December 03, 2008
Gadani ship breaking yard losing workers to cities
The News reported that Pakistan’s Gadani ship breaking yard, which was a thriving industry in the 1980’s and provided jobs to thousands of people directly or indirectly, is facing migration of labors to other sectors.
As per report, there was a time when the yard was a booming market where thousands worked but now the number of workers has reduced due to a slump in the industry over time and as such these workers prefer to work in cities.
The report cited a worker as saying that "The moment workers get an idea of a better working environment, they leave this field and start working in cities where they get safer work on higher wages. There were many incentives for workers at Gadani in the 1980’s, but all that charm has come down with the industry, to disappointing levels. Earlier, the employers were very kind to workers and would hire laborers for the complete year or so, and now it has come down to just 15 days at one stretch."
Some workers said that their duty hours are fair enough as they work 8 hours a day, but what they think is vulnerable, is their life. Accidental blasts and wounds are the potential threats to a worker’s life, which is where the authorities must step in and consult ship breakers and workers to help prevent such accidents.
One of the major problems that workers face is the lack of interest from their employers towards health hazards and life threatening risks to workers. Workers are helpless as they have limited options to earn a living, which usually draws them to work under severe conditions, that sometimes leads to fatal accidents.
Apart from the health of the ship yard workers, in recent years, ship breaking has also become an issue of a major environmental concern. Many ship breaking yards in developing nations have a mild environmental law, enabling large quantities of highly toxic materials to escape into the environment, causing serious health problems among ship breakers, the local population and the wildlife.
