With the goal of raising class consciousness and mobilizing the working population of Banaras, especially the weavers, a meeting was organized at the Swayamvar Vatika on behalf of the Fatima-Savitri Janasamiti. The weavers themselves openly discussed the issues related to their status and wages in the programme.

Mohammad Ahmad Ansari, who toils with his family on power looms, said that due to the monopoly of capital and middlemen on the market, morally the wages of people engaged in weaving work are not even Rs 400, as compared to construction workers. In the same context, the aspect of education also arose in consideration   of the social backwardness of the Muslim population and the comparatively worse condition of women.

Ahmed said that when the wage-income is so rock bottom, the major concern is about maintenance or education. The grave economic condition, has forced the children of the weavers to study in madrasas..

Progressive intellectuals assert that breaking the chains binding the feet of the productive forces is the only means of accomplishing the historical mission of the working class.

In order to raise class consciousness and mobilize the working population of Banaras, especially the weavers, a meeting was organized at the Swayamvar Vatika on behalf of the Fatima-Savitri Janasamiti. The weavers themselves openly discussed the issues related to their status and wages in the programme.

Vinay of Bhagat Singh Chhatra Morcha said that along with low wages, the question of education is inter linked to the autocratic political structure of the ruling class.

He said that today the ruling class has made education a commodity to be exchanged in the market.

Harihar Prasad, convenor of Janwadi Vimarsh Manch, said that the new education policy is being implemented to enforce the sustainable development agenda of the United Nations. Under this, path is paved for preparing cheap and skilled labour to provide for domestic and foreign capitalists.

Due to this, higher education cost is soaring. Strongly advocating equal and free education for all, he said that if it is not opposed, the children of poor-disadvantaged sections will be deprived of higher education and it will turn into the privilege of the rich.

While conducting the program, poet-critic Dr. Vandana Choubey said that the imperialist Mahaprabhus created an atmosphere supporting or paving the way of opening up the economy completely by spending vast capital.

Institutional intellectuals were patronised to spread the ideology of fragmentation. He said that with the objective of camouflaging the conspiracy on the basic question of master-labour, identity-discussion was created to relegate the basic question from the peripheral questions.

He said that the question of women and education is also directly related to the problem of stagnation and recession in the economy and unemployment. If we want to solve the problem of marketing of education, then we have to link it with the question of unemployment.

Referring to the era of Fatima Shaikh, he said that she was not running the colonial structure of India during the British era independently. The Brahminical forces that were here, the forces of the affluent people, who had wealth, dominance, caste power, all allied with those forces.

He said that even after achieving independence, to a considerable extent the British system of education continued. Describing the present phase as the second phase of imperialism, he said that after independence people placed great faith in government institutions but gradually this trust began to decline in the 90s.

An atmosphere has been built popularising the private sector with the help of capital. Disbelief was expressed in every government thing and the narrative was made in such a way that all areas of public utility services should be opened to the private sector.

A whole round of publicity and advertisement came and it was told that the name of freedom is to open everything for capitalists and companies. He said that when the government is responsible for education and health, then we have the right to raise our voice against their poor quality because we form the government by voting.

After control was handed over to the private sector, they were unable to speak because the private sector undertook activities only for accumulating profits.. Sharing his experiences related to weaver-Muslim settlements, he said that the question of communalism and the debate on it is very minute tickling the Muslim community.

The labourers expressed their concern on  how to make a living for themselves and to provide for their families on June 2.

He said that this so called democracy is the oligarchy of the capitalists. The government has opened all channels for the capitalists by removing all the tariffs and duties and opening all the avenues of the market. This has broken the back of the working class.

This autocratic social structure os what the government terms as democracy. We have to understand the hypocrisy of this so called democracy..It is imperative to  fight for democracy, but under no means  can one consider the democracy monitored  by the government and capitalists as democracy.

Amit of Disha Students Organization said that the education system of the country is undergoing  a phase of drastic change .. He said that the exploitative system of the past is continuing in the present education system as well.

