Report by Indian research institute reveals poor
enforcement of occupational health and safety provisions
The working and living conditions at the shipbreaking
yards of Alang, India, remain alarmingly poor, argues a new study published in
the Economic & Political Weekly, an Indian Social Science journal. The
research was commissioned and financed by the National Human Rights Commission
of India (NHRC) and was coordinated by Dr. Geetanjoy Sahu from the Tata
Institute of Social Sciences (TISS). TISS’ findings are based on field work in
Alang from April 2013 to May 2014 including interviews with 300 shipbreaking
workers as well as stakeholders from the industry, trade unions and
authorities.
The study finds that the “costs to workers’ health
and the environment are alarming” while the profit margins for both the yard
owners and the contractors providing the labor force are extremely high. Dr
Sahu reports that the approximately 35,000 unorganized migrant workers at Alang
continue to live in shanty dwellings without adequate facilities for drinking
water, sanitation and electricity. The authorities have set up only 12 showers
and six toilets. As a result, “workers are forced to defecate in the open.”
Official figures accessed by TISS report at least 470
fatal accidents in the yards since they were first set up in 1983, making
shipbreaking one of the most dangerous occupations in India. Indian human
rights advocates referred to in the report estimate however that there is a far
higher number of victims, especially because the long-term consequence of
unsafe shipbreaking activities, including occupational diseases such as cancer,
and resulting deaths are not taken into consideration by the authorities. The
report refers to the National Institute of Occupational Health, which had found
out that 15 out of 94 examined workers showed signs of diseases caused by
exposure to asbestos.
“It is scandalous that no shipbreaking company has
been held responsible for the deaths and accidents at the yards,” said Patrizia
Heidegger, Executive Director of the NGO Shipbreaking Platform. “Shipbreakers
do get arrested and even charged for homicide, but the industry, in particular
the Ship Recycling Industries Association (SRIA) is, as the report points out,
well connected and has so far succeeded in avoiding being held liable for their
negligence.”
Around 100 workers are treated every day at the local
Red Cross hospital. They show a very high rate of injuries resulting from work
at the yards, and a high prevalence of occupational diseases. According to the
report, the Red Cross hospital is understaffed and lacks the necessary
facilities to treat serious injuries where lives are at stake.
“The lack of adequate healthcare facilities in Alang
is nothing new,” Heidegger said, “an Inter-Ministerial Committee has been
raising the issue since 2005 – with no result. This situation is miserable.”
A 100-bed hospital is constructed by the Employee’s
State Insurances Company for all industries employing more than 25,000 workers.
As many workers in Alang are not officially registered by the employers – only
around 16,000 currently, i.e. less than half of the workforce – the Alang
shipbreaking yards do not benefit from the scheme. There is also a lack of
educational facilities for the migrant workers’ children.
The research team found that workers are not provided
with adequate safety training and protective equipment such as masks, gloves
and boots. Workers revealed that in most cases personal protective equipment
was only distributed before audits and official visits, such as by the National
Human Rights Commission.
In addition to serious health and safety risks, the
researchers documented delays in the payments of wages, unauthorized
deductions, unpaid leave and overtime payments not in line with legal
requirements. TISS also points out the absence of an active and strong trade
union representing the interests of migrant workers. Though the Alang-Sosiya
Ship Recycling and General Workers’ Association formed in 2006 seeks to support
the workers, it is confined to individual support rather than collective
rights. Many workers shared their fear of losing their jobs if they were to
protest against their working and living conditions. What makes the situation
more difficult is that many of the local village leaders benefit from the
industry, for instance by renting out shacks to workers or selling them
drinking water. Thus, the migrant workers also find little support amongst
local leaders.
The report highlights that law enforcement by the
various central and state government agencies that are involved in the
regulatory control of the industry remains weak. The Gujarat Maritime Board
(GMB), the nodal agency, has been very permissive regarding violation of rules
and regulations by shipbreaking yards. Responsible agencies, such as the
Directorate of Industrial Safety and Health, have been found understaffed and
the Inter-Ministerial Committees reduced to symbolic meetings not taken
seriously by the Ministry of Steel (which was until recently the focal ministry
for the shipbreaking sector) “as every meeting ends in assurances by the SRIA
and implementing agencies to resolve water, sanitation, housing safety, and
hospital issues, but nothing significant has so far been done in this
direction”. Dr Sahu points out that this has to be understood in the larger
context of “lopsided development at the cost of human rights and the
environment” under the so-called ‘Gujarat model’ of development, introduced by
the current Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his tenure as the Chief
Minister of the state.
“We share the conclusion of the report arguing that
there cannot be any further delays in ensuring better working and living
conditions”, comments Heidegger. “The situation is alarming and the report is a
clear call to Indian authorities. But the report’s findings also reveal the
misleading efforts of especially SRIA when they claim that Indian shipbreaking
yards are ‘green’ recycling facilities operating in accordance with
international standards. It is clear that without compliance with basic rights
including housing, sanitation, drinking water, health facilities, fair wages
and adequate safety provisions, the Alang yards are still far from ensuring
sustainable ship recycling.”
Source: Marine Link. 17 December 2014
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