ANROEV Members are undertaking several activities across the globe to commemorate the International Workers Memorial Day on April 28, 2013

Bangladesh – focusing on Prevention of Occupational Diseases

Bangladesh Occupational Safety, Health and Environment Foundation (OSHE) , the OSH powerhouse of labour movement in Bangladesh will organize and invlove following events in the occasion of the International Commemoration Day (ICD) / World Day for Safety and Health at Work- -28 April:
1. National Tripartite Seminar: “Prevention of occupational Diseases by collective Actions”, National Press Club Dhaka, 28 April, 2013 (10am – 4pm)

2. Tajreen Fashions Accident Victims Group - Tajreen Fire Accident Victims Group will organize a public demonstration on 28 April 2013 (11.30am) infornt of Muktangon, Dhaka remembering the fellow 112 co-workers lost lives and 200 critically injured at workplace on November 24, 2012, with a demand to Wal-Mart (International Fashion Chains) to pay due compensation to all accident victims of the Tajreen Fashions immediately and call-up the government take legal action against owner of the Tajreen Fashions for murdering of 112 innocent workers by locking of all exists during the time of fire occurred.

3. Ship Breaking Sector - With the support of the OSHE/FNV Project the Jahaj Bhanga Shilpo Protisthan Sromik Union (Ship breaking Industry Workers Union) will organise a Workers Procession at Shitakunda, Chittagoong on 28 April 2013 (11am) with a demand for safe and decent work in ship breaking yards.

National trade union centeres and unions at different sectors associated with the OSHE will join to those scheduled events with an emphasize the crucial role played by trade unions on fight agaist occupational diseases, strong regulation and effective enforcement in securing safer workplaces.

For more information, please contact with Repon Chowdhury, Bangladesh Occupational Safety, Health and Environment Foundation (OSHE), E-mail: oshe@agni.com

Phillippines

The Institute for Occupational Health and Safety Development (www.IOHSAD.org) will be taking part in the worldwide commemoration of Workers Memorial Day on April 28, 2013 by lining several activities.

The Litrato Obrero, a photo contest for Workers’ Health and Safety, will be crowd sourcing photos depicting working conditions of workers in the Philippines. The contest started last April 21, 2013 and the final submission of entries will be on May 5, 2013.

Winners will be announced on May 9, 2013, coinciding with the first year after the Novo Department Store fire which killed 17 workers. On the same day, there will be a whole day public exhibit at the Plaza Miranda, Manila, Philippines for the winners and entries of the photo contest. This initiative is supported by the Australian People for Health, Education and Development Abroad (www.APHEDA.org.au)

On April 25, 2013, leaders of various unions, workers organization and other stakeholders will gather to discuss the legislative efforts and direction to improve occupational health and safety in the Philippines. The activity will be hed at the Philippine General Hospital, Manila, Philippines.

On Sunday, April 28, 2013, IOHSAD will be releasing its annual Occupational Health and Safety Statistics 2012. This will feature gathered data on work-related accidents collated from various news outlets in the Philippines.

Hong Kong

There will be a march from Wan Chai Southorn Playground to the headquarters of the Government Offices organised by ARIAV and supported by the local labour movement and ANROEV member organisations in the morning of April 28 at 10 am.

In addition, an exhibition on Zhili fire will held by LAC, WE and other organisations on Sai Yeung Choi Street South, Mong Kok, Kowloon, Hong Kong in the afternoon.

India

1. Seminar on Industrial hygiene on April 25
2. Symposium on the subject of Workers’ Safety, Health and Welfare Measures jointly organized by GICEA, GCA , BAI, BMS and others on April 29
3. Meeting of Asbestos victims and memorial service

United Kingdom
Demonstration outside the Russian Embassy on Friday, April 26. Press Release andFlyer
Statement for out Families Against Corporate Killers Group: http://www.fack.org.uk/news/wmd2013.html.
Events: Find one near you by checking TUC listing:  http://www.tuc.org.uk/workplace/tuc-21912-f0.cfm

For more information, resources, images, ideas, and a global listing of activities see: ITUC, Hazards WMD pages: http://www.hazards.org/wmd/ and also Face Book Page Workers Memorial Day 28 April

Representatives of AMRC and ANROEV participated in a multi stake holder consultation on the Tazreen Fire on January 7, 2013 and visited the factory site in Bangladesh. The fire tragedy resulted in deaths of 111 workers and more than 300 workers were injured. A compensation of BKT 600,000 has been promised to the families of the deceased. Read More »

December 10, 2012

ANROEV Statement against the recent fires

The Asian Network for the Rights of Occupational and Environmental Victims (ANROEV) expresses its deep sadness and outrage at two recent fires within a spate of three months in Karachi and Dhaka. These fires together killed more than 420 workers and have now become the most devastating fires, in terms of the death toll, in Asia.

