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South Asian Workshop on “Asbestos Hazard” held in
Dhaka |
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| Bangladesh Occupational Safety, Health and
Environment Foundation (OSHE) and NGO Platform
joinly organized “A South Asian Workshop on Asbestos
Hazards” on 1st April, 2009 at BRAC Center Inn,
Dhaka with the view of exchanging knowledge and
sharing information about the banning asbestos at
nationally and internationally working together
against ths killing fibre with the involvement of
different stakeholders in labour market (government,
employer, workers, trade unions and labour rights
NGOs etc.). |
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| A good number of multi
stakeholders attended the programme. Chair
of Bangladesh Occupational Health, Safety
and Environment Foundation (OSHE), Saki
Rezwana and Policy Advisor of NGO Platform
on shipbreaking, Grazia Cioci presented two
key note papers in the perspective of their
own country accordingly. Saki Rezwana
enlightened a clear overview of ship
breaking industry in Bangladesh located at
Chittagong where ships packed with deadly
asbestos without taking any safety measures
by the migrant workers comes from different
rural area who have no clue about the toxic
environment of their work and Grazia Cioci
focused on the overall situation of asbestos
hazards in South Asian region. |
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In the open discussion, trade union leaders
expressed their interaction. Mr. Safar Ali,
International Secretary of Jatiyo Sromik League in
Chittagong division said, “A good number of ship
scrapping yards are located at Shitakunda in
Chittagong. It begins to scrapping of a wounded ship
hit by a bomb in the liberation period. Now a day, a
huge number of old and toxic ships are scrapping
here without taking any precautions. Because of that
many workers are becoming the victim of different
health hazards”.
All other trade union leaders’ intracted, “Undoubtly
it is a time-be-fitting and effective step that has
taken OSHE and NGO Platform on shipbreaking jointly.
The awfullness of deadly asbestos is an issue of
anxiety at work and it is the time to take action
against it. Neverthless a great number of workers
will affect the contamination of asbestos thatwill
effect our labour market largely”. In addition, they
thanked OSHE making scope to attain this workshop
and be aware of that issue. They consider that it
has created a window to work together to reduce
asbestos hazards. However, they expressed their
obligation to include it in their trade union
movement’s agenda and taking part to create
awareness among the workers as well as burgaining
with the employers on that issue.
The participants made a declaration from the
programme with urging the government to take
immediate steps on ban asbestos at national and
South Asion region; called up different stakeholders
in labour market working together against this
killing fibre: raise public voice and awareness at
local and national level with a demand for ban
asbestos; strengthening voice of the asbestos
victims in society and help them to get proper legal
compensation and build up ban asbestos network at
national, sub-regional and regional level aming to
make asbestos free Asia.
A victim of killing asbestos, Mr Zahangir Alam was
present in the programme. He expressed his untold
sufferings caused by the contamination of asbestos
that ruined his lungs. |
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For more information: A.R. Chowdury REPON, OSHE
E-mail: oshe@agni.com
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