ANROAV Annual Conference November 4 to 7, 2006, Bangkok, Thailand

September 19, 2006 in Latest News

Role and Importance of the Grassroots OSH Movement in promotion of workers Safety in Asia

The ANROAV Annual Conference of 2006 is dedicated to Vijay Kanhere – a renowned OSH activist and active ANROAV advisor, who passed away on June 20, 2006.

Background

Occupational health and safety continued to be one of the key concerns in the Asian region in the year 2005. The ILO, in its XVIIth Congress in Florida, in September 2005 also impressed upon the need for urgent intervention in this area. The ILO also increased its global mortality figure from 2 million to 2.2 million annually due to work related reasons. Asia continues to be one of the major contributors for these statistics with China and India estimated to have majority of these fatalities, not only in sheer numbers but also in terms of rate. However, reporting continues to be one of major problematic areas in Asia, as underlined by the ILO. China reported only 12,736 (14% of the estimate) accidents in the year 2001 whereas ILO estimates the figure to be somewhere around 90,295 and India was even worse in terms of reporting as they reported merely 222 (0.55% of the estimate) accidents out of the estimated 40133 fatal accidents. Rest of Asia reports only 3051(4%) out of the 76886 estimated accidents. This figures show the gross negligence and severity and extent of underreporting in this region. This unfortunately is just the tip of the iceberg as majority of fatality at the workplace are due to Occupational diseases and that have a far less chance to be reported. OSH problems in Asia continue to be neglected and treated with utmost apathy by the respective governments in the region.

Economic growth continues to occupy all the headlines especially from China and India. Accidents mostly in the coal mines in China also make headlines but ironically these deaths are considered as part of the development process and victims of the accident and disease hardly receive a fair compensation. Health and safety is perceived to be a mere technical issue that can be resolved by mere improvement in engineering and medical standards in different Asian countries. This approach puts experts both medical and engineering in control of the decision making and workers are considered as the passive players who should follow the orders.  Death of a worker may be perceived just a failure of the systems but it destroys the families and their fabric of livelihood. However, in reality health and safety improves when workers are in control and this has been true historically. Workers can be in control only when there is a grassroots organising and movement aimed in that direction. This has been highlighted strongly by the grassroots victims’ movement in Asia. They have been playing a critical role not only in demanding the just compensation for the victims or their families but also striving for improved working conditions in Asia.

ANROAV

The Asian Network for the rights of occupational accident victims (ANROAV) has been striving to uphold the rights of the occupational accident and disease victims in Asia and promote the grassroots OSH struggle in different Asian countries ANROAV was formed by victims organisation formally in 1997 and provides a platform for sharing and enriching the OSH struggles and the campaigns in Asia. ANROAV has members from more than 15 Asian countries.

In the year 2005, occupational disease emerged as a major concern in Asia due to many emerging cases, that included silicosis in Gem and Jewellery in China and India, Cadmium poisoning in China and Cancers in Taiwan and Japan. Workers are also becoming aware of the dangers at the workplace even though most of the times they are helpless in changing the situation.  ANROAV members actively organised campaigns for better safety in the gem polishing industry where workers are exposed to the deadly silica dust. ANROAV members also launched campaign for better compensation for the workers suffering from silicosis. ANROAV members are also campaigning for the asbestos free Asia and have been demanding a complete ban of asbestos. Cadmium poisoning in battery manufacturing has also affecting workers and adjoining community in China and ANROAV members have been campaigning for safe production and proper compensation to workers. ANROAV has been nominated for the prestigious King Baudouin International Award which has been a great encouragement for the network. ANROAV, as a network has been growing steadily for past many years and last year, for the first time, many grassroots groups from China also joined the network

