Poor workplace conditions: Punjab govt acting against sweatshops, says AAG

Claims 40 stone grinding factories penalised for lax workplace safety

ISLAMABAD:

Authorities in Punjab have told the apex court that the Environment Protection Agency (EPA) has initiated legal action against 40 stone grinding factories for not providing proper workplace safety to their labourers.

Punjab’s Additional Advocate General (AAG) Razaq A Mirza has submitted a report before the Supreme Court on behalf of Labour & Human Resource Secretary Farhan Aziz Khawaja.

The court had taken suo motu notice on an application of Public Lawyer’s Front (PLF), which had claimed that more than 100 labourers had died – in Dera Ghazi Khan and other regions of Punjab in recent years – due to silicosis caused by poor workplace conditions in stone crushing factories.

According to the report - available with The Express Tribune –legal action was taken against 14 units under PEPA 1997 as per District Officer (Environment) Gujranwala. Cases of ten units were sub judice before Punjab Environment Tribunal while five units had been closed down. Legal action was also taken against 17 stone grinding units in Sheikupara, it said.

“Inspectors of Factories/ Labour Officers of the respective areas – after carrying out inspections – have issued notices under section 33-(1) of the Factories Act 1934 to the stone grinding factories to prohibit employments of workers in the hazardous area of the factories until the danger to human lives is removed,” the report said.

The report said that district officers’ labour – of Shaikhupura, Sialkot and Gujranwala – had lodged complaints under Section 133 of the CrPC before the special judicial magistrate for seeking directions to prohibit public nuisance being created by the stone crushing.

“[These complaints] are pending adjudication before the respective judicial authorities,” it added.

The report said writ petitions – filed by the factories owners against the orders of payment of compensation by Worksmen Commissioner, Ferozewala and Sheikhupura – had been dismissed by the Lahore High Court on July 15.

“Consequently, 21 cases have been referred to the Revenue Authority Sheikhupura for recovery of Rs4.2 million as arrears of land revenue for payment of compensation to the legal heirs of the victims,” the report informed the court.

The report claimed that a team of officials – including director medical and medical superintendent – was properly visiting stone gridding factories in the district of Sheikhupura, Gujranwala and Sialkot to clinically examine each and every worker to ensure they are not presently suffering from silicosis disease.

“After necessary on spot examination, some suspected cases/patients were referred to the Social Security Hospital, Shahdara and Gujranwala for further Lab tests/ treatment but none of such workers visited or reported in the hospital for the purpose,” the reported said.

It further said the field staff had been approaching the workers time and again and requested them to visit hospital as per advice but all in vain.

“Director DSS Gunjranwala contacted the complainant Usama Khawar and invited him in office to discuss the attending issues, who promised to persuade the factory workers to visit social Security Hospital for test/ treatment as already advised by the team after clinical examination at the spot but no one turned up,” it said.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 14^th, 2014.