Karachi, Sindh

Industrial mishaps are rising sharply in the country as our government and industrialists have learnt no lesson from the Ali Enterprises Baldia factory fire tragedy, said the speakers at a labor gathering on the occasion of the 11th anniversary of Baldia factory fire, outside the ill-fated factory here Sunday.

Eleven years ago, on September 11, 2012, as many as 260 workers burnt alive and more than 60 others injured in the worst industrial mishap in the history of Pakistan at Ali Enterprises Baldia factory Karachi.

A large number of workers, heirs of the deceased workers, political and social workers and civil society activists attended the gathering.

The speakers said that it is sad that the investigation of the Baldia factory fire was marred due to political and ethnic controversies and as the result the main culprits of this tragedy are roaming free. Some powerful elements used the so-called joint investigation team (JIT) to save the killers of innocent factory workers. The findings of this JIT were far from the reality.

They said that irrespective of the factory fire was accidental or deliberate, the cause of the death of workers was the closure of main exit gates, closure of windows with heavy iron bars, faulty fire extinguisher equipment and lack of training to workers about using firefighting equipment. Moreover, the building structure of the factory was illegal, there was a boiler inside the factory and there were no emergency fire alarms installed. The causes of the death of workers included criminal negligence of the factory owners coupled with violation of labor laws.

Representatives of the heirs of the affected workers pointed out that the German brand KIK had paid 6.1 million dollars as a long-term compensation under an international agreement and for investment of this amount and to settle the related issues in Pakistan an oversight committee was formed comprised of the heirs, workers, the government of Sindh and the representatives of the ILO. Sadly, the ILO without taking the representatives of heirs and workers in confidence invested the funds provided by the German brand in an insurance company without giving information about how much amount was given to that insurance company. Despite the repeated demands of the representatives of the heirs and workers, the ILO office in Karachi refused to share the documents about the agreement with that insurance company. However, the ILO for unknown reasons has disbanded the oversight committee, due to which the affected workers are facing immense problems in getting their issues resolved.

Moreover, a representative of ILO in Karachi with help of an official of SESSI is threatening the affected families, they alleged.

The speakers said that the affected families have not gotten the group insurance and gratuity funds despite the passage of eleven years. However, the factory owners have already razed the building of the factory and it is said that the property is sold out also. They said that the NTUF with collaboration of local and international labor organizations would erect a monument there in the memory of the martyred workers.

The participants of the gathering demanded to ensure steps for proper health and safety in workplaces; Sindh Professional Health and Safety Act should be implemented, immediately; reinvestigation into the Baldia factory fire tragedy should be initiated and the real culprits should be punished as per law. They asked that as per the decision of Sindh High Court, the EOBI pension of the parents of the martyred workers should be revived; the government should take over the factory and freeze bank accounts of its owners, till the heirs of the martyred workers are paid group insurance; a labor training institute should be established in the memory of the martyred workers.

They demanded that the agreement between the ILO and the insurance company should be shared with the heirs and labor organizations; independent investigation should be held to ascertain why the ILO inked agreement with a certain insurance company in non-transparent manner without consulting with the heirs and workers organizations; the disbanded oversight committee should be revived. The ILO officials should stop harassing the heirs; the governing body of Sindh Social Security Institution has approved increase in pension and it should be immediately implemented; the government and factory owners should join hands to make the Pakistani Accord a great success for national development.

They demanded to implement labor laws in factories and workplaces.

Those spoke included Nasir Mansoor, Rafique Baloch and Riaz Abbasi of NTUF, Gul Rehman of Workers’ Rights Movement WRM), Zehra Khan and Saira Froze of HBWWF, Husna Khatoon, Muhammad Siddique, Muhammad Jamil and Shaukat of the Association of the affectees of Baldia factory fire, Karamat Ali of Labor Education and Research, Assad Iqbal But and Khazi Qazi of HRCP, Habibuddin Junaidi of Peoples Labor Bureau, Saeed Baloch of Pakistan Firsher Folk Forum, comrade Wahid Baloch, Ayub Qureshi from trade union, Farhat Parveen of Now Communities, Bushra Arain of Lady health workers, Comrade Jannat of PTU Defense Campaign, Khaliq Zadran of Awami Huqooq,  Mirza Maqsoob of Steel Mill, Aqib Hussain, Sara Khan, Faiza Siddiqui, Shahzad Hussain and Anny Younis of Alternate, Abid of Liberty Textile workers union and others. (PR)

Related news: Pakistan fire: Two to hang for Karachi garment factory inferno

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Sindh Courier

Karachi

Blaming the International Labor Organization (ILO) of taking unilateral decision, the heirs of the deceased workers of Baldia factory fire incident said Wednesday that ILO didn’t consult with them before deciding the insurance pact.

