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Karnataka: 150 Factory Workers Verbally Sacked by Auto Firm Yazaki

Tue, 27 Dec 2022 10:21:20 +0000

Workers at Yazaki Pvt. Ltd., based in the Bengaluru Rural district, alleged that the company had verbally sacked at least 150 workers in December. The Yazaki plant in Lakkenahalli assembles wire harnesses for Toyota and Maruti cars. The workers said they were not given any termination notice, and their biometric authorisation was revoked. Around 50 workers were allegedly fired on December 13, following which another 100 workers were sacked the next day. There are 2,000 employees in the Lakkenahalli plant. The workers are being assisted by the All India Central Council of Trade Unions (AICCTU), which filed a memorandum with the Deputy Labour Commissioner (DLC) and educated workers about their rights and entitlements. They commenced a protest for reinstatement on Monday and are determined to continue until their objectives are met.

A sacked worker who wished to remain unnamed said he had worked at the company for five years. He started working at the Jigani plant, after which he was asked to shift to the Lakkenahalli plant outside Bengaluru city limits.

“I have been working at the Jigani plant since 2018. A few months ago, there was a change in management, and we were asked to shift to Lakkenahalli. It is very far away, so we initially refused. They promised a room and two meals daily if we agreed to shift. They also promised wage hikes. However, they did not fulfil any of their promises. My last salary was around Rs 11,000/month. It has remained unchanged for five years. On December 13, around 50 workers could not punch out after their shift ended. They were informed that their employment was terminated. The next day, some of us felt insecure about our employment status when we saw how our colleagues were dismissed. After our shift ended, we sat down inside the premises and refused to leave until we received some assurances from the management.”

However, the management did not meet them. Instead, the police were called. The workers allege that the police took photographs of the workers who had sat down on the spot. Another worker who wished to remain unnamed said that shortly after the police took the photographs of the workers, they were all sacked. At least 60 of the sacked workers are women.

Most of the sacked workers had completed training courses at Industrial Training Institutes (ITI). They had different trade certificates such as fitter, electrician, mechanic etc. Some among them also hold diplomas in electrical engineering. Before their termination, they were not unionised. However, they have started a Yazaki workers unit under the Karnataka General Labour Union. Around 100 laid-off workers joined the union.

Chandrashekhar, head of HR at the Yazaki plant, provided a statement to NewsClick about the termination of workers. Speaking on the phone, he said, “We have removed employees as per an agreement we have with them. We have recruited them under the Apprenticeship Act. We can give them training for up to three years. During that period, we can remove them anytime. Some political people are involved in the protests, and now, they are claiming permanent employment. The (terminated) operators told us that they are being forced to join the protests.”

When asked why they were not given a termination notice, he said it was not required.

“We provided mail communication to their HODs three days before termination. We are not required to give any notice to the workers. We were forced to fire some people because the business is down at the moment.”

While the workers believe there is a change in management, Chandrashekhar confirmed that that was not the case. The plant was shifted from Jigani to Lakkenahalli, but the management remains the same.

Maitreyi Krishnan of AICCTU condemns the use of apprentices for core production. She says, “Apprentices act was brought to provide short-term training to workers. It’s being abused by employers to deny job security and decent wages to people who are involved in core production. This practice has also been observed and criticised by the courts. Moreover, under section 25(n) of the Industrial Disputes Act 1947, you have to follow a certain procedure for layoffs. You need to take permission from the labour department and give workers at least three months of notice. This has not been done.”

Courtesy: Newsclick

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Fewer Jobs, Lower Wages: Workers Flay Centre for Neglecting their Interests

Tue, 15 Nov 2022 04:54:40 +0000

Workers from multiple states including West Bengal, Karnataka, among others, gathered at Ramleela Maidan on Sunday. Image clicked by Ronak Chhabra

New Delhi: The monthly wages of the industrial worker Komal Kant Prajapati, who has had to switch four jobs in the last ten years, are so low that he could never afford to call his wife and five-year-old son to live with him in Haryana’s auto hub Manesar.

Instead, Prajapati, 35, chose to share a room with four other workers and skips a meal on some days – all in an attempt to save some money, which can be sent back to his family living back in a village in Uttar Pradesh’s Ghazipur district. “The tough fight to survive has only got tougher now,” he told NewsClick on Sunday. “I lost my job last month. With no work in hand, I have no other option but to leave the city,” he added.

The struggle of Prajapati illustrates how workers in the country continue to reel under the pressure of a weak economy which has failed to ensure an adequate income for its labourers over the years and is now failing even to create enough jobs. To register their protest against not just this, hundreds of them, led by one Delhi-based Mazdoor Adhikar Sangharsh Abhiyan (MASA), gathered here at Ramleela Maidan on Sunday.

MASA is the coming together of around 16 sectoral unions and federations across the country. As such, workers from different states including Bihar, West Bengal, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, and Haryana, among others, had gathered to press for a six-point common charter of demands.

Among their major demands include a declaration of Rs. 26,000 per month as minimum wage for all workers across the country, provision of Rs. 15,000 per month as a subsistence allowance to all the unemployed, and repeal of the four “anti-worker” Labour Codes.

Hare Krishna Mathur, 43, hailing from West Bengal’s Purulia district, shared Prajapati’s pain and frustration but is still refusing to throw in the towel even though ever since the pandemic erupted two years ago, woes of this agriculture worker have only compounded. “I think I will be working all my life, but won’t be able to save any money to live peacefully even in my old age,” he lamented while speaking to NewsClick.

