The Pakistani shipbreaking yards are located on the Arabian Gulf, 50 km to the West from the country’s largest city Karachi. They stretch out on several kilometres of coast. Most of the plots are leased from private land owners, while a few others are operated on government-owned land. Most of the shipbreaking workers are migrant workers from the poorest parts of Pakistan, mainly from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (the violence-stricken North-West Frontier Province). Most of the workers have to leave their families behind, as the Gadani yards do not offer appropriate housing and other social amenities for family members.
For many years, shipbreaking practices in Pakistan have not been prominent on the radars of international media. In the last years, both international and local NGOs as well as trade unions have been campaigning for better working conditions and environmental protection. The shipbreaking yards operate directly on the beach without any impermeable and drained working areas protecting the sea and sand from pollution. Gadani and the region do not have access to any kind of hazardous waste management system resulting in hazardous waste, such as asbestos, simply being dumped behind the shipbreaking area.
Local activists have filed a complaint under the Balochistan Environmental Protection Act which clearly demands that shipbreaking must be in line with the requirements of environmentally sound management of hazardous waste as defined by the Basel Convention. So far, the Government has not demanded or initiated the necessary changes: investments in proper facilities, downstream waste management and a proper legal regime. The beaching method applied in Pakistan raises serious concerns regarding the containment of pollutants and the contamination of the coast. Moreover, the use of cranes to lift blocks directly to drained working areas is not possible without further investment in infrastructure.
There are very serious concerns related to workers’ health and safety and the enjoyment of basic labour rights. Workers are usually not provided with proper accommodation. They work very long hours without extra pay or paid holidays and usually do not have any contractual arrangement with the yard management. Workers are killed in fires and explosions, by falling from great heights or when hit by large steel blocks. The injured have to be brought to hospitals in Karachi, which is very far away in case of
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a severe accident. The yards do not employ the workers themselves but work with contractors bringing in the work force and dealing with all related matters including the payment of wages.
Most workers are untrained migrant workers, unskilled to work safely in a hazardous industry. According to IndustriAll Global Trade Union, the workers currently earn between 2,70 – 6,00 EUR per day, that is, between 80-180 Euro per month if they work every day, whereas the living wage is estimated at around 218 Euro.