Murder Charges Demanded for All Those Responsible For Casablanca Factory Fire

The global trade union representing textile workers today described as ‘inevitable mass murder arising from employer greed and official negligence’ the fire which raged through the Rosamor mattress factory in Casablanca on Saturday killing 54 workers. It called for murder charges to be brought against those responsible, not only the owners but also officials in government ministries and agencies who had ignored worker abuse and safety hazards in the factory.

“This was an accident waiting to happen and could have occurred at hundreds of locations in Morocco and tens of thousands across the world where textiles and household textiles’ manufacturers exploit workers and ignore basic safety standards while the authorities turn a blind eye to death trap factories’, claimed Neil Kearney, General Secretary of the Brussels-based International Textile, Garment and Leather Workers Federation.

“According to survivors of the fire, workers were being paid less than the legal minimum wage, weren’t registered for social security and worked in appalling conditions with factory doors and windows barred and locked during working hours making escape nearly impossible. As a result 54 workers, including 35 women, lost their lives, many being unidentifiable having been reduced to charred cinders. The few survivors had been forced to demolish windows and jump from the second and third floors. Those afraid to jump, mainly women, burned to death. To cap matters, most of the fire extinguishers in the factory were empty”, said Mr. Kearney.

“Everything possible must be done for the families of the dead and for the survivors. Exemplary compensation must be paid to all and the best medical care offered the injured. In addition, such greed and negligence demands that murder charges be brought against all those involved – not just the owners but also those in government ministries and agencies who failed in their responsibility to ensure factory safety at the Rosamor facility”, demanded Mr. Kearney.

“This must also be a wake up call for the rest of the country’s manufacturing industry and particularly the textile and garment sector”, said Mr. Kearney. “Ignoring basic labour legislation is commonplace in Morocco. Large numbers of workers are not registered for social security, few receive the legal minimum wage for a standard work week and health and safety is largely ignored. Exits are blocked, fire prevention is non-existent and, as in the case of Rosamor, fire extinguishers are not in place or are empty. This cowboy approach to working conditions is compounded by official complacency and negligence.

“Death trap workplaces and irresponsible employers should have no role in economic and industrial development. The Moroccan authorities must now undertake an urgent review of all workplace conditions including factory safety, immediately suspend the operation of all facilities deemed dangerous, bring charges against all enterprises in breach of labour legislation, including wages and hours laws and safety standards and put in place a time-bound programme of legal compliance for every industrial workplace', concluded Mr. Kearney.

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The International Textile, Garment and Leather Workers’ Federation is a global union federation bringing together 220 affiliated organisations in 110 countries with a combined membership of 10 million workers.