Capturing this view, MASA in a memorandum submitted to President Droupadi Murmu on Sunday, underscored that “persistent inflation-unemployment-starvation” are pushing thousands of workers to “die by suicide”.

Moreover, “Workers’ legal right to unionisation is being criminalised. Scheme workers such as Bhojanmata, Anganwadi workers, and ASHA workers are being indiscriminately exploited by the government. Workers’ basic rights to ‘Permanent Jobs for Permanent Work’, and ‘Equal Pay for Equal Work’ have [also] been incessantly diluted in the recent past and are now being completely abolished,” the memorandum added.

The Central and the State governments are “shamelessly” providing their “unconditional support” to corporates today, Shyambir of Inqlabi Mazdoor Kendra, one among the constituents of MASA, told NewsClick, on the sidelines of Sunday’s demonstration. “To highlight this, today’s protest was called in which workers from different sectors took part,” he said.

A “Mazdoor Aakrosh” rally to Rashtrapati Bhawan was also called, Shyambir added, but it was only barricaded by the Delhi Police after permission for the same was denied.

To be sure in the backdrop of the passage of four Labour Codes in 2020 and the recent surge in the prices of essential commodities, similar demands have been raised by multiple trade unions in the country over recent years. According to them, the new legislation, which is yet to be implemented, is aimed at diluting hard-won workers’ rights, and hence, could trigger unrest across industries.

Meanwhile, on Sunday, MASA also demanded the stopping of the privatisation of public sector enterprises, noting that these institutions, “which were built using public resources and taxes paid by common people, are now being handed over to these capitalists so that they can profit from them.”

Universalisation of the Public Distribution System (PDS), along with healthcare and education provisions for all workers was also demanded, as slogans against the Narendra Modi – led Central government were raised.

Courtesy: Newsclick

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‘Illegal’: Haryana Govt Flags Union Membership to Contract Worker at Manesar Factory

Fri, 16 Sep 2022 04:11:42 +0000

Last year, the employees’ union at Bellsonica Auto Components Private Limited granted membership to a contractual worker. Image courtesy – Facebook

New Delhi: In what is set to bring an old challenge faced by the country’s labour movement to the fore, the Haryana government has recently flagged the admission of a contractual worker in the employees’ union at one Manesar-situated auto parts manufacturing unit while terming the move to be “illegal”.

Last year, the employees’ union at Bellsonica Auto Components Private Limited, in a first-of-its-kind initiative in Gurugram’s automotive belt, granted membership to a contractual worker of the company. This was done with an apparent aim to protect the rights of this worker, who had been facing disciplinary action from the management.

The said action, however, “prima-facie appears illegal” as it is in “contravention” of the Constitution of the union, the Labour Commissioner of Haryana said in a letter dated September 5 and addressed to Bellsonica employees’ union.

Through the letter, a scanned copy of which was accessed by NewsClick on Wednesday, the state’s Labour Commissioner sought an explanation from the union within 20 days. Appropriate action in accordance with the provisions of the Trade Unions Act, 1926 shall be taken against the union in case of no reply, the letter added.

Ajit Singh, general secretary of Bellsonica employees’ union confirmed on Thursday of having received the said letter. “We are currently discussing among ourselves and are in the process of preparing an answer,” he said while speaking to Newsclick over the telephone.

Explaining the matter, Singh informed that one Keshav Rajput, a contractual worker at Bellsonica, was granted union membership in November last year. “The union has been thinking of bridging the divide between the permanent and contract workers for many years. Last year, when [Bellsonica] management initiated disciplinary action over some matter against Keshav, the union decided to admit him as a member in the union to protect his rights,” he said.

However, the move to grant union membership to a contractual worker did not go down well with the management of Bellsonica, a first-tier vendor of auto major Maruti, Singh added.

Subsequently, this year, in a letter dated August 23 and addressed to the Registrar of Trade Unions, the management demanded that membership of “all contractual workmen” should be “cancelled immediately.” In Haryana, the Labour Commissioner is appointed as Registrar of Trade Unions.

“… as per rule mentioned in the constitution [of the union], it is clearly mentioned that “Any worker who is working at M/s Bellsonica Auto Component India Private Limited can become an ordinary member of the union” but in the present case, the rule has not been followed by the union,” said the management’s letter, accessed by NewsClick. Highlighting the same, it further demanded the cancellation of the union’s registration.

On Thursday, responding to the above claim, Singh maintained that admission of contractual workers is “in no way” a violation of the terms of the union constitution. “This is nothing but yet another attempt of the [Bellsonica] management to de-register our union,” he said, adding that the union has vowed to fight it.

NewsClick also contacted Mritunjay Nath Sahu, vice president – HR at Bellsonica, who refused to comment on the issue. “This is a matter between the labour department and the trade union,” he said.

Can Contract Workers be Unionised?

The latest objection of the Haryana government to the granting union membership to contractual workers has called for attention to the burning question faced by trade unions in the country: Can contract workers be unionised?

Hired by the labour contractor, who is enlisted with the employer as supplier of contract labour, the engagement of this so-called temporary workforce has observed a significant rise in number across various sectors in recent years. Likewise, in industrial quarters, such as Manesar – the country’s major auto hub, the ratio of contract workers to permanent workers has also shifted by fast accentuating the former.

The logic behind the factory management hiring more contract workers is simple – by not being on the rolls of an employer, this workforce can be easily kept bereft of the relative job security and higher wages enjoyed by the permanent workforce, despite both the groups having made to do an equal amount of work.

