Baldia town tragedy; what changes in Two years
Fire incident
,
International Labour Law
,
International Labour Organization
,
Karachi
,
violence
,
Workers rights
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September, 2014.
At a short distance from the Sheer Shah flyover toward Hub
Chowki there stands a three story building, with black smoky windows. Some
blocked with concrete blocks and others left open, staring with darkness at the
estranged public from behind the rusty iron grills. The building with its
sealed entrance holds one of the darkest secrets of the society. The secret of
hard-to-death life and the miseries of what happens to working class on daily
bases.
The mysterious building of Ali Enterprise is located in
Baldia town of Karachi, on the busy road catches the look of every passerby.
Many times since the building took its current shape I have been on that road
passing by the building and not even for a single time it was possible to look
away. A small concentration of thoughts will take me to back in the past when
the same windows were breathing fire like angry dragons. The black gazing
windows were than roaring with horrifying sounds of fire mixed up with
screaming voices of the trapped worker. There was a huge crowd around the
building. Among the crowd were thousands of families of the workers who were
then burning alive in that building.
It was Tuesday, September 11, 2012, the same day when the
world was mourning the deaths in Twin Towers attack. Estranged with the outside
world, the thousands of workers of Ali Enterprise were lined up on the
machines. They had to fill the demand from the Germen textile discounter the
KIK. Many other workers were waiting at the small entrance of the factory to get
their nominal wages. On the mean time a boiler situated on the first floor of
the factory exploded. The garment stuff and chemicals placed there caught fire.
And in a blink the fire reached the third flour burning to ashes the middle
floor and the basement. The garment making turned into hell, hundreds of
workers trapped inside the building with only a single exit.
The raise of industrialization placed hundreds and thousands
of peoples working in a chain of production where they were prone to mass
casualties. Mass deaths from building collapses, accidental explosions, and
fire incidents have become daily happenings. But with these incidents human has
learnt measures to remain safe and minimize the chances of loss.
There are many such incidents which on the cost of human
lives proved turning points in the course of history. About a century ago, On
Saturday, March 25, 1911, fire brook out in the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory
situated in a ten story building in New York. The fire was the deadliest
industrial in the USA that took the lives of 146 people. The incident famed the
public demand for the safety at workplace and other labor reforms. As a result,
many initiatives were taken which led to historic developments regarding
occupational safety. It results in reforms on various levels for better working
conditions and worker safety. It opened up ways for stronger unions that became
the institutional means to monitor the occupational safety and to lobby for
further reforms.
Like the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire, the incident in
Karachi had its own importance. The workers’ death toll of 260 was highest in
any single building factory fire. And like in the USA about a century ago,
Pakistan still has too little in labor rights and occupational safety measures.
The incidents put light on the risks looming over the lives of workers at 99
percent factories of the country.
Here we have the question, what has changed since the boiler
exploded into this tragic incident? have we learned or are waiting for another
such tragedy to teach us more. In countries like Pakistan fire incident are the
routine of the day. And unavailability of fire safety measures turns such
casual incident into catastrophes by multiplying the casualties.
The incident left thousands of families grieving on their
breadwinners. Nazia Majeed Hussain, 28, was the latest casualty of the
incident. After sustaining serious burn injuries she was admitted in a private
hospital on her own expenses. After struggle for two years a hart stroke took
her away forever. She was among over 600 workers who got seriously injured most
of them lived but with their life lost in that fire.
Muhammad Jabir is father of 22 year’s old Muhammad
Jahanzaib, who lost his life in that building in front of his eyes. Jabir
continued his struggle as the organizer of the Affectees Association. Talking
to the writer the poverty-stricken father narrated how hard it was to send
their young son to this hell. “My son was so young when I sent him to the
factory. He was 15 when for the first time I took him there but he was expelled
after working two years because of not having CNIC. Than he was again hired
after getting his CNIC. The working conditions there were not good and also
they paid low wages but poverty compelled us to send our young child there” he
added.
Jabir was now determined and would like to be known as
labour right activist rather than just a victim father. “Though we were
struggling for one and a half year for compensations and justice but we find no
hope. Nether government nor the courts seem serious in taking up our
cases" said Jabir. He feels the need of hour to equip themselves for their
rights. He went on saying "also we have not been fully equipped to present
our cases in an effective way. But formation of the Association give us the
way, now we can better represent our case and the authorities have started
paying attention. We have achieved many of our goals. Alongside our own case we
will also struggle for a change in working conditions in other factories.”
Along with Muhammad Jabir, Din Muhammad and Abdul Aziz are
on the front line in the struggle. Din Muhammad lost his younger son Aabid Ali,
19, who was working at Ali Enterprise as machine operator for three years.