Heirs and trade union leaders reject ILO Pact with an insurance company regarding compensation money given by a German brand.

Addressing a joint press conference, the leaders of the Association of Affectees of Baldia factory fire, National Trade Union Federation Pakistan, PILER, Home Based Women Workers Federation, Human Rights Commission of Pakistan and SITE Labor Forum said that the ILO took a unilateral decision without taking the real party of Baldia factory fire in confidence. They said that the interests of labors would be safeguarded at all costs.

Muhammad Siddique, Hussina Khan, Nasir Mansoor, Karamat Ali, Asad Iqbal Butt, Zehra Khan and Riaz Abbasi said that the general body meeting of Association of the Affectees of Baldia factory fire was held in Karachi on Sunday in which important decisions were taken.

They said that the heirs of 260 martyrs of Baldia factory fire and dozens of the injured and their supporter local and international labor organizations after a great struggle inked a deal with German brand KIK that agreed to pay a long term compensation of $5.1 million. The representative of KIK had signed the deal in 2016, with workers organizations under ILO, All Global and Clean Cloth Campaign and the funds were given to ILO Geneva office.

They said that under this deal an oversight committee was formed at Pakistan level to distribute these funds and take care of the related issues with representation of the government, labor organizations, heirs and factory owners. The heirs demanded that as per the deal the compensation funds should be brought to Pakistan and invested with mutual consultation to ensure lifelong assistance of the heirs and affectees. In this regard the association of the heirs and laborer organizations in consultation with noted Pakistani lawyers shared an investment plan with the ILO, but the ILO didn’t respond.

They said that sadly the ILO while violating the deal and despite repeated demands of the heirs kept the compensation funds for last five years and distributed monthly compensation amongst the heirs through SESSI. Hence, a big chuck of these funds was spent and the heirs and stakeholders were not informed about it. They said that the ILO is responsible for all this.

The trade union leaders said that the ILO didn’t play any role in helping the affectees. It ignored the demands of the heirs and stakeholder labor organizations and took unilateral and non-transparent decisions and implemented them.

They said that the ILO convened a meeting on December 15 when a member of the oversight committee and patron of the association of the affected workers was hospitalized for treatment of cancer, another member Nasir Mansoor was abroad and the third member Karamat Ali was ill. They were requested to postpone the meeting but in vain. In this meeting the ILO ratified a contract with an insurance company, which had already been signed before the meeting without consultation with the stakeholders who were not told about this contract. The ILO had no right to sign a deal about the funds of the heirs without consultation with them in this non transparent manner. After this non transparent deal some officials of the ILO Karachi office with help of a SESSI employee are harassing the heirs and forcing then sign some documents written in English language. This act has created unrest among the heirs of the martyred workers.

They said that after the international agreement between the German brand and labor organizations, the Sindh government and the Labor Department are the essential parties of the contract and through them the payment of monthly compensation through SESSI was started. However, the labor department failed to play its due role and didn’t take all the members of the oversight committee in confidence.

They said that the contract with the insurance company before the meeting of the oversight committee and without any consultation is the worst example of non-transparency and an attack on the basic and democratic right of the heirs.

They demanded to the ILO should invest the compensation funds after the consultation with the heirs and stakeholder labor organizations.

They asked to summon a meeting of the oversight committee and all documents including that of the deal with the insurance company should be shared with its members.

They demanded that the ILO Karachi office should stop harassing the heirs, otherwise, a protest would be held outside the office.

They asked the SESSI commissioner to start probe against their employ Maroof for forcing the heirs to sign some unknown papers. They asked to hold responsible those officers who caused decrease in the original compensation funds.