But can the same argument also be used to disqualify a contract worker from being a member of a factory union?

Senior Supreme Court advocate Sanjoy Ghose, who looks after matters pertaining to labour laws, does not believe so. While speaking to NewsClick, he highlighted that it is a fundamental right of every citizen to form associations or unions – a right that is accorded by Article 19 of the Indian Constitution.

“Even the Trade Unions Act of 1926 does not make any distinction between a regular and contract worker when it comes to forming a union,” Ghose said, adding, “Every worker in a factory or an establishment is eligible to become a union member. The only thing is that the admission of contract workers must not violate the said union’s constitution in any way.”

The 1926 Act requires, upon the registration of a trade union, the constitution of an executive and the formation of rules which provide for the by-laws to admit members. In recent years, the labour department, while engaging in shaping these by-laws, has weighed the interests of the employers over the employees, Ghose rued on Thursday.

According to experts, this means that the contractual workforce, who are more insecure than the permanent ones, are also generally kept deprived of their right to access collective bargaining.

Moreover, there is another catch; as multiple reports in the past highlighted, unions themselves are also often not very receptive to giving membership and voting rights to contract workers. “For a long time, even the permanent workers were not in favour of extending membership to the temporary workers,” said K R Shyam Sundar, a labour economist and visiting professor at XLRI, Xavier School of Management, Jamshedpur.

According to him, in a factory unit where the majority are now employed on contractual basis, there remains an “apprehension” on the part of permanent workers of getting marginalised. “Such fears are then also exploited by the management which implicitly and, in some cases explicitly, would discourage the unionisation of its contractual workforce,” Prof. Sundar told NewsClick.

To be sure, the Trade Unions Act of 1926, which defines laws relating to the employees’ bodies, is now subsumed under the Code on Industrial Relations, 2020, which is, however, yet to be notified in to effect. Alleging that the said Code tilts the labour regime in favour of employers at the cost of workers’ interests, along with the other three, the Central Trade Unions and independent employees’ bodies in the country have been up in arms.

But when it comes to the question of granting union membership, Prof. Sundar on Thursday underscored that the Code continues to make no distinction between the workforce – in line with the definition of a “workmen” under the existing 1926 Act.

AITUC, CITU Come Out in Support

Meanwhile, on Thursday, leaders of the All India Trade Union (AITUC) and Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) also expressed their support to the granting of union membership to contract workers. They underlined that it is long-pending demand and must be achieved in the industrial quarters if the constitution of a factory union permits so.

“If the union constitution allows it, then why shouldn’t the contract workers be admitted to the factory unions?” AITUC Manesar’s leader Anil Panwar asked while speaking to Newsclick.

Satbir Singh of CITU also suggested the same as Panwar while highlighting that “at a time when the Indian working class is facing the worst ever onslaught on its rights,” it is the need of the hour. “With contract workers in the union, the unity between the workers will only get strengthened,” he said.

Courtesy: Newsclick

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Nation continues agitation against anti-people laws

Thu, 24 Sep 2020 12:45:41 +0000

Workers and farmers continued their agitation against the ‘anti-people’ laws of the Centre. Decrying the agriculture Bills and Labour Codes passed by the government, trade unions and organisations across India held protest on September 24.

Large groups were observed in various states. The Centre of Indian Trade Union (CITU) members amassed right from Himachal Pradesh to Tamil Nadu.

CITU and other trade unions held protest across Himachal Pradesh condemning the anti worker policies of the union government. The trade unions demanded cash relief for the workers during the pandemic and condemned the amendments in the labour laws.#KisanVirodhiNarendraModi pic.twitter.com/sSNcTRM8hO

— Anil Thakur (@anilthakur74) September 23, 2020

In Tamil Nadu, members were heard vehemently denouncing the Central government.

Hashtags such as #BJPModiMazdoorVirodhi #AntiWorkerLabourCodes #VidhanaSoudhachalo and #farmersprotestchallenge were trending during these protests.

Bangalore, which had already seen a huge protest on September 21 once again witnessed voices of dissent.

Bangalore : Thousands of workers protesting under the banner of #CITU against the pro-corporate and anti-people policies of both State and Central Governments.

Similar protests are happening in all the districts of Karnataka today#BJPModiMazdoorVirodhi #AntiWorkerLabourCodes pic.twitter.com/q53nox3sWc

— Praveen Gavit (@praveengavit10) September 24, 2020

Other places such as Ooty and parts of Punjab also heard the voices of dissent.

As per the call of the trade unions, a protest demonstration was also held in Punjab against the anti labour policies of the Modi Govt. pic.twitter.com/eAcmpyUNUF

— Marx (@SDey83) September 24, 2020

Demonstration held at lic ooty branch office against anti-worker policies of the governmt especially against wage cuts, policy of DA freeze, wholesale privatisation of PSUs and savage attack on labour rights. The insurance industry is also under attack.. pic.twitter.com/LvHxc6hkuV

— Dhinesh Raj (@MDraja2022) September 23, 2020

Meanwhile in Haryana, CPI(M) MPs Kareem, K .K. Raghesh, Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharya and AIKS Joint Secretary Vijoo Krishnan visited farmers protesting against 3 Bills in different districts of Haryana and expressed solidarity for the “Pratirodh Diwas” on September 25. Haryana Kisan Sabha President Phool Singh Sheokand and also accompanied the Haryana protesters.

