After TN tragedy, state forms seafood labour welfare panel

Bhubaneswar: Days after an ammonia gas leak at a seafood processing unit in Tamil Nadu, where several Odia workers were killed, raising concerns about their safety, Odisha govt has constituted a state-level tripartite committee to strengthen labour welfare mechanisms in such local units and ensure compliance with international labour standards.Officials of the labour and ESI department said the committee, to be chaired by principal secretary of the labour and ESI department, has been formed to facilitate adherence to international labour standards in seafood processing units, a key requirement for export-oriented industries.While labour commissioner will serve as the member-convener, other members include the director of fisheries, director of factories and boilers, deputy director of Marine Products Export Development Authority, Bhubaneswar Regional Centre, and a representative of Export Inspection Agency, Kolkata.To ensure representation from both industry and workers, the committee will also include two representatives from seafood processing units, to be nominated by the director of fisheries and two representatives from recognised state-level labour unions, to be nominated by the labour commissioner, officials said.The initiative comes amid growing emphasis on ethical labour practices in export-oriented industries.

International buyers and importing countries increasingly require compliance with labour welfare standards, workplace safety norms and fair employment practices as part of supply chain due diligence.Officials said Odisha has a significant seafood export industry, with numerous processing units catering to overseas markets.Meanwhile, the death toll of Odia workers in the gas leak at the seafood processing factory in Tiruvallur, Tamil Nadu, rose to 15 on Friday after Rohini Juanga of Harichandanpur in Keonjhar district died during treatment. Also, 10 Odia workers, who recovered, were brought back to Odisha on Saturday by the labour department. Of them, eight belong to Keonjhar and rest from Jajpur.