Baldia factory fire: victims remembered in annual tribute

As every year, families of victims and labour representatives gathered on September 11 to remember the 260 workers who perished in the Baldia factory fire. Due to the rainy season, the main memorial event will be held on Sunday, September 28. At the gathering, candles were lit in memory of the martyrs and participants pledged to continue the struggle for workers' safety and against exploitative capital.

Hasna Khatoon, chairperson of the Baldia Factory Fire Affectees Association, said that the factory owners, with government approval, demolished the building to erase the living reminder of the tragedy. "But this horrific event - the darkest chapter in the region's industrial history - can not be erased from workers' memory. The blood of the martyrs will continue to inspire workers in their fight for rights," she declared.

Comrade Zehra Khan, General Secretary of the Home-Based Women Workers Federation, said the so-called Sindh Labour Code amounted to a "suicidal attack" on labour rights. She accused the PPP government of dismantling labour protections introduced by its own founder, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, and of attempting to impose a contractor-based system hostile to workers. She vowed strong resistance against what she described as an ILO-backed anti-labour conspiracy.

The gathering demanded that German brand KIK publicly apologise to the victims, ensure its supplier factories in Pakistan comply with labour laws, and that a memorial be built for the Baldia martyrs. It also called for a health and safety awareness centre at the site of Ali Enterprises, disclosure of the ILO's insurance agreement to victims' associations and unions, and the formation of an oversight committee.