The workers’ ire is trained against the three farmer Bills – the Farmers Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services and the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Bill – and the three labour codes – the Industrial Relations Code, the Code on Social Security and the Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code.

According to Unions and workers these laws dilute the rights of farmers and workers and cater to the big-corporates of India.

Even urban citizens have decried these laws and stood in solidarity with the farmers. Many have even called for a show of strength for the nation-wide protest on September 25.

#farmersprotestchallenge
Here’s a challenge for all those who care,on Social Media for the causes
On 25th Sep,the farmers r going on a Nationwide protest againt the latest Pro Corporate Farming Bills(Wonder why they call it Farm Bills)
Around 10 trade unions r also joining them https://t.co/j8qsPD3MDr

— ‎Arshi Alvi (@Arshi7Khan) September 24, 2020

If any of you see a farmers protest close to where you are……. Go FB & Twitter Live and share it here.

Use the hashtag #FarmersProtest and #FarmersProtestChallenge

RT

— Rohit Saini (@Rohit245_) September 24, 2020

#FarmersProtestChallenge
So you guys like playing these challenges?
Okay here is a challenge for you.
On 25th September (tomorrow) the farmers are going on a Nationwide protest against the latest Pro Corporate Farming Bills (Wonder why they call them Farm Bills)
1/n pic.twitter.com/CPhcy7Yquo

— Nadeem Gaur (@Nadeem_gaur92) September 24, 2020

Labour Codes Issues: Spelling out the ABCs

Amendments to agricultural laws, dangerous for farmers: National Unions

Voices of dissent course through the country

We stand in solidarity: Trade Unions oppose Centre’s anti-people laws

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#WorkersStrikeBack: Workers Unite Across India, Retaliate Against Anti-People Government

Wed, 09 Jan 2019 05:24:18 +0000

The historic two-day strike will continue tomorrow, January 9, with more and more workers from the organised and unorganised sectors expected to pour in.

#WorkersStrikeBack: Workers Unite Across India, Retaliate Against Anti-People Government

With a sea of red flags marching in the streets of various cities across the country, workers from various sectors are coming together to fight for their rights, while farmers and agricultural workers along with students and youth stand in solidarity with the striking workers. On the first day of the two-day nationwide strike, history is being scripted by the working class of the country. The strike will continue tomorrow, January 9, with more and more from the organised and unorganised sectors are expected to pour in.
The strike had a significant impact in Kerala, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, Bihar, Assam, West Bengal, Delhi and adjacent industrial areas of UP, Karnataka, Chhattisgarh, Puducherry, Goa and Maharashtra while it was partially successful in AP, Telangana, Jharkhand, and in several sectors across Punjab, Haryana, UP, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh. Protest demonstrations and strike was observed in Jammu and Kashmir too. With farmers’ organisations joining in, rural areas witnessed highway blockades and rail blockades at several points. In almost all major cities including state capitals as well as Delhi, striking workers and employees held protest marches and public meetings.

Trade unions and federations from various sectors – including banking, insurance, coal and non-coal mines, petroleum, post, telecom, engineering, manufacturing, steel, defence, health, scheme workers including Anganwadi, ASHA and Mid-day meal workers, education, water management, power, road transport, central and state government employees and auto-taxi unions are actively taking part in the nationwide strike.

Anganwadi workers and helpers in support of the strike in Ballod, Chhattisgarh

Even the IT employees in Bengaluru and Reserve Bank of India employees have joined with the striking workers.

IT employees taking part in the strike along with the workers in Bengaluru

The two-day nationwide strike called by 10 central trade unions witnessed crores of people marking their presence as the first day concluded. According to central trade unions (CTU),more than 20 crore people are expected to take part in the strike against the anti-labour, anti-people and anti-national policies of the BJP-led NDA government over the two days. It is only for the second time since India became independent that a two-day nationwide strike is taking place, the first one being on February 20-21, 2013.

The strike was near total in Kerala on Tuesday and has so far been peaceful. Public transportation remained off roads and workers across the state took to streets to demonstrate peacefully for their rights. In various parts of the state including Alappuzha, Thiruvanthapuram and Ernakulam, train services were blocked by the protesters.

Workers on their way to the Cochin Export Processing Zone and at the Cochin Port were stopped by the protesters. All university examinations slated for the day have been postponed and educational institutions were also closed. However, private vehicles were seen plying. pilgrims to Sabarimala have also been allowed to proceed from all places. Senior CPI-M Rajya Sabha member and veteran trade union leader Elamaram Kareem told the media that the two day protest was in total in Kerala. “The labourers at all the estates in the state are on strike. This is a protest against the wrong policies of the Centre and it should not be confused to that of a shutdown (hartal),” said Kareem.

Joint trade union march in Thiruvanthapuram

Apart from Kerala, road transport was seriously affected in most of the states including Karnataka, Bihar, Haryana, Punjab, Uttarakhand etc. In Madhya Pradesh, road transport in 22 districts was seriously affected. Interstate buses could not run in Jammu and Kashmir due to the strike.

In Odisha, Maharashtra and Assam, buses and autorickshaws in several cities remained off the roads. The protesting workers also blocked tracks at several railway stations that affected the movement of trains in the states. Besides, many shops and business establishments remained closed at various places in the states. A bandh like situation prevailed in several districts of Karnataka, Assam and the north-eastern states.

Reserve Bank of India employees led by the All India Reserve Bank Employees’ Association and All India Reserve Bank Workers’ Federation were also on strike. Strike was near total except in a few banks and total in the insurance sector and BSNL.