Without destroying this capitalist system which sucks the blood of labourers and extracts profits from their blood and marrow, it is not possible to construct a system of mass-scientific education. He said that the question of anti-people rule remains as important today as it was during the British era.

Pawan Kumar, a social activist associated with the labour movement, said that in this capitalist marketism, education is not an isolated feature from other needs of life like health, family environment, house, food, clothes etc. but all are connected to each other.

Education is not only formal education available in schools and colleges, but with this formal education, informal education starts from birth as well as parents, family environment, surrounding environment and economic social conditions of the family. And nowadays this informal education is being given continuously through WhatsApp, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and other social media.

Higher education is restricted only to the rich and capitalists who buy labour and is snatched from the reach of those who earn their livelihood by selling their labour. He said that in this system, by those who live by selling labour; there is no bigger lie and illusion than propagating that. good days will also come for the common people.

Launching a scathing attack at today’s capitalist polity, identity-discussion (backwardness, casteism, feminism, regionalism etc.), he said that the ruling class wants evade the issues of the common people and make the working people forget it.. That’s why it has been invested billions of dollars to the NGO-world to divert attention from the basic issue of capital vs labour. He said that education policy needs to be fought in an organised manner, integrating it along with other problems.

Social activist Advocate Shahzade said that the process of knowledge cannot develop without inculcating social consciousness, it takes 18 years for any brain to mature, during this time education based on religious prejudices, and caste discrimination spoils the personality of a human being. Education armed with social consciousness, which is oriented with the mode of production, creates a man who exudes the spirit of collectivism-co-operation.

He said that the capitalist tries to maintain continuity in the long-standing social system by controlling the social consciousness to fulfill its purpose.

Dr. Mohd. Arif of All India Secular Forum while portraying the garve picture of unemployment and scarcity among highly educated youth said that on the issue of weavers, statements are published in newspapers every day, due to the demand related to flat rate of electricity. Addressing  subject of additional social pressures on dress and overall upholding  of personality on those doing mental labour as opposed to manual labour, he said that even the so-called highly-educated people are as much troubled by the aggravation of the crisis-stagnant economy as the common man.

Kusum Verma of AIPWA, Indrajit of Bihar Nirman and Unorganized Labor Union, Swaraj India’s Mohd. Ahmed Ansari, Indrajit of Uttar Pradesh Construction and Unorganized Labor Union, social worker Pratima etc. also addressed.

Harsh Thakor is a freelance journalist who has covered mass movements around India

Courtesy: https://countercurrents.org

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Making the most of election season, Uttar Pradesh’s Bunkar Udyog Mandal issued a fresh manifesto demanding basic economic and social boosts from the state government, not the least of which is the demand for a dignified wage.

According to Mandal General Secretary Zubair Adil, people have been struggling in the state since the ruling regime announced disastrous economic policies like GST and demonetisation, and then its haphazard and ineffective strategy for Covid-19 management. “People’s looms have been closing down due to continued ignorance. A saree is made using 17 parts on which different weaver groups work. People from each of these groups have migrated to Bangalore, Surat and other regions because of worsening livelihood,” he said.

Recently, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath promised a meeting with the community via Zoom. However, the same was cancelled for unknown reasons, said Adil, asking, “Over the years, the Chief Minister promised to address our demand thrice. Once in Varanasi, then Lucknow and finally in Gorakhpur. Now, where should we place our trust?”

Similarly, Samajwadi Party (SP) leader Akhilesh Yadav has orally promised 300 units of electricity to all people belonging to the weaver community. Yet, the Mandal is uncertain of where to invest their faith because the demands are not included in SP’s manifesto.

This concern is not exclusive to BJP or SP. No political party has included weaver demands in their written manifesto. Meanwhile, the electricity department continues to abruptly cut off electricity supply, the fate of previous promises and subsidies lie in limbo. Arrears continue in their passbook. There is also the socio-economic threat for weavers facing a combination of police cases from the electricity department and communal elements in society.