Abdul Aziz is father of deceased Attahullah, 18, who was working there since he
was a child of 13. Abdul Aziz himself had worked on a power loom at Tando
Jam.
Din Muhammad said that he used to take lunch for his son
where he found the factory nothing but a hell. According to him the two
adjacent buildings of the Ali Enterprises were constructed in such a way to
block any unauthorized exit. He said that the factory owners were known of such
situation that was why they managed to escape the scene soon after the fire
erupted but the workers were trapped in. According to Din Muhammad “There had
already been two fire incident in the factory before this incident. However,
instead of improving safety measures the management turned stricter to the
workers. On the day of incident, we stood outside the building and were
watching the game of death, the memories of the incident still disturb us.”
Abdul Aziz lost his son Attaullah. He said that with his son
two nephews also worked at Ali Enterprise but they left the work due to less
pay and hard working conditions.
The struggle seemed to have started paying as families got
some of the compensation amount. But apart from the financial compensation
there is no remedy for loss of beloveds who were breadwinners for most of the
families. According to Muhammad Jabir most of the families were left with no
one to look after them. The small financial compensation is used to arrange
permanent homes, paying debts and fulfilling basic necessities.
The Association of affected families is a progressive step,
along with their front line representatives all the families are now on a
single page for their rights. The families through the association got exposure
to the rights and the condition of working class across the country. They have
also represented their cases in front of the International Labor Organizations
(ILO) team. The ILO team had visited Pakistan last month and are lodging cases
in Germany against the discounter KIK, and in Italy against the certification
company RINA.
The incident invoked the need for labor organizations which
were all together prohibited at all private factories. The Association of the
affected families is playing a role to educate the workers and their families
to stood up for their rights opening up ways for effective labour unions.
Besides the victim families the trade unions also remained
active to play their role under the tripartite system of ILO. The system makes
the government, employer, and worker representatives the parties on the labor
standards and policies. The role had been played prominently by the National
Trade Union Federation of Pakistan (NTUF) and some others who claim trust of
the victim families.
Nasir Mansoor is a prominent labor union leader and the
general secretary of NTUF. Mansoor is updated on the issue of Ali Enterprises
and other factories which he thought are on the brink of similar incidents.
According to Mansoor, “Industrialization in our country arrived without
changing the mindset of our ruling class who still sees their workers as
personal servants as they work on the fields under feudalism, they hire workers
on contract based and without paying for social security’s tries to get more
and more profits. This thing also affects the industrial production in the
country, without long term investment and ensuring social security the economy
of country will always remain stagnant.” He says the labor unions are must in
factories, which can organize and educate the workers and also will also remain
as the whistle-blowers in such tragic situations.
The Baldia town incident has also opened up the debate over
the large factories working with international partners, and also manage to
remain out from the grip of law. There are many other companies which hold the
same certification like that of Ali Enterprises. According to Nasir Mansoor the
list of companies has been provided to the Sindh High Court but the action is
yet to be taken.
There are also flaws in the legal system and can be dodged
easily by the factory owners. Nasir Mansoor sees the strong influence of
factory owners over the political system as major reason behind this, “after
this incident first time in the history of Pakistan the factory owners faced
the law but still they have too much amenities. The employers escape the law
and also use force to stop workers from making unions and raise their voice.
The legal system is yet to ratify the ILO conventions and also failed to bring
the existing laws in effect.”
The lawyers in the case are also counting the gains,
although a little is achieved and much more remain underachieved. Advocate
Faisal Siddiqui is following the case in the Sindh High Court for the
compensation for families. Siddiqui claims that this case is historic in nature
and due to continuous struggle compensation had started being paid to the
families, “the compensation given to the families does’t only support the
families but also it has the effect over the employers and help ensure the
safety measures in the work place. If we successfully get the entire amount
claimed, it will set an example for other companies.” According to Siddiqui the
current legal system gives the employer so many relaxations and needs some
basic changes. Currently Factories act 1935 is in effect which only has few
articles on health and safety and also has useless punishments for the
employers who violate the laws. A new health and occupational safety law is
under consideration which might prove a significant development.
The fire incident at Ali enterprise had turned up into a
movement for occupational health and safety. The comradeship of affectees,
debate on new laws and financial compensations seems paying off. These
post-tragedy developments highlight the hopes for the most venerable and least
priorities class of the society.
But still like the black marks on the windows of Ali
Enterprise building there are hundreds question unanswered. These questions
posed to the industrialization, the legal system, the state institutions and
the senselessness as a nation setting on a time bomb. With every next tragedy
it asks us how many human bombs are to explode, and how much blood needs to
flow to open the eyes. And for how long will the government keep playing in the
hands of factory owners, and the laws will protect bloodshed, and the society
will keep watching senselessly? for how long.
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