The two-day nationwide strike received a mixed response in Tamil Nadu on Tuesday, said a senior leader of Labour Progressive Federation (LPF). The response to the strike was positive from the unorganised sector like construction workers and others. “Members of our affiliated unions have not attended duty. Nearly 50 per cent of the bus services in Chennai are not plying. In other cities, about 30-40 per cent buses are on the roads operated by members of the ruling party union,” said LPF General Secretary M. Shanmugam.

Workers in Tamil Nadu demonstrate in support of the strike

Rail-blockades in many railway stations and sporadic incidents across West Bengal districts partially hit normal life as the two-day nationwide strike was observed across the state. Train services were disrupted both in Howrah and Sealdah division of the Eastern Railway and also South Eastern Railway. The strike supporters put up rail blockades and clashed with the police in many stations in the suburbs in South 24 Parganas district’s Lakhikantapur and Canning; North 24 Parganas’s Madhyagram, Hasnabad and Barasat.

However, reports said that Trinamool Congress (TMC) members attacked the protesting workers and trade union leaders in several parts of the state. The state police resorted to lathi charge in Asansol. Trade union leaders including CITU state secretary Anadi Sahu have been arrested in Kolkata. A number of senior Left leaders including CPI(M)’s Sujan Chakraborty were detained while picketing at various places in Kolkata. Left Front Chairman Biman Basu claimed that, “The Trinamool Congress government in Bengal would not allow any voice of protest against the Narendra Modi government’s anti-people policies. Trinamool and the BJP pretend to oppose each other on the outside, but internally they have a nexus. The state government is actually backing the atrocities of the Modi government by opposing the strike.”

Trade union members are arrested in Kolkata

Meanwhile, the TMC-led state government has issued a circular clarifying that its offices would remain open on strike days and no leave would be granted. Over 10,000 police personnel were deployed in the city along with an additional force of 5,000.
Tripura has also witnessed a positive response to the strike during the first day. Though the BJP-led government and its party goons tried their maximum, they could not force open more than 30 per cent of shops and run 30 per cent of buses. In the tribal areas of Tripura as well a total bandh was observed.

In the industrial areas across the country, including – the industrial areas of NCR Delhi; 24 Parganas, Hooghly and Howrah districts of West Bengal; the oil refineries across Assam; Pune, Nashik and Aurangabad industrial areas in Maharashtra; the industrial areas in Bengaluru, Mysore, etc. in Karnataka; Ludhiana in Punjab; Bokaro, Ranchi, Adityapur Gamharia industrial areas in Jharkhand; the engineering clusters in Baroda, Surat, Bhavnagar, Rajkot, Junagarh and Ahmedabad in Gujarat; and the industrial clusters in Hyderabad and surrounding districts in Telengana, etc.- the strike was highly visible.

Workers from the industrial belt of Delhi NCR protest

Workers from multinational companies like BOSCH, CEAT, Crompton, Samsonite in Maharashtra and in all the units of Volvo, Toyota and its subsidiaries in Karnataka have stood along with the striking workers.

The participation of workers from the Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs) was also massive on the first day. The strike was almost total in Vizag and Salem steel plants and also in all the iron-ore and coal mines under steel industry, including around 50 per cent in Rourkela steel Plant and Bhadravati, and partially in other steel plants. All most every contract worker from most of the PSUs have taken part in the strike.

The railway employees who are not the part of strike directly, extended their support in several places. However, the railway contract workers, goods shed workers, and safai karamcharis joined the strike in several states.

The tea gardens in Assam, West Bengal and Kerala were totally closed due to the strike. Unorganised sector workers including beedi workers, construction workers, loading and unloading workers, shop employees, private hospital employees, etc., joined the strike in a big way in many states.

Clearly, the massive turn out for the strike is a warning from the working class across the country and they will continue the momentum tomorrow, and in the upcoming days.

Courtesy: Newsclick.in

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Mahapadav Ends With Call to Prepare For Country-Wide Indefinite Strike

Mon, 13 Nov 2017 05:57:50 +0000

Trade Unions declare action plan which includes massive mobilization from district level onwards to make the rigid and unreasonable Modi Govt see sense.

The third and final day of the historic Workers Mahapadav saw more than a lakh women scheme workers on Parliament Street, Delhi demanding that they be recognized as regular workers. These are the poorest of women who are engaged as ASHAs (health workers) and anganwadi workers/helpers and mid day meal cooks.

During 9-11 November, thousands of workers participated in the massive show of strength by workers from all over the country, fighting for a 12-point charter of demands including better wages, social security etc. and also urging withdrawal of anti-people policies like labour law changes, privatization of public sector, etc.

At the end, a resolution calling for workers to prepare for a country wide indefinite strike was passed amidst thunderous applause. A detailed action plan was also announced.

Speaking to Newsclick, Tetri Devi, a mid-day meal worker who came along with other workers from Munger District in Bihar said, they had been working as cooks in schools since 2005. Initially they were paid 25 paise per student and they made anything from Rs 45-100 per month. Even now they are being paid RS 1200 per month. They have come to Delhi along with others demanding “1 Hazar mein dum nahi 18000 se kum hai” which translates to ‘there is no use of the Rs 1000 that they are paid now; they will accept nothing less than Rs 18000 as minimum wages’. Similar sentiments were voiced by women who are engaged as ASHAs and Anganwadi workers.

These lakhs of workers were organized under various Central Trade Unions that had called for the mahapadav, barring the RSS backed BMS.

