Shipbreaking workers call on IMO to save lives

GLOBAL: Shipbreaking workers from India attended a meeting of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) in London today, calling on IMO members to regulate the shipbreaking industry and help save lives. Thousands of shipbreaking workers die, are injured or fall ill when recycling old ships in one of the world’s most dangerous, dirty and largely unregulated industries. Ninety-five per cent of old ships are broken up and recycled on the beaches of Bangladesh, India, China, Pakistan and Turkey. In the most appalling conditions, earning less than a dollar a day, shipbreaking workers face hazards such as fire, explosions, falls from great heights and exposure to asbestos, heavy metals and PVCs. Negotiations are underway at the IMO to develop internationally agreed regulations on the recycling of ships. However, adoption of the regulations is not expected until 2009, and proper implementation by 2015 at best, if at all. Speaking on behalf of the shipbreaking workers Mr. Vidyadhar V. Rane, Secretary of the Mumbar Port Trust, Dock and General Employees' Union, called on IMO members to deliver a mandatory set of regulations that set clear standards and protect the lives of shipbreaking workers immediately. “Shipbreaking workers in India and other parts of the world need work, but they need safe work. I am appealing to the developed countries who send their ships to Asia to take some responsibility and save lives," said Mr Rane. A short film documenting the conditions of work in Bangladesh and India was released to the media in support of the workers' call for reform of the industry. A copy of the film is available on the IMF website. The shipbreaking workers are represented internationally by the International Metalworkers’ Federation (IMF), with support from the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) and the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions (ICFTU). For further information about shipbreaking, visit www.imfmetal.org/shipbreaking.Oct 09, 2006 – Anita Gardner