PAKISTAN became member of International Labour Organization (ILO) on 31 October 1947, just two months after its independence. This clearly demonstrates the will of the nation for upholding the principles of social justice and labour rights. Since then, Pakistan and the ILO have worked together, adopting numerous conventions for the protection of workers’ rights. Till date Pakistan has ratified thirty six ILO conventions including eight out of ten fundamental conventions and two governance conventions. One significant initiative is the ILO’s involvement in drafting the International Maritime Organization (IMO) Hong Kong Convention (HKC) of 2009 which pertains to safe ship recycling practices at Ship Breaking Yards. Pakistan acceded to same on 30 November 2023. Ships typically have a lifespan of 30 to 40 years. Beyond this period, repair or maintenance becomes economically impractical, leading to their classification as reaching the End of Life (EOL) stage. Upon reaching this stage, a ship is dismantled to dispose of its hazardous wastes and to reuse its useful parts in different industries wherever feasible. Pakistan, Bangladesh & India are the three countries which undertake most of the ship recycling activities in the world. However, till late the age old rustic practices are used for the same.
Workers face significant challenges at the Gadani Ship Breaking yards. They include unsafe working practices, lack of medical facilities, drinking water related issues and above all lack of compensation in case of injury or death due adhoc job related arrangements with owners of Yards. In addition, there are dire issues of hazardous waste identification and its subsequent disposal in line with safe working protocols of ILO Conventions on the subject. Overall, there is a requirement of engaging all stakeholders including social security and workers’ welfare institutions. HKC 2009 underscores the significance of labour standards in the ship recycling sector and seeks to guarantee the safe and environmentally friendly conduct of ship recycling operations. ILO is investing heavily in addressing these issues with Government of Balochistan and is also now endeavouring to put its feet on the ground and devise a mechanism of practical implementation of workers centric regulations of ILO-IMO led HKC 2009 for the safety of workers.
Since accession of HKC 2009, Pakistan is working towards upgrading its yards as per the international requirements. In this regard, European Union, which owns a large chunk of the nearing End of Life (EOL) Ships, has also drafted its own European Union Safe Ship Recycling Rules (EUSSR). Yards conforming to those rules are only eligible for the disposal of EOL ships which are EU States registered. Norway is also one of the biggest stakeholders who are envisaging a large number of its fleet reaching EOL Stages in next two to three years. Overall, it has been estimated that around 15000 ships would reach its EOL stages by year 2035 and most of them would be recycled in the sub-continent. Therefore, ensuring workers safety not only in compliance of HKC and other international regulations but also at humanity level is a must. ILO has thus an enhanced role in its implementation. The mere stature of the organization in itself would be instrumental in the implementation of safe practices at workplaces in maritime sectors including but not limited to ship recycling.
It is also encouraging to state that stakeholders are now partnering with think tanks and other organizations to assess the doablity of implementation of HKC and identification of capacity building areas for subsequent financing. In this regard, National Institute of Maritime Affairs (NIMA) Islamabad has recently concluded a six months long survey and research endeavour for the identification of gap analysis of existing practices within the ship recycling sector. This project was focused exclusively to highlight inconsistencies between current practices and the safety protocols outlined in the IMO-ILO-led HKC 2009.
It merits highlighting that the recent maiden visit in September 2024 of the IMO Secretary-General to Pakistan to oversee Pakistan’s resolve and practical actions towards implementation of HKC 2009 for ensuring worker safety by 26 June 205 deadline also serve as a significant milestone for all stakeholders involved in the ship recycling industry in Pakistan. This visit not only underscored the importance of international cooperation between IMO & ILO in worker safety but also offered a renewed sense of encouragement to enhance practices that protect workers’ rights. Pakistan, in spite of its resolve, being a developing country, needs technical and financial support from international organizations like ILO, IMO & JICA and first world countries to help in building the infrastructures which would help in exercising safe practices at Ship Breaking yards. It is hoped that present cooperation would continue in the longer run for the betterment of workers safety, in health and compensation related issues addressal.
—The writer is associated with National Institute of Maritime Affairs (Islamabad).