They demanded the Compensation Commissioner to decide the gratuity cases of the deceased workers of the West. They asked to ensure EOBI pension to the parents of the martyred workers in the light of the decision of Sindh High Court. They asked to stop the selling of the affected factory and instead erect a symbol there in the memory of the martyred workers.

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Karachi

On the tenth anniversary of martyrdom of 260 workers in Baldia factory fire incident, labor and trade union leaders demanded to implement International Accord in Pakistan to improve safety and health condition in factories and workplaces.

National Trade Union Federation (NTUF), Ali Enterprises Factory Fire Affectees Association and Home-based Women Workers Federation (HBWWF) arranged a rally outside the Ali Enterprises Garment Factory that was attended by the heirs of martyrs, labors, political workers and representatives of human rights organizations. They displayed the pictures of the martyred workers and lit lamps in their memory.

Addressing on the occasion, NTUF general secretary Nasir Mansoor said that ten years have passed to the Baldia factory fire incident but still factories and workplaces in Pakistan are lacking health and safety measures. He said even today factories and workplaces are virtually killing fields for the hapless workers. He said that millions of workers belonging to textiles and garments sector are deprived of the basic labor rights like minimum wages, right to form trade unions, social security and pension. He said local supplying factories of international brands are also involved in this crime. He said workers have become wage slaves and added that this situation in the backdrop of GSP Plus would bring negative consequences for Pakistani economy.

Sadia Khatoon, chairperson of Association of the Affectees of Baldia Factory Fire said that due to the greed of capitalists our innocent children lost their lives. She said greed is in the blood of capitalists be they are local or international. She said the number of workers dying in workplace mishaps is rising. She said that the heirs of Baldia factory fire victims are yet to be doled out justice. She said the German brand Kik till today has not apologized to the heirs of the victims.

HBWWF general secretary Zehra Khan said that Sindh Labor Department is doing nothing for implementing labor laws. She said till now rules of health and safety law have to be framed. She said women workers face sexual torture and harassment at workplaces and their voice is being gagged. She said officials of police and security agencies provide security only to factory owners. She said retired officers of security agencies are recruited by factory owners for harassment of their workers. She said contract labor system after private institutions is also being extended to governmental and workers’ welfare institutions.

She said due to flood more than fifty percent of cotton crop has been damaged that would soon create a crisis in textile industry rendering a large number of textile and garment workers jobless, also affecting the foreign exchange reserves of the country.

The moot demanded to fully implement International Accord in Pakistan to ensure health and safety of workers. She said all international fashion brands should ratify this Accord on the pattern of Bangladesh Accord.

They demanded to fully implement health and safety law. They asked to decide the cases of the heirs of Baldia factory fire victims. The stopped pension to the parents of the victims should be released.

They asked to ensure provision of harassment free environment to female workers. Anti-harassment committees comprising women workers should be set up at plant level. Labor laws should be fully implemented. International Accord should be extended to Pakistan. All labor rights under GSP Plus should be fully implemented.

Other speakers were Karamat Ali, Rafiq Baloch, Comrade Gul Rehman, Riaz Abbasi, Aqib Hussain, Saira Feroz Khoro and Qazi Khizar. (PR)

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Karachi: Nine years have passed to the fire at Ali Enterprises factory in Baldia Town Karachi but the real culprits are still at large, the bereaved families and workers lamented during a memorial on Saturday the September 11, 2021 held to observe the anniversary of the worst industrial mishap in the history of Pakistan in which 260 workers had lost their lives.

The memorial gathering was organized jointly by National Trade Union Federation (NTUF), Ali Enterprises Factory Fire Affectees Association and Home-based Women Workers Federation (HBWWF), led by Saeeda Khatoon.

The speakers said that as there had been no proper safety arrangements at the Ali Enterprises, 260 innocent workers burned alive and more than 100 others got injured. To give this incident the color of terrorism, some vested interests tried to hide the widespread lawlessness and anti-workers atmosphere in our factories and workplaces but these matters could not be swept under carpet.

They said the incidents like Baldia and Mehran Town factory fires and mishaps in Lakhra and Balochistan coalmines show that the murder of workers in industrial mishaps could only be stopped when the negligent factory owners, officers of labor and building control authority and fire brigade and social security departments are taken to the task. They said that the incident of the Baldia factory fire would continue to remind the law enforcing officials and elected representatives of political parties to dole out justice to the bereaved families.

