KARACHI:The shipbreaking industry in Gadani, Balochitan has been declining due to labor rights exploitation by the employers, non-implementation on the internationally accepted labor standards and the criminal negligence of the government and its authorities. Thousands of workers, directly associated with the industry, have been working in inhumane conditions – without any safety – and as a result, they are receiving injuries for life and deaths too in accidents at workplace every other day. The overall situation implies that the government has given the employers and the contractors license to kill the workers because, despite so many casualties, none of them has been prosecuted and they continue to run their illegal and criminal operations scot-free. The redressal of this situation lies in implementing the labor standards in light of the International Labor Organization’s conventions, South Asian and Turkish shipbreaking industries’ guidelines and the Hong Kong International Convention.
These views were expressed by speakers at a seminar, titled Issues and Way Forward for Shipbreaking Industry and ILO Guidelines & Hong Kong Convention, organized by the National Trade Union Federation at PMA House in Karachi on Saturday. NTUF president Rafiq Baloch presided over the seminar as workers belonging to the shipbreaking and re-rolling industries attended it.
The speakers said that one and a half year on to the oil tanker tragedy in Gadani, caused on November 1, 2016, in which 29 workers were killed and several were injured yet the employers and government have not learned any lessons. The employers, government and the concerned authorities have turned deaf ear to the workers rights, their health and safety due to which deadly accidents have been occurring on a nearly daily basis, and many of them go unreported. Meanwhile, workers have been deprived of their constitutional and legal rights to obtain fair wages and medical covers, among others. Neither the situation seems to be changing for any good.
Speaking at the seminar, NTUF deputy general secretary Nasir Mansoor said that the shipbreaking industry earns billions of rupees to the federal and provincial governments, employs thousands of workers directly and indirectly and caters up to 30percent the country’s iron needs. Because of the governments’ negligence, the industry is deteriorating the results of which are devastating. Due to a slower pace and hazardous nature of work, a lot of iron is being imported in the country, thus causing heavy loss to the national exchequer. The downstream industries, especially over 200 re-rolling mills, other linked businesses, and over two million people employed there have been going through a crisis under uncertainty about their future.
He said that the similar industries across the world had considerably changed after implementing labor rights and their standards under the internationally accepted conventions. He cited the example of shipbreaking industry in Alang, India where their government having directions from the country’s supreme court had started implementing a shipbreaking code — as a result the accidents and the casualties there have reduced to a considerable extent. Because of these, Alang has become the largest shipbreaking industry in the world where 75 thousand workers are directly employed. Once Gadani was leading in the world and there were around 35 thousands workers associated with it. However, due to the worsening situation, the strength of workers have reduced to 10 thousand and could reduce, even more, causing the industrial wheel to a halt.
Ship Breaking Workers Union, Gadani president Bashir Mehmoodani said that it is necessary that the employers, government, labor and other authorities should consider the issues seriously to save the industry from nearly shutting down.
Rafiq Baloch President NTUF said that the NTUF for past 10 years is striving to make the working conditions in Gadani shipbreaking industry better and being a stakeholder has prepared a legislative draft for shipbreaking sector with the help of the legal and constitutional expert. The draft is ready to hand over to the Balochistan government, however, it yet has to make any development on it.
They demanded that legislation for the shipbreaking industry should be done in the light of the ILO guidelines; Hong Kong International Convention for the safe and environmentally sound recycling of ships should be ratified; the tripartite consultative mechanism to make the situation better be initiated in letter and spirit; all legislative works to get the shipbreaking law drafted, passed through the assembly and enacted be done; the real union of workers must be recognized legally and constitutionally and be put into the consultations; access to ambulance, dispensary and safe drinking water should be given to workers in each of the shipbreaking yards and a hospital be built in Gadani; and a labor colony with all basic necessities, education and health facilities and proper communication network be built in Gadani.
NTUF Sindh president Gul Rehman, Habib Bank Workers Front leader Habib Junaidi and Re Rolling Mills General Workers Union general secretary Shah J Rehman also spoke at the seminar.