CITU Demands Compliance with Industrial Safety Norms; Punishment to Those Responsible for Accidents
THE Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU), in a statement issued on July 1, expressed deep shock and grief over the loss of workers' lives and injuries caused by the reactor blast at Sigachi Chemical Factory in Telangana and the blast at a cracker factory in Sivakasi, Tamil Nadu. CITU conveyed its heartfelt condolences to the families of the deceased workers.
The actual death toll from the reactor blast at Sigachi Chemical Industry in Sangareddy, Telangana – reported to be 44 so far, many of whom are migrant workers – is still being confirmed. Meanwhile, fresh reports indicate that five workers are feared dead in the Sivakasi cracker factory blast in Tamil Nadu.
CITU has called for statutory compensation for all those who died or were injured in these tragic incidents, and also demanded that the respective governments provide ex gratia compensation to the families of the deceased.
CITU urged the Central and State Ministries of Labour and Employment, as well as the concerned Factories Directorates, to strictly enforce industrial safety regulations and take stringent action against those responsible for these accidents. The increasing number of industrial accidents and recurring loss of workers' lives across the country highlight the negligent and casual attitude of both central and state governments towards worker safety and well-being.
The deregulation spree unleashed by the government, as part of a destructive restructuring of labour laws and industrial safety norms, has severely compromised workers' lives. By decriminalising offences and replacing imprisonment with fines for employer negligence –particularly in maintaining safety of boilers and furnaces – the government has become complicit in the rising number of fatal workplace accidents. Occupational safety and health are being blatantly disregarded in the name of “ease of doing business,” all in an attempt to appease employers.
The labour codes will further embolden non-compliant employers to neglect workplace safety. These codes have effectively dismantled statutory inspections by labour departments and factories directorates, transforming inspectors into mere “facilitators” aligned with the neoliberal agenda of deregulation.
Even before the formal implementation of the labour codes, the digitalisation, randomisation, and centralisation of inspections through the Shram Suvidha Samadhan Portal have virtually eliminated regular workplace inspections. Under this regime, state or central labour department inspectors are not permitted to visit and inspect establishments – even in response to complaints – unless randomly assigned through the centralised system. This structural shift in inspection norms, combined with “self-certification” of compliance, has directly contributed to the rise in industrial accidents.
Despite the growing number of such tragedies, the union government passed the Jan Suraksha Act, 2023, which decriminalises employer offences, including those related to boiler blasts and gas leaks – leading causes of industrial disasters. Shockingly, the Union Budget 2025–26 has announced a Jan Suraksha Bill 2.0, which aims to further decriminalise employer offences.
CITU strongly urges the union government to immediately reverse all such amendments that decriminalise employer offences under the Boilers Act and other related industrial and labour laws. These changes place the lives of workers at grave risk on the shop floor and in workplaces.
CITU calls upon all sections of workers to raise their voices against these anti-worker policies and demand the scrapping of the labour codes by participating en masse in the countrywide general strike on July 9, 2025, called by the joint platform of trade unions.
