All India Strike on September 2, 2016
All India Strike on September 2, 2016
M
G WARRIER
There is a call from
several organisations including many trade unions for an ‘All India Strike’ on
September 2, 2016. The ‘demands’ highlighted include issues relating to wages
and job security issues including social security. In all probability, the day
will pass with some dislocation of traffic, a few speeches, a claim of majority
participation by workers, laments about loss of production from industry with
exaggerated figures to support, simultaneously with a sigh of relief from
government side that everything was ‘normal’.
Last week, some last
minute efforts were there from government to avert the strike, which included an
upward revision of minimum wages, which, in any case, was pending somewhere for
a decision.
Workers’ side has dubbed
some measures like raising minimum wages announced in the context of strike as
an ‘eye wash’. The reverse too is true. The trade union leadership which is
guided by political parties somewhere ‘in power’ is not allowing workers to
comprehend the seriousness of the situation created by wrong prices, wages and
income policy pursued by all governments since independence. Some movement like
‘India Against Corruption’ will have to emerge to save workers from their
‘leaders’.
In a democracy, if the
systems worked efficiently, there is no justification to give a call for
strike. But, unfortunately, in India, democracy and orderly conduct of
legislative procedures are still ‘work in progress’. Political parties managing
governance are yet to become amenable to democratic processes within themselves
and ideologies are compromised to ensure the survival of ruling coalitions.
This affects adversely, not only the smooth governance, but also the working of
trade unions and other arms like students’ organisations which have a role in
protecting the interests of workers and genuine opinion-making. Simply put, there
is a conscious effort to stifle thought processes which the political and corporate
leadership feel, can go against their interests.
Writing in The Hindu
(September 1, 2016) G Sampath raised a relevant question, “Do we need a minimum
wage law?”. He went on to explain the concepts of living wage, fair wage and
minimum wage and debated the seriousness with which stakeholders are
approaching these concepts. It is a farce to retain the concept of minimum wage
which does not ensure an income for the worker (who works full-time) which
helps him and his dependents survive with some savings left for the family’s
social security needs. The present levels of minimum wages ranging from Rs 1,
650 per month (Puduchery, agriculture) to Rs Rs 9,100 per month (The minimum
wage of Rs 350 per dium for unskilled non-agricultural worker now announced) do
not reach anywhere near the cost of 5 components mandated by the 15th
Indian Labour Conference (1957) which were:
i)
The wage must support three consumption
units (individuals)
ii)
Food requirements of 2,700 calories per
day
iii)
Clothing requirements of 72 yards per year
per worker’s family
iv)
Rent for housing area similar to that
provided under the subsidised housing scheme and
v)
Fuel, lighting and miscellaneous items of
expenditure to constitute 20 per cent of the minimum wage.
It may be recalled that
the Seventh Pay Commission had fixed minimum wage for central government
employees at Rs 18,000.
Viewed in the above
context, GOI will have to consider at some stage the demand for some reasonable
relativity for wages of the workers in the unorganised sector with the
entitlements of workers in the organised sector. All these will necessitate a
revisit of the prices, wages and income policy sooner than later. This need to
be done quickly and for making the processes transparent and findings and
subsequent action plans acceptable for the stakeholders, there should be meaningful
debates in legislatures and with users of services of workers. Strikes like the
one on September 2, 2016 can only work as symptoms of unrest or an ‘eye opener’
and should not be evaluated on the basis of success and failure or losses and
gains.
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