For this reason, the group resolved to publish their own manifesto for approaching elections. In the document, members pointed out that the textile sector is the second biggest sector in terms of generating employment, accounting for 14 percent of India’s total production. Moreover, 13 percent of the total export comes from textile and allied products, which earns foreign exchange and records India’s global participation at 0.6 percent.

“Weavers make this essential textile using their skills in weaving, dyeing and designing. However, these same weavers are weak economically, socially and politically,” said the manifesto.

It said the UP government had lagged behind in creating jobs and opportunity in the sector since coming to power in 2017. As such, many weavers were forced to leave the state with their families.

A recently published report by the Citizens for Justice and Peace (CJP) “Purvanchal: Silence of the Looms” revealed how the artisanal weaving industry as well as the long-suffering Zardozi industry slid into further despair during the Covid-19 lockdown. Purvanchal’s handicraft, handloom, power loom businesses lost an estimated Rs 3,000 cr between 2020 and 2021.

As many as 89 percent of interviewees said they could not or did not approach local/ state administrations for relief measures because of lack of trust. This means that nearly 90 percent of Purvanchal weavers did not go to officials for rations, monetary assistance, inflated electricity bills, sewage issues due to a lack of faith in its own government. The people who did approach the government said they were dissatisfied with the response.

The Mandal argued that these grievances of the people can be addressed if the government accepts their 20-point demands.

“If weavers’ various demands are accepted, UP will enjoy great progress and be considered among the developed states of India,” it argued.

Weavers demands

Above everything, weavers demanded a dignified wage for community workers. This demand was reinforced by CJP in its report. This demand is in line with the 2011 UN Principles on Business and Human Rights that appeals to corporations, export houses and brands to respect standards of dignified wage and social security.

Further, weavers demanded pension for workers who completed 60 years and fiscal assistance to weavers through welfare centres. To reduce the cost of production, the Mandal also asked that the import duty be decreased. Regarding government subsidies, it said the government had much to do.

Around January 4, 2022 the Mandal submitted a memorandum to the Varanasi Additional City Magistrate to request the reinstatement of the Electricity Reimbursement Flat Rate Scheme 2006.

This has been a standing demand of weavers since December 4, 2019 when the government dismissed the flat rate that provided electricity to weavers at a subsidised rate. Although this decision was withdrawn after workers went on strike, the electricity department continues to charge exorbitant prices. As such, weavers have also demanded that their arrears be reset.

In line with this, weavers argued that the government should withdraw the cases levied against them in past years as well as the five percent GST on textile. Instead, the administration should focus on creating a marketing centre in the state and a thread manufacturing industry in Banaras. Banks should be instructed to give interest-free loans to weavers for this and weaver commissions should be created.

Socio-cultural background of the weaving community

CJP noted that wage workers or owners of just a few looms in this field of work are from Muslim Ansari, Dalit, OBC communities. Some Muslims hail from more privileged castes. However, nowadays, a majority of these workers are “completely impoverished and invisibilised”.

Similarly, the Mandal noted that Muslims account for about 22 percent of the state population. As such, there should be 20 percent reservation for them in education and government employment and as much as 30 percent reservation in the textile ministry. It also argued that there should be reserved seats for Muslims in politics to increase their representation.

The CJP report noted that many respondents suffered economic boycotts at work in neighbourhoods, days and weeks after the spread of Covid-19 was misleadingly associated with one community using words like “Corona-Jihad” or “super-spreaders of the virus”. Accordingly, the Mandal demanded that the government build hospitals, schools and colleges in weaver dominated regions. Another suggestion was the immediate implementation of Sachar committee recommendations and passing of the anti-Riot Bill.

CJP argued that an informed and reasoned public dialogue is essential to influence political but economic policy and decision making. Particularly, it urged public awareness around the fact that Banarasi saree and brocade creators are the real owners of this intellectual property – a detail little known to the weavers and artisans.