ANROEV being a victims’ network, spread in more than 14 Asian countries, was bonded together by two similar devastating fires in Thailand and China almost two decades back. Thus ANROEV fully understands the pain and agony that the victims and their families are facing and would like to express deep solidarity with the affected workers and their families.  Just when we thought to have buried the ghosts of past, Karachi and Dhaka opened the old wounds again and this time more painful. History keeps on repeating in gruesome way.

ANROEV members would also express deep outrage at the colossal loss of life, which is now unprecedented by any scale.  We cannot control fires, as accidents happen. However fires should not kill so many workers; fire safety is the minimal basic that workers deserve. Providing safe fire passage is well known for more than a century since the ‘Triangle Fire’ of New York in 1911 and if they are not there or remain blocked any deaths henceforth should amount to ‘murder’ and not accident.

In both Karachi and Dhaka fires, workers died due to lack of proper fire exits or exits that were locked, something that has killed workers in past also. We therefore consider these deaths as willful murders.

The fires again expose the ‘quest’ for profits by the major clothing brands and retailers at the cost of workers life and health. The price of clothes does not reflect the real cost of the production as most of the costs are externalized. This production process has also ensured that the workplaces remain ‘union free’ with anti-union practices rampant both in Pakistan and Bangladesh.

The fires also reflect the hollowness of the ‘self regulatory’ standards that manufactures and brands have been adopting in with collusion of the state that has been systematically weakening the state regulatory mechanisms, which would allow inspections of these facilities by local authorities.

The network therefore demands:

1. Immediate fair compensation to all the victims and their families and proper long term rehabilitation for all the affected workers and their families.
2. Free and independent enquiry into root causes of the accident, which should lead to long term structural changes
3. Criminal prosecution of all the responsible parties – including the owner, buyers for their negligence and auditors that ‘certified’ the premises as safe.

Henceforth

1. Companies should be obliged to comply with national and international health and safety measures, whichever is a higher standard, in a serious manner through which should be monitored locally by strengthening the local independent inspections
2. Union and workers participation at all levels in health and safety policies and decisions has to be recognised as indispensible component in ensuring safe and healthy workplaces. Concrete steps should be taken to ensure freedom of association.

Should there be any enquiries, please email at anroev@gmail.com

Endorsed by

• Asia Monitor Resource Centre
• Association of Workers with Occupational Injuries
• Center for Worker’s Health and Safety
• Occupational and Environmental health Network of India
• Institute of Occupational Health
• Korea Institute of Labor Safety and Health
• Korean Public & Social Services and Transportation Workers’ Union
• Korean Confederation of Trade Unions
• The Ma-Tchang-Geoje Coalition for Elimination of Occupational Injuries and Illness
• People’s Solidarity for Social Progress
• The Solidarity for Healthy Labor World
• Solidarity for Worker’s Health
• The Ulsan Coalition for Elimination of Occupational Injuries and Illness
• RightOnCanada.ca, Director, Kathleen Ruff
• Hilda Palmer, Acting chair of national Hazards Campaign
• Sugio Furuya, JOSHRC
• Jason Chan, Publication and Documentation Manager, Labour Action China
• Asian Transnational Corporation Monitoring Network
• Committee for Asian Women and Persatuan Sahabat Wanita Selango
• Korean Metal Workers Union

Paper Workers Union of PT. Pindo Deli (SPK PD) decided to hold second strike commencing on June 4, 2012 at 00. 00 am that will last for 14 days. This decision taken after a deadlock on wage negotiation held after the first strike. The Management of PT. Pindo Deli failed to positively respond the workers union’s (SPK PD) demand to raise the wages of workers based on the working appraisal /performance or commonly known as End-Year Assessment. The response of the management is a denial on the commitment they made when the workers held first strike on May 7 – 8th 2012. Sign the petition (Petition has been discontinued as the workers have reached a settlement with the management)

PT Pindo Deli, a paper company with world-class production capacities, is a subsidiary of Sinar Mas Group and has become a very important part of Asian Pulp & Paper (APP) companies. As the major-class exporter for the American, Europe and Asian countries markets, this company employs not less than 13.000 workers.

