Families of Gadani tragedy continue search for loved ones

Labour unions demand legislation to ensure safety of workers

KARACHI: More than three weeks on, four families are still searching for their loved ones who were believed to be on board the decommissioned oil tanker for its dismantling when a blast ripped through it, triggering a blaze that could not be put out for three days.

Addressing a press conference, the families of three missing workers, Shafiq, Sherdad and Laloo, said that they have searched all the hospitals and morgues in Karachi and Hub but have not found them. The family of the fourth, Imran, could not make it to the event.

They came to the Karachi Press Club along with National Trade Union Federation (NTUF) and its affiliate, Ship Breaking Workers Union (SBWU), representatives to put forward their demands before the government through media.

NTUF deputy general secretary Nasir Mansoor said that there have been 28 deaths and 42 injuries confirmed with them but the government has yet to ascertain how many people were actually on board the oil tanker when the incident happened.

“The government’s apathy towards the workers’ plight can be gauged from the fact that they have still not been provided with any sort of financial aid nor has any official bothered to visit them to at least inquire about the incident or extend condolence,” Mansoor remarked.



Nothing is known about the federal government investigative committee report, he said, adding that it was expected to complete its work and furnish its findings with fixing responsibilities on those involved in negligence within a week. “The same is the case with the provincial government report.”

He lamented that instead of taking action against the responsible, the authorities sealed the entire ship-breaking yard, taking away the means of livelihood from around 12,000 directly-employed workers and affecting 300,000 indirectly-linked and working in re-rolling mills in Karachi, Hub and Quetta others.

He said that the closure has only benefitted the stockholders as they are selling the steel rods at around Rs68,000 per ton as compared to its last month’s rate of Rs57,000 per ton, citing lack of supply.

SBWU president Bashir Mehmoodani said that due to closure of work, more than 70% of the workers, mostly belonging to Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and southern Punjab, have moved to other places in search of work. “What else could they do?” he asked. “They had to earn to eat, so they moved. Hopefully, they would have found some work.”

Mehmoodani demanded from the government to immediately lift the ban on work at the ship-breaking yard and bring about reforms ensuring health and safety for the workers.

“The authorities must make sure that yard owners get their each and every worker registered with the labour department, social security institutions, EOBI and others.”

The NTUF and SBMU also urged upon the government to introduce legislation for a ship-breaking code in light of the guidelines laid by the International Labor Organization and the Hong Kong International Convention for the Safe and Environmentally Sound Recycling of Ships.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 25^th, 2016.