Asbestos Banning and Trade Unions Campaign. Karnan Ramamurthy, President Indian National Rural Labour Federation (Affiliate of BWI and TCWF)

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1 Asbestos Banning and Trade Unions Campaign Role in India Karnan Ramamurthy, President Indian National Rural Labour Federation (Affiliate of BWI and TCWF)

2 Asbestos and Awareness in India Commonly used Materials in India for mainly in Construction Sector 99.9% 9% of the people are not aware of the harmful effects of Asbestos Asbestos based Industry lobby is stronger in India. Government steps in banning Asbestos is very Luke warming. Chennai Cancer Institute reports that 2-3% of the affected cancer people are due to Asbestos.

3 Asbestos and Awareness in India There are One lakh (0.1 million) workers directly exposed and 3 crore (30 million) construction workers could potentially be subjected to asbestos dust on a day-to-day basis. The Indian government has showed complete apathy towards ILO Convention 162, especially in light of the June 2006 ILO resolution calling for the elimination of all further uses of asbestos globally. ll

4 Asbestos and Awareness in India The adverse impact of asbestos use has been further established with major Japanese manufacturers having admitted d scores of asbestos-related deaths amongst former employees, customers and local people. But the extent of the human tragedy due to asbestos exposure remains uncovered in India.

5 Banning Asbestos: Role of Trade Unions The Building and Wood Workers International (BWI) affiliates in India have been instrumental in voicing for workers in its trade sectors and in fact are collaborating with other like-minded organizations for the ban asbestos campaign. The union work has included a campaign for promoting the use of alternative e materials in place of asbestos. The strategy adopted till now by the trade union is to bring in awareness within the Union and disseminate the information through the union members to the general public on Banning Asbestos.

6 Banning Asbestos: Role of Trade Unions Unions time to time are conducting Rallies, Local language publication on Asbestos, Awareness program for the Trade Union leaders, Awareness of alternative materials & Village level Study Circle Meetings. The major resistance that the trade union are facing are the Powerful Pro Asbestos Lobby or Manufactures Alternative materials for Asbestos at the cheaper rate People mindset on asbestos to be changed Government and People representatives not aware of Harmful effects of Asbestos

7 Banning Asbestos: Role of Trade Unions TCWF had petitioned the Govt of Tamilnadu on 28 th April 2010 for banning Asbestos in the State as a proactive step the Govt of Tamilnadu issued notification to remove Asbestos Roof in School Building. Till now almost 1/3 rd of the School have converted to Non Asbestos Roofing's. As a result of the union memorandum, recently Mr. Stalin has announced that Asbestos roofing of 5500 primary and middle schools would be removed and shall be replaced by using a combination of environment friendly tiles, wooden and iron slabs. The state exchequer is spending approx. 850 million rupees ($ 1.97 million) to undertake this work.

8 Banning Asbestos: Role of Trade Unions

9 Banning Asbestos: Role of Trade Unions TCWF will soon sign an agreement with Builders Association of India Tamilnadu Chapter on gradually discording the use of Asbestos in their Constructions. Periodical meetings with Government officials on Banning Asbestos in their respective state. Unions have sent letters to elected representatives of the people on the harmful effects of Ab Asbestos inseveral locall Indian languages.

10 Banning Asbestos: Role of Trade Unions As part of this year s IWMD celebrations, on 30 th April a joint delegation of BWI s Nepal affiliates met with the Prime Minister, Jhala Nath Khanal and submitted a memorandum urging gto ban Asbestos in Nepal. The Prime Minister showed keen interest on the issue and seem to have an understanding on the health hazards associated with Asbestos. He assured the unions to initiate consultations with concerned ministries soon. The affiliates on their part have resolved to organise more awareness activities to push for a ban on Asbestos in all forms by the Nepal Government.

11 Conclusion The industry ss misinformation campaign needs to be countered with a sustained exercise on raising consumer awareness about the hazards of asbestos. Companies and countries, which have profited from the global trade in asbestos, should be held liable for the irreparable losses incurred by them.

12 Conclusion Research is showing asbestos epidemics across the globe even in countries where it is currently banned, as the consequence of past exposure. In the present scenario, it seems that slowly asbestos graveyards are being shifted from the developed to the developing world.

13 Conclusion The choice before the Indian Government is crystal clear either it should BAN TRADE, BAN MANUFACTURE AND BAN USE OF ALL KINDS OF ASBESTOS or MISINFORM the citizens that asbestos kills Japanese, Australians & Europeans but not Indians. But Today s exposures guarantee an epidemic i lasting at least another generation, with the asbestos graveyards shifting from the developed to the developing world.

14 The Future Course of Action in Banning Asbestos Lobbying, Training i Cadres & Mapping the Asbestos units in the various states. Set up local committees in the Asbestos manufacturing unit. To demonstrate and lobby with the government to implement and monitor the Supreme Court of India gave landmark directives in the famous Consumer Education and Research Centre (CERC), Ahmedabad (Gujarat State) and the Union of India in 1995.

15 The Future Course of Action in Banning Asbestos To lobby with the government to set up a committee comprising of Public (Trade Unions, NGO, Medical Professionals, Lawyers), Government and Manufacture to phase-out the manufacture of Asbestos To use the BWI and International lobby on Ban Asbestos to put in pressure on the Asbestos Manufactures to change to alternative manufacturing of roofing material using the existing the infrastructure In future will have meeting with the Manufacture for a possible phasing out of asbestos which will be a Herculean task.

16 At the moment its proven death due to past exposure to asbestos, and some jobs are effectively a death sentence. There is no safe level of exposure, so there is no acceptable level of exposure. This is the preventable health calamity of the modern era. "Asbestos is a threat to everyone, e e, not just workers. Asbestos does not affect any particular Colour, Blood or Race of Human Kind, From children in schools, to young and old in private and public buildings where asbestos is present and to whole communities where it exists as a epidemic i Thank you