pakistanhas ratified ILO Convention81, which imposed international obligationsupon the Government to enforce labour laws, includingsafetyand healthlaws through independent labourinspection machinery . Unfortunately, the previous Provincial Governments ofPunjabandSindh suspended that machinery in order to allow the employers' unchecked exploitation oftheworkers bydenyingthemtheenforcement ofthesocialsecurity, old age benefits schemesand safety and health laws.Through theconcerted efforts oftheworkingclassofPakistan , theProvincial Government ofPunjabhasnowrevived thismachinery. However, many factories arelocatedinresidentialareascausing danger totheworkers as wellas theresidents ofthelocality, as happenedincase offactories at Kharak, Multan Road,Lahoreand theleather factory at BundRoad,Lahore.Similar situations prevailin thelargest industrial cityof Pakistan (i.e. Karachi) wherethisinferno ina garment factory hastakenplace. The working classofPakistan and all patriotic forceshave condemnedthisstateof affairs and demandedthattheGovernment shouldfulfil its constitutional obligations to enforcesafety and health andother labour lawsthrough independent labourinspection machinery in accordance with theprinciples laid down in ILO Convention 81. The Conventionhas been ratifiedby the Government ofPakistan andthey areobligated to equip the labour inspectorate with technical knowhow toenforce labourlawsso as toprevent tragic accidents and occupational diseasesofthe workers. Effective labourinspection shouldcarry out a comprehensive campaign to createawarenesson safety and healthlawsand implementaKHURSHID AHMAD is General Secretary of the Pakistan Workers Confederation INTERNATIONAL union rights Page 22Volume 19Issue 32012 tionofother labourlawsintheinterest ofpromotionofsafety and health oftheworkers at work place.Thesestepscanhelpwith theprevention of occupational diseasesand to stopfataland nonfatal accidents attheworkplace. TheSocialSecurity System shouldnotonlyprovideadequatemedicalassistance to theworkers for maintaining their health, butalso provide professional educationand training facilities to the Government,Employers and Trade Union Representatives through awarenessactivities, so that, suchaccidents and occupational diseasesof theworkers could be prevented. The outdated labourlawsshouldalso be brought inconformity with ILOConventions ratified bytheGovernment ofPakistan. The Factories Actof 1934imposesa penalty uponan employer of500rupees(Section 25) incasehe/she fails toobservesafety & health lawsandprovide training to theworkers forfire fighting. The workers employedin theinformal sector, andwho constitute almost70 percentof theworkforce,shouldbe fully coveredunder labourandsafety andhealth laws. Those industries thathave more hazardous nature ofworkshouldbe heavily penalisedas a deterrent to impressupon the employersto ensuresafety and healthoftheworkers atwork place. The dangerouschemicalsused in those industries shouldalso be fully labelledand kept atsafer workplaceso that itmight notcatchfire. The hazardous nature ofworkbeingcarried out inmines, coal mines, engineering, chemical, textileindustries as wellas electricity and transport shouldbe especially coveredforimproving their safety needsagainst accidents byproviding them safetyequipmentand training and education against hazardous andoccupational diseases.The largest labourforce employed inthetextile sector including female workers often becomevictim of occupational diseasesincluding lungs,therefore, specialefforts arerequired tobe madetoensure themsaferworkplace. The Government should alsotakeinitiative todevelopresearch capacity to investigate thecauses of accidentsand occupational diseasesso that information andknowledge on thesubject couldbe fully disseminated among theGovernment, Employers and Workers representatives as wellas atgrassrootslevel. The tradeunionsare also requiredto spend morefundsforcreation of awarenesson safety andhealth andeducation andtraining totrain the trainers on safety and health.A survey in many industries has established thatwheresafety and health lawsareobserved, their productivity is far better thanthoseindustries thatlackthisrequirement .The Government both at Federal and Provincial leveltakea lessonfrom theaboveaccidentsand joinhandswiththetradeunionsand employers to ensuresafeworking conditions to theworkers in conformity withILO Conventions 81 and 155.The tradeunionmovement pledges to carry outconcerted struggle against thismenace ofaccidents andoccupational diseasesofthe workers atworkplaceunlessthosearefully eliminatedfrom thefacet oftheindustry. Corporate-controlled monitoring once again fails toprevent worker deaths by the International Labor Rights Forum On 11thof September 2012 nearly 300 workers were killedwhen firerippedthrough the Ali Enterprises jeansfactory inKarachi, Pakistan. The factory madejeansformajor western brands, and yetwas notequippedwithfire-safety equipment. Itwasnotlegally registered with thePakistan government andhadfailed toprovide themajority of workers withemployment contracts...