Hazards of Industry
Almost a decade ago, thousands of people died painful deaths when the Union Carbide pesticide factory in Bhopal leaked poisonous gas. The death toll in the world’s worst industrial disaster has reached 16,000 people while half a million more were stricken with incurable illnesses.
The Bhopal incident was a man-made atrocity and not a mere accident as Union Carbide and Indian officials claim it to be. First of all, Union Carbide chose to use a hazardous process in the production of its herbicides and pesticides when less hazardous methods were available. The accident could also have been avoided if the company did not use unsafe storage methods and faulty plant design.
In this issue, the Asian Labour Update is highlighting industrial health and safety concerns, as part of the regional campaign to “Remember Bhopal”. Survivors of the Bhopal atrocity will visit various countries in the region to remind industries about the lessons of the incident.
In fact, the number of industrial accidents is mounting. Workers’ health and safety continue to be disregarded in the name of profit as shown by the recent cases in Kader, Zhili, and Won jin. The Christian Industrial Committee, a Hong Kong-based labour center, has exposed what it sees as chronic apathy by the local government to protect workers even as it chases and courts foreign investors.
How many more workers and people are we going to sacrifice at the altar of profit and in the name of “industrialisation” and “development”?
Contents
COVER STORY
China buys a Korean killing machine
COUNTRY REPORTS