Various leaders from trade unions addressed the huge gathering amidst resounding slogans and calls for further action. Those who addressed the workers in the first part of the meeting included AR Sindhu from CITU, INTUC President Dr Sanjeeva Reddy, Harbhajan Singh Sidhu of HMS and Gurudas Gupta of AITUC.

Sindhu of CITU, one of the most appreciated speakers, directly spoke of the issues of the women scheme workers gathered there. She started her speech by paying tributes to the 11 year old Santoshi who died of hunger as her parents were denied the PDS because their AADHAR was not linked to PDS system. She said that RS 1,40,000 crores Plan budget for ICDS, the scheme under which anganwadi workers are employed, was cut in the very first year of the BJP coming to power. She gave details of how in various parts of the country anganwadi workers/helpers and ASHAs were struggling to fulfill their important responsibilities despite being paid low wages and not being recognized as workers by the government.

THe second and the third session of the meeting was addressed by the leaders – Hemalatha, Tapan Sen – CITU; Usha Sahni, Amarjeet Kaur – AICTU; Champa Varma, Hanumanth Thate – HMS; and from INTUC, AIUTUC, TUCC, SEWA AICCTU, LPF and UTUC that coordinated the three day meetings. The large gathering adopted an action plan for the coming months which included district level satyagrahas in the last week of January 2018, industry or sectoral strikes whenever the govt. announces privatization, protest actions on the day the Union Budget is announced, etc. The resolution adopted at the Mahapadav called for workers to prepare for a nationwide indefinite strike in the coming months as the govt. doesn’t seem to be willing to accept their just demands.

Courtesy: Newsclick.in

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Media Blacks Out Massive Workers’ Protest in Delhi

Fri, 10 Nov 2017 13:30:00 +0000

With nearly 1 lakh workers joining the mahapadav on the first day, most mass media outlets chose to ignore it – like an ostrich!

Nearly 100,000 workers gathered at Delhi’s Parliament Street from 9 November 2017 to protest against the central government’s policies that have adversely affected the working class of India. The protest – called ‘mahapadav’ or mega sit-in – will continue till 11 November. (See reports here: https://goo.gl/1TSzYE and videos such as: https://goo.gl/WQvE8o )

It is one of the biggest workers protests in recent times and comes as a culmination of a long campaign which covered practically all districts of the country. It is organised by 10 central trade unions and several workers’ and employees federations representing about 10 million workers of the country.

But that’s not “news” for the major media houses in India. Most newspapers and television channels did not carry any report on the protest or carried small items buried deep inside their advertisement filled pages. As far as one could make out, The Hindu, The Indian Express and The Hindustan Times had no report while there are small reports in The Times of India and The Business Line (which claims the protest is by “hundreds of workers” – without pictures so that people don’t get to know of the real size of the gathering).

These are the same newspapers that spare no column inches in reporting about Prime Minister Modi’s smallest statements and activities. They are at the forefront in discussing what the CII or FICCI has said on this and that. They go gaga over Satya Nadella and Sundar Pichai. But towards the suffering and anger of millions in this country, there is no ink to be spared.

What about the so-called alternative media? Sorry, but not a single report in The Wire, Scroll, Newslaundry and so on until this morning.

This is not the first time this is happening, of course. Mass protests by the working class have either been ignored by the Indian media, or denigrated as nuisance which causes traffic jams. There were two massive all India strikes – first in 2015 involving about 150 million workers and the world’s biggest industrial strike in 2016 involving 180 million workers. But the media just reported it as partial or even failed strike. On the other hand, protests of 40 people led by an Anna Hazare or some NGOs or what Modi’s followers are saying on his own app tend to make it to the front pages of these newspapers and web portals.

These are nothing but manifestations of the class bias and utter contempt for the working class – which is really fear of the working class and its organised actions. Businessmen who own these media outlets cannot bear the thought of printing or airing something that would harm their own interests. Most newspapers and TV channels themselves employ thousands of people, most of whom are on contract. They are paid low wages, they work long hours and they suffer humiliation and insecurity at their workplaces. While most of the journalists would sympathise with the workers’ demands, they dare not write about it out of fear of their bosses and the owners. Also, Modi’s policies of labour reform or privatisation are precisely the ones that are ardently supported by these media outlets.
To be fair, there are some honourable exceptions to this disgusting trend – NewsClick.in , which has been covering the protest extensively, the Latin American network teleSUR English , and non-English media outlets such as Deshabhimani – ദേശാഭിമാനി , Janayugom, Ganashakti and so on.

Little do the mass media outlets, today so indifferent and scornful of workers and their demands, realise that tomorrow, when this govt. turns against any one of them and starts arm-twisting them – then it is these trade unions only that will stand by them. But probably this is a lesson everyone has to learn the painful way.

Courtesy: Newsclick

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Historic Protest By Workers Starts In Delhi

Fri, 10 Nov 2017 08:09:34 +0000

Thousands of workers assemble at Delhi to reject Modi’s all round failure to raise wages, control price rise and protect jobs, even while giving concessions to big industrialists and cronies.

As over 70,000 workers from across the country gathered at Parliament Street facing down police and paramilitary barricades, the historic 3-day mahapadav (mass sit-in) got off to a rousing start in New Delhi today. Under the banners of ten central trade unions and several federations of workers and employees, which represent the bulk of India’s vast non-agricultural workforce, they are demanding immediate attention to wage increase, price control, end to labour contracting system, strengthening of public distribution system, curbing job losses, and a stop to govt. policies of privatization, inviting of foreign capital, destroying protective labour laws and welfare cuts.

