Under pressure from wealthy industrialists putting profits over worker safety, labour inspections are on the slide in Pakistan
The death toll from the fire that ripped through a Karachi garment factory this week currently stands at 289, making it the largest number of casualties in a single industrial incident in Pakistan's history. Later, a fire at an illegal shoe factory in Lahore killed 25, bringing the total of Pakistani deaths in industrial incidents that day to more than 300. As the country mourns the enormous loss of life, attention is turning to lax labour laws and the culture of corruption that allows the scant regulations that do exist to be flouted.
The facts of the Karachi fire are nightmarish. After the Karachi blaze started, workers were said to be unable to escape because the doors were locked. It is thought that this was to prevent them from leaving their shifts early, though it has also been speculated that it was because of a recent break-in. Allegedly, there was no emergency exit, with other doors blocked by piles of finished clothes, workers had to smash iron bars on the windows to jump several storeys to escape the flames, and unsafe chemicals in the rickety building made the smoke even more toxic.
(...)
So laws defending workers' rights do exist. But they are rendered redundant by a total failure of implementation. In fact, an executive order issued under the Punjab Industrial Policy 2003 actually abolished labour inspections, with the aim of "developing an industry and business-friendly environment" to attract fresh investment. The ban originated in Punjab (the province that is home to Lahore), and Sindh (where Karachi is situated), appears to have followed suit. Unsurpisingly, it was implemented under pressure from wealthy industrialists. Full story...
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The death toll from the fire that ripped through a Karachi garment factory this week currently stands at 289, making it the largest number of casualties in a single industrial incident in Pakistan's history. Later, a fire at an illegal shoe factory in Lahore killed 25, bringing the total of Pakistani deaths in industrial incidents that day to more than 300. As the country mourns the enormous loss of life, attention is turning to lax labour laws and the culture of corruption that allows the scant regulations that do exist to be flouted.
The facts of the Karachi fire are nightmarish. After the Karachi blaze started, workers were said to be unable to escape because the doors were locked. It is thought that this was to prevent them from leaving their shifts early, though it has also been speculated that it was because of a recent break-in. Allegedly, there was no emergency exit, with other doors blocked by piles of finished clothes, workers had to smash iron bars on the windows to jump several storeys to escape the flames, and unsafe chemicals in the rickety building made the smoke even more toxic.
(...)
So laws defending workers' rights do exist. But they are rendered redundant by a total failure of implementation. In fact, an executive order issued under the Punjab Industrial Policy 2003 actually abolished labour inspections, with the aim of "developing an industry and business-friendly environment" to attract fresh investment. The ban originated in Punjab (the province that is home to Lahore), and Sindh (where Karachi is situated), appears to have followed suit. Unsurpisingly, it was implemented under pressure from wealthy industrialists. Full story...
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