‘No hope for labour rights till Baldia perpetrators are punished’

Karachi

The heirs of the victims of Ali Enterprises fire tragedy are yet to get justice despite the passage of three years.

Efforts to give labourers their due rights could not succeed till those responsible for the Baldia factory fire tragedy are identified and punished, said  speakers of a ‘Baldia Tragedy Martyrs Conference’ arranged at the PMA House, jointly organised by the National Trade Union Federation (NTUF) and the Association of the Affectees  of Baldia Tragedy.

A large number of the workers belonging to different industries, as well as heirs of the martyred workers attended the conference, which was presided over by the president of the association, Muhammad Jabir.

NTUF deputy general secretary Nasir Mansoor said that after the tragedy, the government and international organisations had been working on different programmes for the betterment of the textile and the garments sector and they wanted implementation of the labour rights accepted

However, he said, for the betterment of the situation, it was necessary that the demands of the heirs of 260 martyred workers should be accepted and those responsible for this tragedy should be made accountable.

He said the main reason of deaths of workers was lack of the safety measures in factories and workplaces.

Not only the local factory owners but the related departments were also responsible along with the German brand, KiK, for the deaths in the Balida tragedy, for which the Ali Enterprises used to manufacture goods, and this international brand just for the sake of profit turned the blind eye to the slavish treatment meted out to the workers.

Mansoor said that an international workers’ conference would held in May regarding the working conditions and working hours of the textile workers of the region, which would pave way for the resolution of the problems being faced by the heirs of the Baldia tragedy martyrs.

The vice president of the association, Saeeda Khatoon, whose only son had perished in the factory fire, said that it was the responsibility of the court to ascertain the causes of the factory fire.

She said it was a fact that out of the four exit gates of the factory, three used to be remained closed permanently; this was why hundreds of worker burnt alive when the factory caught the fire.

She said the same situation was still prevalent in many industries, especially those belonging to textile and garment sectors.

“We want that no other family of workers undergoes the ordeals we faced. This is why we have been struggling for better safety measures in factories, industries and workplaces.”

The lady demanded of the relevant departments, owners of factories and international brands to follow the local and international laws related to labour rights.

She said it was government’s inability that despite passing of three years, the culprits of this tragedy were yet to be punished and the promises with the affected families yet to be fulfilled.

NTUF central president Muhammad Rafiq Baloch said that the related international organisations and forums had failed to play the same role to ensure compensation payments as per law to the heirs that they had played for the facilitation of the affected families of the Rana Plaza Bangladesh tragedy.

He said that it was also a legal and moral responsibility of the ILO and the German government to compel the KiK to accept its responsibility regarding the Karachi factory fire and fulfil the demands of the heirs of the victims. 

The general secretary of the association, Abdul Aziz, said that their association was the representative organisation of the Baldia tragedy survivors and the heirs of the victims.

He said that without the participation of this organisation, the survivors would accept no agreement.

Aziz said the heirs had been running from pillar to post for getting their demands accepted, but no solid steps were yet taken to facilitate them.

He announced that if immediate measures were not taken in this regard, the survivors and heirs would start a hunger strike along with their families.

Aziz said that more than 500 survivors and heirs had filed a suit against the Italian audit company, RINA, in Italy.

However, the first hearing of the case filed against the German brand KIK was expected in May or June this year and four representatives of the heirs would also be present in the German court, he added.