This mahapadav is not just another of those ‘routine’ protests by workers, that are as routinely ignored by the govt., the mass media and the urban middle class. What sets it apart and makes it historic and important?

It is the first big protest by workers in Delhi after Modi came to power in Delhi in 2014. There have been two country-wide strikes in 2015 and 2016. In terms of numbers and impact they were surely bigger events, with an estimated 1.5 crore workers participating. But in India’s new dispensation with Delhi and Modi as the centre of the universe, especially for the media, there was need for a show of anger and strength in the Capital. Also, it weaves together and unifies diverse strands of protests that have been going on for the past few years, including those by scheme workers, govt. employees, banks and insurance employees, public sector employees, etc. It goes beyond the usual dharnas and even single day mass rallies because the 3-day long event is designed specifically to give the stage to diverse sections of workers and show the resilience of their resolve.
The mahapadav is backed by 10 central trade unions with only the RSS-affiliated BMS out of it. This unity of trade unions, evident and strengthening since the advent of BJP at the Centre, is of crucial importance in the otherwise fragmented trade union movement in India. Several independent unions and federations have been drawn in to this struggle because of this unity. This means that the reach of the message of this movement is perhaps one of the widest ever.
The mahapadav comes as a culmination of a three-month long intensive campaign that saw a mass contact programme and public actions in practically every district of the country. Trade unions, especially the CITU, had published extensive material in all major languages of the country well in advance to equip its activists who campaigned in industrial and commercial areas, workers’ colonies, slums and other places of work or residence. Reports from different parts of the country indicate that the call for going to Delhi to protest against the Modi govt. was met with enthusiastic response from workers and their families. This is what became the launching pad for the ongoing mahapadav.
The Modi govts.’ performance in the past three and a half years is primarily responsible for the wave of unrest and discontent sweeping India’s industrial areas. Ever increasing joblessness has become aggravated by job losses in the past year fuelled by an economic slowdown, demonetization and then the GST rollout. This is happening in the context of tight-fisted policies of successive govt. who subscribe to the neo-liberal mantras of curbing govt. expenditure. Modi’s government has also wanted to push ahead with emasculating labour laws to rein in workers discontent and give more freedom to employers to hire and fire. It is in this backdrop that the call of trade unions for a strong rebuff was given and has received the huge response witnessed today in Delhi.
The mahapadav brings back to centre stage the struggle of oppressed and exploited people of India for a better life under a more just socio-economic system. It demarcates from the discourse of religious and casteist identities, actively being promoted by the Modi govt. and its mentor, the RSS. The campaign for the mahapadav specifically focused on the unity of all working people rising above divisive lines of identity politics and religious fundamentalism and in defence of religious minorities and, dalits and adivasis, which have faced increased attacks and marginalization under the current regime.
The mahapadav will also announce a next phase of action by the trade unions. In all probability this will be a general strike early next year. Workers around the country are eagerly awaiting the escalation of this struggle after waiting for three years and listening to Modi’s endless litany of false promises. This also has given the mahapadav a sense of purpose and expectancy among its participants.

It is expected that the coming two days will see an increased participation from workers already on their way to Delhi. The mahapadav is indeed turning into one of the biggest expressions of workers’ solidarity and striking strength in recent times. The Modi govt. would do well to heed the voice of the people – otherwise he and his govt. face a rough ride in the remaining days of their misrule.

Courtesy: Newsclick.in

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Workers’ Mahapadav: Govt. Blinks, Calls for Talks, But Workers Start Moving To Delhi

Tue, 07 Nov 2017 08:39:43 +0000

Govt. has called a hasty meeting with trade unions but has nothing substantial to offer as thousands of workers head to Delhi for historic maha-padav.

Newsclick Image by Nitesh Kumar

Even as a massive mobilization and awareness campaign across the country by central trade unions has reportedly reached over 20 crore workers and thousands are heading to Delhi to participate in the 3-day historic Maha-Padav (massive sit-in) for their demands, the central govt. is scrambling to deal with the situation by calling a hasty meeting with trade unions on 7 November.

“There is hardly any material change in the govt.’s position since the general strike in 2015 as far as we know. But they have called all central trade unions and we will go and see what they have to say,” said Tapan Sen, general secretary of the Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU), which has been leading the campaign for the 12-point charter of demands along with 9 other central trade unions. BMS, the trade union affliated to ruling BJP has opted out of the movement and decided to hold a separate show.

“First, the Labour Ministry called us on 3rd November, but they deliberately left out the Congress affiliated INTUC. We refused to attend such a meeting. Then they have called INTUC also. This is the first victory of workers’ unity,” he added.

Over 300,000 workers from all states in the country and across all sectors of work are expected to congregate at the Capital’s Parliament demanding better wages and social security, ending contract labour, control of inflation, stopping of labour law ‘reforms’, end to privatization of public sector, etc. This will be the biggest and longest assembly of protest ever at Delhi.

“The campaign for this maha-padav has been unprecedented in its scale and depth. Every district in the country has seen a public event and campaign of mass contact with workers in every walk of life. The response has been massive and enthusiastic all round. There is so much anger among the workers at the policies of this govt. that people are just waiting to get into action,” Sen told Newsclick.

There are reports that workers contingents are already preparing to board trains from distant states like Kerala, Tamil Nadu in the south and from the North-Eastern states.

