Chinese owned tannery company, Friendship Tannery PLC, suspended operation after its employees went on a strike for the last 2 weeks in protest against accident happened to another employee aged 21, Ermias Tadesse. The injured employee used to work as an aesthetician who beautifies the hides using different machines.
The tannery employs 1,720 people and it is these people that went on a strike starting from October 14, 2017.
The injured employee is said to have lost his left hand even if he was taken to the hospital by fellow employees immediately after the accident happen. According to Fortune, this happened 8 months after another employee, Sete Welde, lost both her hands.
“They could not even provide a vehicle for me during the accident,” said Ermias, who earns 110 Br a day. “I went to the hospital in a cab.”
According to another employee of Friendship Tannery, Shambel Megra, Ermias was not wearing any safety gear when the accident occurred.
Following the strike the company had given notice for all employees to get to work but the employees decided otherwise until the problems are resolved.
According to Samuel Motuma, communications officer of Modjo Labour & Social Affairs Office, the company had sent its concerns to the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs (MoLSA) and Oromia Regional Administration.
The company has been operational for the last 7 years and it produces as well as export finished leather, gloves, shoes and bags. Nevertheless, it has been criticized for having low labour safety conditions for its employees since its inception.
In the last 8 months the number of work place injuries had increased and reached 152, Modjo town’s Labour & Social Affairs Office, explained.
“Lack of training, ageing of the machines and low provision of safety gears for the workers, are the major causes of the accidents,” said Samuel. “Due to these reasons, the company has frequently been warned. But, we have not seen any change even then.”
Yonas Tufa, head of Retaining Department in the Tannery, explained safety gears were usually provided for works in chemical processing department. “Although the job needs extra care, the employees do not use the safety gears properly,” he added.
Friendship Tannery is one of the 32 tanneries operating in Ethiopia.
Source: Fortune