The speakers said that it was sad that the owners of the Baldia factory were termed innocent and moreover the German courts also failed to make accountable the German brand. They said today it could be said that the ILO conventions, GSP-plus agreement with European Union, accords with international brands and other voluntarily agreements have failed to give protection to the workers. They said that it has become necessary that such international laws should be enacted that make bound the international companies, brands and governments to ensure safety at workplaces.

They said in this regard recent lawmaking in Germany and an international accord are the good omens. They said that in this 21st century the Pakistani workers are still demanding the rights that were given to the workers in the 19th century by the imperialists’ rulers under their colonial system. During last 70 years the number of labor unions in Pakistan has decreased from 30percent to just one percent. The labor inspection department has been put on the back burner. Less than 5percent factories pay their workers the minimum wages as announced by the government. The same situation is seen in the areas of pension and social security.

They reminded that the government of Sindh had announced to observe the day of September 11, as the health and safety day, but since last two years this day is simply not being observed. The same government in 2017 had passed a Sindh workers safety and health Act, but it is yet to be implemented.

They said that the heirs of the martyrs of Baldia factory are still running from the pillar to post to get justice. Despite the clear instructions of the Sindh High Court, the EOBI has stopped the pension of the parents of the heirs without any prior information and due to this, these ages people are facing many hardships. At least 13 of them have already died due financial and medical problems.

They added that it is heartening that the labor organizations of Pakistan in their countrywide meeting have decided to wage a struggle from a joint platform for safeguarding the rights of workers and today they are present in this gathering to express solidarity. They said as a result of the struggle of the international workers movement, they have agreed upon an international accord in which the Brands and Companies are made bound to give workers their rights including the right of making labor unions, and ensure safety and health standards at workplaces.

They further said that it is heartening that under this accord a proper monitoring system is made its part to check the violations and it would benefit the affected workers. They said that we will try that this accord is also implemented in Pakistan in its letter and spirit.

On the occasion of the ninth anniversary of the Baldia factory fire incident, they speakers demanded that:

1. A high-level judicial commission should be established to start a probe afresh into the Baldia factory fire incident so that the responsibility could be fixed and solid steps be taken to stop the blatant violation of laws in industrial sector.
2. The stopped EOBI pension to the parents of the martyred workers of Baldia factory fire should be restored.
3. The stopped Sessi pension the widows, who have remarried, should be restored.
4. A compensation of Rs2.5million each should be immediately paid to the heirs of Mehran Town factory fire, besides giving them pension.
5. Strict implementation of Sindh workers safety and health Act should be ensured and such laws should also be passed in the other provinces.
6. Factory inspection system should be revamped and annual inspection of every factory should be ensured.
7. A monument should be erected in the memory of the martyrs of Baldia factory fire.
8. The government of Sindh should provide the promised jobs and residential plots to the heirs of the martyred workers.
9. A Pakistan Accord on the pattern of Bangladesh Accord should be inked to improve working conditions and working hours in Pakistani factories.
10. The system of labor inspection should be modernized so that strict steps could be taken to ensure safety of workers in factories and workplaces.
11. We demand from the elected representatives of Pakistan to raise voice against sacking of 16000 government employees due to a court decision and come with a joint strategy in Parliament so that the sacked employees could be restored and their families saved from an economic murder.

Those who spoke included Nasir Mansoor general secretary NTUF, Rafiq Baloch president NTUF, Zehra Khan general secretary HBWWF, Karamat Ali convenor National Labor Council, Habibuddin Junaidi president Peoples Labor Bureau, Comrade Gul Rehman of Workers Rights Movement, Saira Bano general secretary United Home-based Women Garment Workers Union, Aqib Hussain president Youth Committee, Khan Zaman of Balochistan Labor Federation, Qazi Khizar, Vice Chairperson HRCP, Niaz Khan of Progressive Labor Federation, Mian Qayoon of Labour Qaumi Movement, Taufiq Ahmed, Ali Ashraf Naqvi, former OSH inspector and joint director, Comrade Jannat and other and others.

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