TRADE unions have urged the Indian government to improve safety at work after it reported at least 75 deaths in more than 30 industrial accidents since May.

The IndustriALL union federation has written urgently to Prime Minister Narendra Modi as Indian workers have been dying at the horrifying rate of one every day since work resumed after the Covid-19 lockdown.

Indian National Metalworkers’ Federation president Dr G Sandeeva Reddy called on the government to establish an expert commission to address the safety crisis.

One of the worst incidents, a toxic gas leak at the LG Polymers plant in Andhra Pradesh plant in May, was a reminder of the 1984 Bhopal gas disaster, in which as many as 16,000 people are believed to have died.

Industriall warned that accidents are occurring in chemical plants, coal mines and power stations, with the widespread use of contract workers, lack of safety inspections and inadequate penalties for safety breaches among the major contributing factors.

IndustriALL assistant general secretary Kemal Ozkan expressed concern over “the incessant occurrence of avoidable fatal accidents.

“It is nothing but industrial homicide and the government of India should immediately sound a national alarm to impose proper safety measures and protocols to prevent accidents.”