Baldia factory fire: The auditor’s lie that killed 259 factory workers

Three years on, survivors still relive the horror every day

KARACHI:

“Look at their red cheeks,” Mehmoodun Nisa whispered to her colleague, nudging her gently with the elbow to catch her attention. “Don’t they look like tomatoes?” she chuckled, referring to two foreign auditors who were visiting the Ali Enterprises garment factory.

“What do you think? Why are they here?” she questioned, stealing glimpses of the two German women, her head bent towards her fingers as they deftly moved around the needles of the sewing machine.



“Don’t be silly; just focus on your work. Panda [the factory manager’s alias given by the workers] is observing us,” her colleague advised. The warning seemed to have the desired effect and Nisa went back to looking busy in the work.

The foreigners, clad in formal suits went about their business. They walked around the floor, stopped at shorts intervals, asked some questions of the factory manager to which he nodded and moved on.

The floor was buzzing with the deafening noise of machines. Yet, the workers could hear the juggling whispers: Who are they? What are they doing here? Where are they from? When will they leave?

The year was 2009. Nisa and her husband, Aleem Ahmed, whose workstation was a few metres away from hers had spent nearly two years at the garment factory. That day, they had even more reason to be happy. It was pay day and they were looking forward to hosting a hi-tea for some guests at their small rented apartment.



“I think we should arrange for ‘nashta’ [hi-tea] followed by dinner. It is the first time they [the guests] are coming to our place. We need to take care of them,” Ahmed suggested to his wife as they walked towards the cafeteria during lunch hour. “There is no need for dinner,” she commanded. It was decided.

At some point during the conversation, she inquired who the foreigners were. They were from Germany, said the husband. “They represent the customer who gave the factory most of its orders. They are here to inspect the premises,” he said.

“Oh I see,” Nisa finally understood. “So this is why the whole factory was cleaned up and we were given cards and safety gear.” Ahmed preferred not to comment further.

The foreigners, according to some statements, were auditing the factory premises for health, safety and payment regulations. They represented KiK Textilien und Non-Food GmbH, a Germany-based retailing giant that procured almost 70 per cent of the products manufactured at Ali Enterprises.



The two-storey factory located in Baldia Town, Karachi, employed around 1,500 to 2,000 workers to run its operations, Ahmed told The Express Tribune. “It was the second time we had seen foreigners visiting the factory,” he added. “None of them ever talked to us. They would just walk around the floor accompanied by the factory management. We never knew the purpose of their visit.”

First-hand account

Over three years have passed since the factory was gutted by the fire. The black patches on its walls are a stark reminder of the fateful turn of events that unfurled on September 11, 2012. Around 259 workers were burned alive. Several others were paralysed for the rest of their lives.



“We can never forget this incident,” says Nisa, wiping away her tears. “We were nearly killed that day.”

Both husband and wife managed to survive the incident. They relive the horror every day though. Shifting her weight on the wheelchair, she pushed herself back. “I saved myself from jumping off the first floor of the factory and that crippled me for life.”



Despite being audited for workplace and safety regulations a number of times, the factory was never blacklisted for lack of safety measures.

According to three audit reports, conducted by Synergies Sourcing Pakistan for KiK in alternative years between 2007 and 2011, the factory was given a high-risk rank but never for lack of fire safety. Instead, the auditors observed: excessive overtimes conducted by around 30 per cent of the workers, an electrical panel with exposed wires, a first-aid kit having inadequate supplies, missing emergency lights on three exits, lack of space for a dozen workers in the sewing section, inappropriate storage of chemicals and unsafe discharge of hazardous waste into the environment.

Lies, they claim

“This is all based on lies,” Nisa exclaimed, when one of the audit reports was read out to her. “Only a blind person would not see the poor working conditions there,” she added.



“The departments at the factory were like prison cells. There was only one gate from where workers could leave or enter the premises. The windows were sealed off with iron bars and a thick metal net was nailed around it,” she described. “There were no fire extinguishers or alarms at the factory,” she said exasperatedly, as she was shown some pictures in the audit reports. “They were only installed when there was visit by some foreigners.”



This was also not the first time that a fire had broken out at the factory, she said, adding that during her five years of employment, she had witnessed two fires. “There was no alarm going off on any of the occasions.”

Much to her surprise, the audit report stated that the auditors also interviewed workers. “They never spoke to any of the workers. The factory management would not let them do so,” she countered. “The workers were ordered by supervisors to remain quiet during the time the auditors were on the floor.”

Contradictory findings

The audit report stated that there were around 450 workers at the factory, out of which 70 per cent worked on pro-rate basis, meaning they will earn wages in accordance to how many pieces they produce while the rest were salaried. The report also claimed that all the workers had signed contracts with the company, guaranteeing their social security.

“Nothing of the sort was provided,” said Ahmed. “I worked as a helper and for that, I was paid Rs4,500. If I took a day off, it was also deducted out of my pay,” he added



“And this is the biggest lie that only 450 labourers worked at the factory,” his wife intervened, adding that this number would have worked in one department only. “If there were any fire exits or safety equipment, how did such a big tragedy occur?” she questioned.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 25^th,  2015.