Pakistan factory fires claim lives of 300 workers O engulfed the Ali Enterprises garment

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In the evening of Sept. 11, a massive fire factory in Karachi, killing at least 258 workers in the worst industrial accident in Pakistan’s history. All but one exit to the fac­ tory and all the windows were locked, trapping many workers inside. Several hours earlier, in Lahore, a shoe factory burned down, killing 25 workers.

Preliminary reports indicate that both the fires may have been caused by faulty electrical wiring; in the case of the Karachi fire, sparks from wiring may have caused a boiler to ex­ plode, igniting the blaze, although investigation results are largely inconclusive. The factory owners, Abdul Aziz Bhaila and his son Arshad Bhaila, were arrested in Larkana and charged with murder. The Sindh High Court granted them interim bail until Oct. 6.

Ali Enterprises produces garments, especially jeans and hosiery, for export to Europe and the United States. According to Pakistan’s National Trade Union Federation (NTUF), most of the workers at the factory were not registered for any of the government’s social insurance pro­ grams, which provide pensions, income sup­ port, and representation in labor disputes.

The factory was not registered with the La­ bour Department, which would typically pro­ vide for regular safety inspections. Industrial labor in Pakistan is governed by the Factory Act of 1934, passed under the British colonial government before the partition of India.

The fires highlight the appalling conditions faced Rizwan Tabassum / AFP / Getty Images by workers in the developing world, especially in in­ dustries that provide low-cost manufactured goods to Western distributors. As the profitability of produc­ tion in developed countries continues its terminal decline, capitalists look to the labor forces of poorer (Left) Relatives mourn workers killed in Karachi garment factory fire on Sept. 11.

countries, where workers can be paid far less and without labor protections that get in the way of the extraction of surplus and the pursuit of profit.

The result is a race to the bottom, in which smaller capitalists in the developing world compete with each other to provide export goods at the lowest possible cost, resulting in the extensive used of child labor, unpaid overtime, industrial accidents, and the ruined lives of countless millions of workers. The Pakistani garment industry is notorious for the use of child la­ bor and the locking of workers in factories during the working day.

Several weeks earlier, the factory was given an SA8000 certification by Social Accountability Interna­ tional (SAI), indicating that it had “met international standards in nine areas, including health and safety, child labor, and minimum wage.” SAI provides moni­ toring services for labor conditions at low-cost suppli­ ers in the developing world; it is primarily funded by corporate backers, which is a clear indicator that the organization is merely an arm of the capitalist class, rather than one that fights for workers’ protection.

In response to the fires, the Labour Party of Pakistan and the NTUF called for a general strike on Sept. 15. They were joined by several groups associated with Sindh nationalist parties who were already planning actions in response to a local government ordinance, leading to violent clashes with the police in Hyder­ abad and Thar. In addition, the National Students Fed­ eration organized an occupation of Baldia Town, the district in which the factory was located, which began on Sept. 29. n SOCIALIST ACTION OCTOBER 2012 7

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website: http://socialistaction.ca ments accepted by the UAW in the U.S. Now the CAW has all but completely acquiesced to that type of ar­ rangement. New hires will be paid approximately $14 per hour less than regular workers. It will take them 10 years to attain the full rate, which will remain virtually