In the morning of 14 September more than fifty labor and trade union leaders from Karachi Site Area attended a meeting in order to form a strategy after tragic incident of Baldia Town Karachi in which 289 workers (men, women and children) were burnt alive when a garment factory caught fire.

Meeting was organized by Sight Labor Forum and chaired by Khasta Rehman (President Labor Forum and Coca Cola Union). He opened the meeting by saying that we would continue the struggle for workers’ rights through all possible means. A committee was formed later on in the supervision of BakhtZameen, a labor leader and General Secretary of Labor Forum. The committee will take care of the legal proceedings for the compensation for injured workers and families of those killed in the incident. Another committee under the supervision of KhuwajaMubasharHussainHashmi, which would unmask the real face of industrialists by distributing leaflets among the factory workers about the real reasons of the tragic incident. A common fund for all these activities was formed and 10000 rupees were collected at the spot. The meeting was also attended by RajaTauqeer Ahmed (President CBA Ameer Ali Steel Workers Union), DildarHussain (Gen Secretary Koh-e-Noor Soup Factory Union), Abdul RazzaqKacho (Joint Secretary CBA DADEX Pvt Ltd.) , GulRehman (labor leader), Safeer Mughal (General Secretary Coca Cola Union) and various other labor leader from different factories.

Comrade Jannat represented PTUDC in the meeting and said that workers would have to fight for their rights by themselves. He proposed that workers committees should be formed in every factory and labor colony. A condolence meeting should be organized and representatives of workers from the whole city should be invited. He also said that according to Sindh Government number of registered workers in the burnt factory was 268 but in reality more than 3000 men, women and children were working in the factory. Sindh Government should resign immediately as the responsibility of the incident falls onto its shoulders as well, alongside the factory owners. He said that PTUDC would standby the workers on this crucial movement as it always has and would highlight the issue on national and international level.