The National Trade Union Federation (NTUF) has demanded urgent
improvements in the safety standards for the workers of Gadani’s shipbreaking
industry.
“Thousands of workers are forced to work as slaves in one of the worst
workplaces in Pakistan,” said NTUF deputy general secretary Nasir Manzoor and
Gadani Shipbreaking Mazdoor Union president Bashir Mehmoodani in a joint
statement on Saturday. “They face potential death threats every day because
there are no safety measures in place.”
In the last three days, 15 workers have been injured in two accidents
at Yard 107. The statement claimed that such accidents have been growing in
frequency but there were still no emergency treatment facilities for the more
than 15,000 workers at the Gadani shipbreaking yards.
The union leaders said that most of the workers had no social security
or old-age registration, no appointment letters and no right to elect a
collective bargaining agent. They added that there was no observance of the
occupational safety and health standards outlined in international labour and
shipbreaking conventions.
Manzoor and Mehmoodani also mentioned that an NTUF delegation had met
the Balochistan chief minister last year but, despite his promises to tackle
the issue, nothing had been done. They called for the arrests of the owners of
yards where accidents occur due to negligence and asked the government to
compensate injured workers and bear the costs of their treatment.
Source: The express tribune. 2
November 2014
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