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The Hindu
3 hours ago
- Health
- The Hindu
CITU blames lack of safety audits for recurrent accidents at pharma units
Expressing concern over the death of 40 people in the reactor blast at a pharma company near Hyderabad, CITU State general secretary Ch. Narasinga Rao has blamed callousness by factory managements and lack of safety audits for the recurring accidents in pharma companies. Mr. Narasinga Rao, while addressing the media on Wednesday, recalled the accident occurred at Escientia Pharma in Atchutapuram near Visakhapatnam last year, which claimed 17 lives. 'During the last one year, 32 persons have lost their lives in 11 accidents at pharma units in Anakapalli district,' he said. The gas leak from the LG Polymers plant in Visakhapatnam in the past had claimed 15 lives. He alleged that the negligence of the management was responsible for those accidents. 'However, neither the Centre nor the State had punished the erring management. On the contrary, LG Polymers was given the red carpet to set up its plant in Sri City of Tirupati district. Though pharma companies are in the red category list, the mandatory inspections were ignored on the pretext of Ease of Doing Business (EODB) and Speed of Doing Business (SODB),' Mr. Narasinga Rao said. He alleged that inspections were not being conducted by the officials concerned even after complaints related to violations of laws were lodged. 'Inspections are being done only after approval from Delhi,' he said and sought to know why AI could not be utilised to prevent industrial accidents. He alleged that the use of outdated equipment and the reuse of recovered solvents were the main causes for reactor blasts. 'The governments are washing their hands off after payment of ex gratia. A super speciality hospital with a burns unit should be available close to pharma industries. The Burns Unit, which was available in Visakhapatnam Steel Plant (VSP), was closed,' he pointed out. He said that it was unfortunate that the governments, which were evincing keen interest in the establishment of pharma companies, were not bothered about the safety of workers. The lack of rest, enrolment of unskilled workers, in areas which require high proficiency, were the other causes contributing to accidents. CITU district president KM Srinivas, and Pharma City Staff and Workers Union president Ganisetty Satyanarayana were present.
The Hindu
27-04-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
All party trade unions give a call to make May 20 strike a success
The speakers at a seminar on 'Labour Codes', organised by the All Party trade unions, demanded immediate scrapping of the four labour codes, brought out by the Modi government to the detriment of workers and to favour the corporate groups. The seminar was held at Alluri Vignana Kendram, here, on Sunday (April 27). They alleged that during the last 11 years of BJP rule, the rate of unemployment in the country has been increasing due to the 'anti-worker' and 'anti-people' policies of the NDA government. The All Party unions have given a call to observe an All India strike on May 20. CITU State general secretary Ch. Narasinga Rao, INTUC State general secretary Mantri Rajasekhar, AITUC national vice president D. Adinarayana and CFTUI national president N Kanaka Rao were among those who spoke. They alleged that the Modi government was trying to water down the labour laws, which were achieved by workers following sustained struggles during the British rule. The government has already converted 29, of the 44 labour laws, into four labour codes. When these codes were implemented, the workers would lose their right to strike, to form a trade union, to bargain with the management for salaries and wages, and they could be fired anytime at the whims and fancies of the management. They would also lose their right to minimum wages, PF, ESI and social security. The speakers called upon all sections of the public to make the May 20 strike a success to thwart the 'anti-worker' and 'anti-people' policies of the Modi government.
