Stone-crushing units : Ban on factory inspection ‘led to workers’ deaths’

Report suggests action against employers whose workers died of silicosis

ISLAMABAD:

Hundreds of labourers in Punjab contracted silicosis disease while working at stone-crushing unit during the time inspection of such units was banned. The ban remained in force for almost a decade and was lifted on February 17, 2012.

This is revealed in a report submitted in the top court, whose three judge bench, headed by Justice Jawwad S Khawaja, will resume today (Monday) hearing of a case registered on June 5, 2014 after the former chief justice Tassaduq Hussain Jillani took notice of the death of 18 stone-crushing labourers in Gujranwala.

“This period witnessed the deaths of hundreds of workers in just one industry of Punjab. This policy, by jeopardising the lives of millions of labourers throughout Pakistan, violated the Right to Life (Article 9) of hundreds of labourers in Punjab.



“There must be accountability for this disastrous labour policy that resulted in death of hundreds of labourers,” said the report compiled by 24 representatives of federal and provincial governments in compliance of the SC’s May 14 order.

It suggested that the home departments might be directed to proceed in accordance with law against employers of factories whose workers have died of silicosis for the relevant offences.

“Accountability of officials, who banned inspection of factories, which curtailed the Right to Life of thousands of labourers under the Constitution. Action may be also taken against the framers of “unconstitutional and illegal” National Industrial Policy of 2003 who caused the deaths of hundreds of labourers,” it said.

The report said 17,057 labourers are working in the country’s 1,730 stone crushing units, only 489 of which are registered.

In Punjab, 6,097 people are working in 781 units, of which only 17 are registered.  In Sindh, 6,499 labourers are working in 257 stone crushing units, none of which is registered. In Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P), 2,638 labourers are working in 561 units, 437 of which are registered.

According to the report, 472 labourers are working in 58 (all unregistered) stone crushing units in Balochistan. In Islamabad, there are 73 such units, in which 1,351 workers are doing job. Some 35 of them are registered.

The report lamented that only a few factory owners provide their labourers with factory cards, pay slips, social security registration cards, EOBI cards or appointment letters. It said it was duty of the labour departments to ensure that the factory owners in the relevant district jurisdiction complied with requirements of law and provided the labourers with the documents and facilities.

It said the provincial labour departments and environmental departments are facing severe shortage of staff. “Therefore, there is an urgent need to not only increase the sanctioned strength of labour inspectors in districts but also to make appointments on other concerned sanctioned posts on immediate basis.”

It said there is dearth of trained pulmonologists for correct diagnosis and treatment of silicosis. Even in some districts, there is no post of a pulmonologist or even of a chest specialist, it said.

It also pointed out that despite the lapse of two and a half years, the health department has not complied with the orders of the Punjab chief minister and has not made any arrangements for treatment of patients afflicted by silicosis.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 8^th, 2015.