At least consider them humans

This was not just an accident, it was criminal negligence that seeped down to many departments and the factory owners

The fire incident at the Ali Enterprises garment factory on September 11 was the largest conflagration in the country’s history. Two hundred and fifty-nine workers, all of them breadwinners of their families, lost their lives. Their families lost a source of income. Indeed, money does little to replenish the loss of human life.

We don’t have any programmes on the government-level to provide monetary assistance to old citizens, to orphans or to widows. The deceased workers’ families will need financial assistance for another 20 years unless their children get educated and start making money.

In the case of Ali Enterprises, most of the workers were not provided with appointment letters, like the other factories and private sector institutions in the country. Moreover, their office identity cards were also gutted when their bodies were burnt so the families had nothing to prove their son or daughter was the worker of the factory to get the compensation announced by the provincial and federal government under the Sindh Employees Social Security Institution and Employees Old-Age Benefit Institution.

Then other issue is inadequate compensation from the government and the lack of insurance of the workers from the employers’ side. Under Convention 121 of the International Labour Organization, in case of the death of workers, the dependent should be provided periodical payments enough to meet their requirement by the government. As per my understanding, the monthly sum provided is barely enough to meet even the requirement of daily bread. We consider poor people as disposable objects; they have no right, no dignity, no importance.

This incident was not just an accident. It was criminal negligence that seeped down to many departments and the factory owners. This incident has not happened in any welfare state where the state has guaranteed everything needed for living a good life. Who will take care of the food and education of these orphan children and old parents whose dependence on their children increases as they grow older? This question needs serious attention and honest efforts because a similar incident could happen anytime anywhere. At least workers should be considered as human and if all humans are equal, then everyone’s life should be protected equally.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 22^nd, 2014.