The World Federation of Trade Unions (WFTU), representing 105 million workers in 132 countries on the 5 continents, conveys its solidarity to the people of South Africa after witnessing the explosion in Engen refinery in Durban which caused seven people to be injured.
We note that this refinery has been the site of controversy for decades over the harm it causes to the health of residents in the South Durban basin since the facility is 66 years old and it has suffered two more fires since 2007.
It is by pure luck that there were no victims this time… We repeat our permanent demand that these kind of facilities must be built away of the urban fabric and must meet high security standards to avoid the loss of innocent people.
There is no doubt that the employers and the owners of the industries and plants know very well the lack of safety measures. They also know the dangers that exist in their enterprises because of the lack of the safety protective measures. According to this fact we can easily conclude that the “accidents” are nothing else than conscious murders. The protection of the life of the working class is a main task of the trade union movement.
The Secretariat