Annual Meeting

ANROAV annual meeting is the highest decision making body for the network where future plans and direction of the network are discussed and the past activities are reviewed. The 2006 annual meeting will be based on the theme of analysing the role and importance of the grassroots OSH movement in improving the working standards in Asia. Historically, victims’ organising has played a key role in improving the working conditions globally. It has been true for coal mining pneumoconiosis, asbestosis and many other diseases, where victims’ organisation has been essential not only for getting just compensation but also for removing the hazardous material from the workplace. The aim of this year annual conference is two fold – firstly it is essential for us to document the whole victims and grassroots OSH struggle in different Asian countries which will be helpful for many labour activists. Secondly, we would also like to analyse the OSH movements in different countries, impact they are having on the national policies and what can be done in future to improve and what we can do together to make our struggle better. Even though OSH is a basic part of the labour movement yet sometimes OSH movements do not necessarily become part of the trade union movement and it would be good to analyse the issues of integrating or problems of integrating OSH moment and the trade union movement in Asia.

It is also critical to document the OSH organising experiences in Asia. ANROAV will attempt to publish these experiences in the form of a book which can become a authoritative historical document.  Recently, a well renowned OSH grassroots activist and advisor to ANROAV Vijay Kanhere passed away. This meeting will also highlight his contribution to the movement and we will dedicate this volume of ANROAV to Vijay for his contributions to grassroots OSH movement.

Key Aims of ANROAV annual meeting 2006

  • To analyse the role and importance of the grassroots victims and grassroots OSH movement in Asia, Participants and ANROAV members will be asked to submit a written paper on the OSH movement in their respective country with historical progression. The papers are expected to be compiled in the form of a booklet.
  • To provide updates on various ANROAV  struggles and campaigns – Asbestos, Silicosis (gem and Jewellery), Mining , Cadmium Poisoning
  • To devise strategies and plans on strengthening the victims’ movement and also spreading it across other regions.
  • ANROAV meeting will also act as a platform for the release of the book, Challenging The Chip: Labor Rights and Environmental Justice in the Global Electronics Industry
  • Lastly, ANROAV will also use this forum to conduct its organisational meeting.. Members will review the programmes of the past year and will also discuss and debate the present annual plan and specific responsibilities will be allocated to members. ANROV secretariat is also expected to present its activity and financial reports.

Venue

The meeting will be held in Pinnacle Lumpinee Hotel in Bangkok fro November 4 to 6. Please book your tickets so that you arrive on November 3 and depart on November 7 and please send us your travel details as soon as possible. The address of hotel is

PINNACLE LUMPINEE HOTEL & SPA

17 Soi Ngam Duphli,

Rama 4 Road, Sathorn, Bangkok 10120, Thailand

Tel: (66-2) 287-0111 to 21, Fax: (66-2) 287-3420

For location  map of hotel please see http://www.pinnaclehotels.com/lumpinee/location.html

Participants

The participants for the meeting would be ANROAV members from different Asian countries/regions consisting of China, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Macau, Hong Kong, China Philippines, Indonesia, Taiwan, China, Korea, Cambodia, Thailand and Vietnam.

Programme Schedule (Draft)

Arrival and Welcome dinner on November 3

Day 1 November 4

Welcome and Introduction

ANROAV overview and evaluation of the network activities for the past year.

 Campaign Updates

  • 1) Silicosis in Gem and Jewellery- China, India update
  • 2) GP Campaign (Cadmium Poisoning) China
  • 3) Asbestos Campaign – Japan, India, Bangladesh
  • 4) Cola Mining Campaign (India, China, Thailand)
  • 5) Electronics
  • 6) Updates from other members and observers.

Documenting the grassroots OSH movement in Asia discussion and strategy.

Day 2- November 5

  • ANROAV future strategy
  • Individual campaign group discussions and future plans and strategy
  • ANROAV newsletter and future strategy to develop it and to enhance the communication within the network.
  • ANROAV website
  • Developing ANROAV annual plan and implementation strategy.

Day 3 – November 6

  • Releasing the Book Challenging the Chip
  • Exposure trip in Bangkok

November 7 departure