Preparing to leave for Delhi, Shamsu Punnakkal from Mallapuram district in Kerala said that BJP is dividing workers on religious lines so that they become slaves of employers.

“Acting at the behest of big industrialists, BJP govt. is not raising wages, amending labour laws, and generally pursuing anti-people policies. That’s why over 600 of us are travelling to Delhi to participate in the protest,” he said.

KV Unnikrishnan, a worker in the Vallivattam Cooperative Society in Thrissur district, Kerala, told Newsclick that he is leaving his place to join the maha-padav to fight for strengthening the cooperative sector, which is being abused and eroded by the Modi govt.

“Modi govt. is scared of cooperatives because they are a threat to the corporates. That is why BJP is trying to shut down cooperatives. We will never allow that,” he told Newsclick over phone.

The maha-padav follows a series of general strikes in 2015 and 2016, and a workers’ march to Parliament in 2013. Sources say that the trade unions are likely to give a call for general strike early next year if the govt. does not bend.

Courtesy: Newsclick.in

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A Wave of Workers Protest: New Delhi, Nov 9-11, 2017

Wed, 01 Nov 2017 10:09:45 +0000

How will New Delhi and the Modi regime respond to the demands of hundreds of thousands of workers who arrive in wave after wave in the capital from November 9 to 11 pressing the key demand – increase the minimum wage?

Representation Image

The demand is modest and simple. Workers the productive end of India’s burgeoning population are demanding that a wage of Rs.18,000 should be declaredas the minimum wage by the government. There is a further demand: that henceforth it should be linked to the Consumer Price Index. This means that as price of what they need rise, their wages should go up equally.

Reports from all over the country and across all sectors indicate that workers and employees are facing a tremendous squeeze on their family budgets because of the constantly rising prices. According to a survey report published by the government-run Labour Bureau, about 57% of wage earning workers earn Rs.10,000 per month or less. In fact, nearly 20% or one in five of workers gets Rs.5000 or less per month.

Worse, the statutory minimum wages declared by the State governments are only on paper because the bulk of employers do not implement them. Although this is a gross violation of the law, the labour law enforcement machinery is defunct and employers bribe their way through the weak attempts if any made by workers to get their legal rights. It is only when workers are organized with strong trade unions that they can manage to get minimum wages.

Even in the organised sector the condition of wages is pathetic. According to the Annual Survey of Industries (ASI) brought out by the govt.’s Central Statistical Office (CSO), in 2014-15 the average wage per worker was just Rs.10,000 per month.

The situation is all the more dire for lakhs of contract and casual workers whose wages are not even linked to the statutory minimum wages declared by state or central govts. According to the Labour Bureau’s report, 87% of contract workers get Rs.10,000 or less per month.

A survey done by CITU last year showed that among all the big industrial sectors like steel, coal, transport, plantation, port and dock, etc. contract workers were earning roughly half of what their regular counterparts earned in the same industry. Employing contract workers has become the method of choice for employers to push down wages and escape labour laws. The condition of casual workers, who make up one third of workforce in India, is even worse with over 96% earning less than Rs.10,000 per month.

In most places, workers are so desperate that they are forced to accept work for 10 or 12 hours, often at normal wage rates (not double as stipulated for overtime) just to make ends meet. In other words, the harsh exploitation has effectively blown away the concept of 8-hour working day for many in India.
How does one know how much wage is needed for a worker’s family to live? It is possible to get an estimate of the bare minimum requirement – enough to keep skin on bone, as workers ruefully say – by using a formula first accepted by the 15th Indian Labour Conference (ILC), which is a body made up of workers, employers and govt.

Decades ago, in 1957 the ILC agreed that minimum wage should be worked out by taking the cost of following items for a workers’ family of two adults and two children:

1) Per capita food intake of at least 2700 calories for a worker’s family comprising three units (2 adults units + 2 children equivalent to 1 unit)
2) Per capita cloth of at least 18 yards per annum
3) Provision of housing as per minimum rent charged by government industrial housing scheme for low-income category
4) 20 per cent of the above total to be added for fuel, lighting, miscellaneous expenditures.

The Supreme Court ahd also intervened in 1992 to the 1957 conclusions and stipulated that, an additional 25 per cent of the above total should be further added to cover for education, medical expense, recreation and provision of old age and marriage while fixing minimum wage.

If you do the maths, this will work out to about Rs.20,000 per month. The central govt. has agreed to pay Rs.18,000 per month as the minimum wage for its own employees, based on Seventh Pay Commission recommendations.

If this is the rate at which govt. employees get paid, why should other workers get less wages. Cost of living is the same for a govt. employee and an industrial worker or a scheme worker. Why shouldn’t they get same wage? In fact the workers are demanding Rs.18,000 as the minimum wage.

On the other hand, big corporate houses, both domestic and foreign, continue to reap super profits. The govt., instead of providing some relief to workers, is dancing to the tune of monopolists like Ambanis, Adani, Tatas and Birlas, receiving directions from industry bodies like CII and FICCI. Their super profits are sought to be maintained by cutting “costs” of labour – by throwing workers out, by reducing or freezing wages and by contractualisation.

A recent study has shown that income inequality is now the highest ever in record, surpassing the levels found in 1922 under the British colonial rule.

Instead of accepting this just demand and amending the Minimum Wages Act accordingly, the BJP led government have introduced the Code on Wages Bill in the Lok Sabha, which has no mention of the 15th ILC formula and Supreme Court directions. In fact, it is an effort to remove wage fixation from the ambit of labour laws altogether.

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