H50 Unorganised Labour

An ill-thought, knee-jerk decision led workers to shift to a dangerous chemical that has left at least 16 dead and over 300 injured in the past 5 years. https://theprint.in/ground-reports/mto-fires-killing-firozabad-bangle-workers-for-5-yrs-govt-union-waking-up-now/2179479/ Deaths and fires have become more frequent in Firozabad’s bangle making industry in the past five years. It all began with a desperate shift from the domestic kerosene to a highly inflammable MTO five years ago, without any government oversight, training, study or scrutiny of its safety aspects. Firozabad’s bangle industry is unorganised – often in headlines for child labour and hazard. It has been largely unregulated and ungoverned by business organisations. Household manufacturing units are left to figure out the operations by themselves. Seven to eight hours of bangle joining work barely gets them Rs 100-150. They work in small, dingy rooms without any protective gear. An ill-thought, knee-jerk decision led them to shift to a dangerous chemical that has left at least 16 dead and over 300 injured in the past five years. The glass industry is a major source of income for over 50 per cent of Firozabad’s population. It accounts for 70 per cent of India’s total unorganised glass production, with nearly 35 per cent of its products exported. by KRISHAN MURARI 18/07/2024