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| Version 2 | Version 3 |
|---|---|
| Details of Karachi fire emerge amid criticism of Pakistan's workplaces | Details of Karachi fire emerge amid criticism of Pakistan's workplaces |
| (8 days later) | |
| Further details have emerged of the fire that ripped through a Karachi clothes factory killing 289 workers on Wednesday, amid growing criticism of the conditions in the country's workplaces. | Further details have emerged of the fire that ripped through a Karachi clothes factory killing 289 workers on Wednesday, amid growing criticism of the conditions in the country's workplaces. |
| During an official day of mourning in the huge coastal city, trade unionists and business people all said safety regulations were often not enforced in the garment manufacturing industry. | During an official day of mourning in the huge coastal city, trade unionists and business people all said safety regulations were often not enforced in the garment manufacturing industry. |
| Employees were trapped as flames consumed the decrepit, warehouse-like structure. Exits were either locked or blocked by heaps of finished merchandise. Some people managed to escape by smashing through iron grills covering the windows and jumping several storeys down to the ground. | Employees were trapped as flames consumed the decrepit, warehouse-like structure. Exits were either locked or blocked by heaps of finished merchandise. Some people managed to escape by smashing through iron grills covering the windows and jumping several storeys down to the ground. |
| Murder charges have been registered against both the factory bosses and government officials for showing "utter negligence". | Murder charges have been registered against both the factory bosses and government officials for showing "utter negligence". |
| Siraj Qasim Teli, a senior member of the Karachi Chambers of Commerce and Industry said the country must take this opportunity to change the system of sweatshop manufacturing before national outrage fades. | Siraj Qasim Teli, a senior member of the Karachi Chambers of Commerce and Industry said the country must take this opportunity to change the system of sweatshop manufacturing before national outrage fades. |
| "In this country when an incident like this takes place everyone in government rushes on to the television to make mileage to cool down the atmosphere," he said. "But then within ten days it is all forgotten and it happens again." | "In this country when an incident like this takes place everyone in government rushes on to the television to make mileage to cool down the atmosphere," he said. "But then within ten days it is all forgotten and it happens again." |
| Mohiuddin Razak, a former garment manufacturer, said clothes makers were operating on wafer thin margins and cutting corners in order to compete on price with factories in Bangladesh and Vietnam. He said: "Often we would sew $25 price tags into T-shirts we were selling for $4. As long as so much of that value is not passed down to suppliers people will bribe inspectors to avoid the rules." | Mohiuddin Razak, a former garment manufacturer, said clothes makers were operating on wafer thin margins and cutting corners in order to compete on price with factories in Bangladesh and Vietnam. He said: "Often we would sew $25 price tags into T-shirts we were selling for $4. As long as so much of that value is not passed down to suppliers people will bribe inspectors to avoid the rules." |
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