Gender disparity

As per Mandal estimates, the textile sector creates 4.5 crores directly in India and 10 cr jobs indirectly, including rural women, ensuring their participation in sustainable development. However, when CJP interviewed these women in the Purvanchal region, it found that most often, their work remains unpaid, even in this day and age, as it is considered part of their household chores.

A woman weaver’s work ranges from weaving to related work like spool feeding, saree decoration and finishing work. They basically form the backbone of this industry. Yet, their testimonies told stories of malnutrition, health issues, impoverishment, hunger and domestic abuse. Many girls were forced to drop out of school. Muslim women dealt with the double-edge sword of gender discrimination and communalism.

Earlier, at a CJP event, Saraiya weaver Qaisar Jehan talked about how most mothers have resorted to adding salt to rice to feed their children.

“Thousands of people use the products that we use. Those people get benefits of various schemes from the government. We don’t,” she told SabrangIndia.

She criticised the government for creating schemes overnight but failing to make them accessible, especially for women. Because of this, women who worked on a meter of cloth for ₹100 nowadays earn ₹10 for the same length. Tikri workers who earned ₹ 100 for a meter of cloth nowadays earn ₹15 for the exact same length.

Another weaver Anjum Ara said, “Women are the backbone of the industry, but we have no work. My daughter and I can’t even find work as domestic help; if we do the pay is abysmal. Our men are doing daily wage labour, some are driving rickshaws.”

Policy decisions

As mentioned before the few weavers who approached the government said they were dissatisfied with the administration’s response. So, the Mandal advised that community-related schemes must be decentralised and made transparent for easy access. CJP recommended state-driven incentives for cooperatives at the village, taluka, and state.

During the survey, CJP found that the central government’s Pradhan Mantri Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY) that was launched on May 1, 2016 did not reach grassroot level workers. Only 10 percent of the women interviewed were registered to get the ‘ujjwala gas’ under this scheme. The rest of the women tried to apply for the scheme multiple times but to no avail.

Like the PMUY, the Prime Minister Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY) was also difficult to access. As many as 52 percent of the respondents did not have a PMJDY account. Among those who had such an account, only 58 percent received cash transfers more than once.

For these reasons, the Mandal and CJP urged central and state governments to ensure that all stakeholders in the industry are consulted before policies are framed and budgetary allocations are made. In line with this, the Mandal urged for an increase in the budget for the Textile Ministry.

“This Ministry has been receiving reduced allocations for the past many years,” said the Mandal.

It argued that the New Textile Policy 2020 should include provisions that help weavers get jobs within the state. This policy includes schemes like knitting and knitwear sector scheme, Amended Technology Up-gradation Fund Scheme (ATUFS), National Handloom Development Programme, Comprehensive Handloom Cluster Development Scheme, Handloom Weaver Comprehensive Welfare Scheme and Yarn Supply Schemes among others.

“This policy is dreaded by us weavers, like the three farm laws were dreaded by farmers. We ask the government that they include provisions to end migration and allow local employment if they want to enforce this policy,” said Adil.

Call for a National and Regional Campaign

Having visited and interviewed these communities, CJP said in its report that there is an urgent need for a sustained national-level and regional-level campaign for weavers. The drive will work towards a revival of the weaving industry that is closely linked to rural-urban livelihoods and India’s cultural heritage.

Participants will call for social security schemes for different levels of craftspersons, artisans and weavers with a special emphasis on women. For this, corporations and businesses must be contacted and pushed to realise their social responsibility when dealing with creators of products.

Elected representatives especially have to play a vital role in this movement. Moreover, all Indians and consumers should also get involved to voice their solidarity with this community.

Related:

Urgent need to revive and sustain Banarasi weaving industry

UP: Weavers persist battle for fixed rate electricity subsidy

Time for a nationwide movement to protect traditional weaving industry

Purvanchal: Silence of the Looms

Curtain raiser: The Warp and Weft of Despair in Purvanchal

Lockdown Impact: Filled forms, have Bunkar Card, yet got no help from gov’t

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