ITUC-Asia Pacific expresses grave concern and strong condemnation over the catastrophic explosion at Sigachi Industries Pvt. Ltd. in Telangana, India on 30 June 2025, which led to the loss of at least 44 workers’ lives and injury to over 30 others.1 The incident has exposed gross violations of worker safety standards, corruption in regulatory enforcement, and the utter failure of governance.
“The deaths at Sigachi Industries are not an accident — they are the direct consequence of wilful disregard for worker safety, enabled by systemic corruption and state negligence,” said Shoya Yoshida, General Secretary of ITUC-Asia Pacific. “At a time when occupational safety and health (OSH) has been recognised as a fundamental right at work, it is alarming and unacceptable that such preventable tragedies continue to occur.”
ITUC-Asia Pacific condemns the tragedy as a flagrant breach of the International labour Organization (ILO) Convention No. 81 (Labour Inspection). The Convention mandates regular, impartial, and effective inspections to safeguard workers’ rights and ensure safe working conditions. Despite India’s ratification of the Convention, the Telangana Factories Department has failed to uphold these standards.
ITUC-Asia Pacific affiliate, Indian National Trade Union Congress (INTUC), points to a deeply entrenched pattern of manipulated, forged, or absent inspection reports that allowed factories to continue operations despite non-compliance with labour and OSH standards.
“The explosion at Sigachi Industries in Hyderabad, Telangana is a tragic reflection of both state and central government failures,” said Dr. G. Sanjeeva Reddy, President of INTUC. “The Central Government must be held accountable for weakening labour laws in the name of ‘ease of doing business’ — a move that has seriously undermined worker safety and eroded inspection systems. We demand an independent inquiry, legal accountability for all those responsible, and full compensation for the victims and their families. India must urgently restore strong labour protections in accordance with ILO Convention 81.”
It is worth noting that industrial accidents are alarmingly frequent in India. In 2017, the ILO Committee on the Application of Standards (CAS) recommended a direct contact mission due to the widespread and persistent violation of ILO Convention 81. Since then, ITUC-Asia Pacific’s Indian affiliates have continued to press for the mission, but the Government of India has refused to engage.
“This tragedy is a chilling reminder that industrial safety remains dangerously under-prioritised across many parts of Asia-Pacific, particularly where labour protections are weak, and enforcement is compromised by corruption,” said Shoya Yoshida.
ITUC-Asia Pacific supports its Indian affiliate’s call for an independent, high-level investigation into the personal assets, financial dealings, and decision-making records of factory operators and their senior officials. Anyone found guilty of corruption, dereliction of duty, or collusion must be held fully accountable through criminal prosecution, immediate suspension, and the full force of the law.
“The victims and their families deserve more than condolences — they deserve justice, compensation, accountability, and urgent reforms that ensure no such tragedy ever happens again,” Shoya Yoshida stressed.
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1 At the time of writing
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