Ship-breaking workers demand judicial probe into November 1 explosion

The workers of Gadani’s ship-breaking industry demanded on Sunday that a judicial commission be formed to investigate into the November 1 explosion at an oil tanker that was being dismantled at the ship-breaking yard killing 26 people and injured 70 others, compensate the victims and end the contract system prevalent there.

The workers organised a rally from Regal Chowk to the Karachi Press Club. It was organised by the National Trade Union Federation in collaboration with the Ship-breaking Workers Union.

A blast had ripped through a decommissioned Japanese-made MT Aces oil tanker moored at plot No 54 for dismantling at the Gadani ship-breaking yard on November 1. A fire engulfed the entire 24,000-ton vessel soon after the first blast trapping workers inside it. The fire remained there for four days making people to lose hope that those inside would be able to come out alive. More than a 100 workers were reportedly on board the ship when the incident occurred. A number of them are still missing.

Addressing the participants of the rally, trade union leaders demanded that a judicial commission under a high court judge should be formed to investigate into the deadly oil tanker blast and the ship owner, contractors and the heads of government watchdog institutions should be arrested and tried for their negligence towards the lives of labourers and environment.

They also urged the government and their employers to compensate each of their dead colleague with Rs3million as a financial support to their families and give Rs500,000 to each of the injured.

They also stressed the need for expediting the search operation for the workers who have been missing since the incident and implement labour laws and ensure the health and safety of the workers at their workplaces.

The labour leaders speaking on the occasion said that around 850 workers had lost their lives and more than 1,000 lost their limbs or suffered serious injuries in accidents at the Gadani ship-breaking yard since 1968; it is perhaps the worst workplace in the world or at least in Pakistan where casualties in such a large number have occurred during work; and the government watchdogs, such as the labour department, the social security institution, the environment protection agency, the EOBI, police, the local administration, decommissioned ships’ owners and contractors were responsible for these deaths and injuries.

The leaders also said the owners and contractors in collusion with the watchdogs had imposed a “jungle-law” at the ship-breaking yard by violating the constitutional and legal rights of the labourers and overlooking the international treaties, conventions and agreements on the subject.

Mentioning the examples of India and Turkey, they said that there have been made some special laws for health and safety and their implementation have been ensured by the governments due to which the casualties ratio in accidents have considerably declined.

The participants of the rally thanked the Edhi Foundation head Faisal Edhi for his and volunteers’ untiring efforts in rescuing the workers from the burning ship, shifting the dead and injured to the hospital and arranging medical and other care for them.

The labourer leaders demanded that the dead and injured should immediately be compensated with Rs3 million and Rs500,000 respectively, the work at Gadani ship-breaking yard should be reopened and government must make efforts in implementing and ensuring health and safety of workers at their workplaces, the workers should be given their right to make union to act as collective bargaining agent; labour department should held a referendum, the contract system of employment must be abolished; workers should be permanent and provided with social security, EOBI and health and safety allowances, a fully equipped 24/7 hospital as labour colony and schools for children  should be established for workers at Gadani ship-breaking yard and  the government must introduce a ship-breaking code like India has done; ILO convention regarding the work should be implemented and the Hong Kong convention should be ratified and new laws should be made in light of it

Those who spoke at the event included NTUF president Rafiq Baloch, deputy general secretary Nasir Mansoor, Sindh president Gul Rehman, SMU leader Bashir Mehmoodani, Baldia factory fire affectees association's senior vice president Saeeda Khatoon and others.

Pakistan Institute of Labour Education and Research director Karamat Ali, prominent trade union leaders Usman Baloch and Habibuddin Junaidi were also present at the rally.