The strike again is the last choice decided by the union when the door of negotiation has been closed or met dead lock. The company has neglected the demand submitted by the union to raise the workers wages by 18%, comprising of the wage increase due to the deviation of raise on the Regional Minimum Wages 2012 of Karawang District and raise upon the workers’ working appraisal. This formula of wage proposed by the union has become important aspect since the company has never given rewards or recognition to workers who had been serving for years. The current applicable system only allows wage raise of 16,000 rupiahs (2 US $) per year for workers who have been working for more than 20 years.

In addition to the wage issues, SPK PD is also drafting a master plan for many other issues, as follows:

1. Issue on systemic “lay-offs’ implemented through a quota system or commonly known as Triple C Assessment, where workers who earn C for 3 consecutive years will be laid off.
2. Issue on discrimination where Foreign Workers received significant amount of wages and an abundance of facilities without any clear classification on their expertise, in contrary to the local workers who only received very low wages.
3. Issue on contract/outsourcing system applied in large numbers of workers (of 13, 000 workers, half of them confirmed as contract-based/outsourcing)
4. Issue on Protection of freedom to associate for workers
5. Issue on the untransparent system of career developments and promotion.

The Federation of Trade Unions of Pulp and Paper Indonesia (FSP2KI), as an affiliate has called for supports from many paper / pulp companies, members of FSP2KI related to this strike. This will also be a momentum to unite all workers in the paper companies under the Sinar Mas Group of whom are expected to join the strike as well. All workers in SINAR MAS GROUP companies must make the momentum of PINDO DELI strike as the wake-up call for widely national struggle, for compiling CBA and for building up the road to common welfare. 

Sign the petition (Petition has been discontinued as the workers have reached a settlement with the management)

In addition, The Central Board of the National Union Confederation (DPP KSN) will certainly give their full support to this strike by mobilizing political power nationally as well as internationally, among others by:

1. Urging the Minister of Manpower and Transmigration and the Commission IX of DPR RI to intervene soon and give a way-out to the problems in Sinar Mas Group immediately.
2. Urging the Chief of Indonesian Police to provide guarantee on the security of all workers on strike
3. Instructing all Federation members and DPW KSN all over Indonesia to conduct rallies/actions massively in companies under Sinar Mas Group, including by occupying Sinar Mas Banks in major cities in Indonesia
4. Conducting International Campaign to call for international supports.

SPK PD, FSP2KI, DPP KSN believes that the strike in Pindo Deli will be the trigger of labour struggle against the unjust and unfair employment system in companies under Sinar Mas Group and will evoke solidarity widely. In turn, the general strike in all companies under Sinar Mas Group will be the common choice for fighting for the welfare of all workers of Sinar Mas Group.

So, we called for supports for the success of this strike with the following statements:

1. To All Workers of PT. Pindo Deli to unite in a single command under the leadership of SPK PD, FSP2KI and KSN
2. To All members of the KSN  to support the strike of PT Pindo Deli Workers by conducting actions /rallies
3. To the Minister of Manpower of RI and the Commision IX of House of Representatives to take political steps immediately to solve the problems in Sinar Mas Group
4. To the Regent and the Chairman of the Parliament of Karawang to take concrete and real actions to save the condition of  the workers of PT. Pindo Deli as the largest tax-payer for Karawang District
5. To the Chief of Indonesian Police to provide guarantees on the security for all workers on strike
6. To National and International Networks to mobilize supports for the success of this strike.

With the faith in the power of The WORKERS UNITE, CAN NOT BE DEFEATED, we declare the STRIKE is the only way and choice not to negotiate.

EXACTLY AT 00. 00 am on June 4, 2012,
ALL MACHINES IN PT PINDO DELI WILL BE STOPPED OPERATING.

WORKERS UNITE CAN NOT BE DEFEATED, LABORS RULE PEOPLE’s PROSPEROUS
BANGKIT MELAWAN ATAU TUNDUK TERTINDAS

KSN: COME FORWARD! FIGHT! WIN!

Karawang, 24 May 2012

Sign the petition (Petition has been discontinued as the workers have reached a settlement with the management)

On Tuesday (May 22, 2012) 500 Indian villagers in Odisha, India’s 9th largest state, mounted a highly visible march and demonstration against plans by Vishwakarma Asbestos Ltd. to build an asbestos factory in the Sohella area of Bargarh district.

Read More.