People's Democracy

BIG RALLY IN MUMBAI

Jobs, Minimum Wage & Social Security Demanded

P R Krishnan

DEFYING the monsoon in different parts of Maharashtra, unorganised workers from various districts and regions of the state came to Mumbai to hold a huge rally on August 26, demanding jobs, guaranteed minimum wages and social security measures. Heavy rains proved no obstacle for these unorganised, unemployed, unprotected and malnourished workers in making hectic preparations in their respective centres to come in groups and join the over 10,000 strong rally that was organised specifically to raise their problems. Women workers formed an overwhelming majority of the rally whose participants came in buses and trains to reach Mumbai. Amongst the participants were also farm workers in their white caps. It took almost two days for them to trek to their nearby railway stations from their remote villages to catch trains for journeying to Mumbai to join the rally. Domestic workers, powerloom workers, female beedi workers and sugarcane crushing workers came in large numbers.

The rally was organised under the banner of the Trade Unions Joint Action Committee. Though the committee comprises central trade union organisations like the CITU, AITUC, HMS, HMKP, Kamgar Aghadi and several independent unions, the major contingent of the participants came from CITU affiliated unions.

The decision to hold such a rally of the workers of unorganised sector was first taken in a convention of representatives from different organisations, held in Pune on May 30 this year. The main demands formulated in the convention, to be raised at the rally, were (1) jobs to the unemployed or unemployment relief, (2) provisions for guaranteed minimum wage to the unorganised workers in the state, (3) provisions for a provident fund scheme, (4) employment insurance scheme, (5) gratuity, (6) provision for a pension scheme during retirement period, (7) a social security scheme for the self-employed people like blacksmiths, goldsmiths, carpenters, masons, hawkers, construction workers, headload workers, street assembled (nakka) workers, domestic workers, security guards, contract workers, domestic shoe makers, flower sellers and garland makers, etc, (8) abolition of the contract system and absorption of contract workers on permanent basis in industries of perennial nature, (9) abolition of the contract system in educational institutions, and (10) extension of provision of Industrial Disputes Act and Maharashtra Recognition of Trade Unions And Prevention of Unfair Labour Practices Act (MRTU & PULP ACT) etc to the contract workers. Anther demand raised in the rally was that the Right To Work should to be included in the constitution as a fundamental right.

The Sholapur contingent consisting of beedi workers and domestic workers for the rally came under the leadership of Fatima Baig and Sidhappa Kalshetty. The group of workers from Jalna district was led by Anna Sawant. The powerloom workers from Ichalkaranji came under the leadership of Datta Mane. The workers engaged in irrigation projects in Wardha district was led by Sitaram Lohakare. It was Shubha Shamim from Pune who led the contingent of domestic workers and Anganwadi workers. Amrut Mehshrum was the driving force for the workers who came from Nagpur. The sugarcane crushing workers from rural Maharashtra came with their leader Suryaji Salunke. The daily job seekers who gather in groups every day on busy street corners in Mumbai (nakka workers) came in a procession with their leader Jagunaryan Kahar. It was Deepti Gopinath under whose leadership the contract workers from the domestic and international airports marched in a procession to the rally ground. The home based workers from Nanded district came with their leader Vijay Gabhne.

A notable feature of the rally was that it had an appreciable number of teachers form schools, lecturers from colleges and professors from universities and other institutions. They joined the rally in opposition to the contract system that is today rampant in the educational institutions in Maharashtra. The reaching community is a part of the well organised teachers organisation --- the Bombay University and College Teachers Union. The teachers working on contract basis came under the leadership of the BUCTU representatives Professor Sarad Madan and Suhas Jadhav (Kolhapur).

The CITU processions from Mumbai joined under the leadership of Sayeed Ahmed and Ashok Bannerji. The contract workers engaged in public sector industries like Hindustan Petroleum, Rashtriya Chemicals and Fertilisers etc, and forming part of the Padhat Virodhi Manch that is spearheading the opposition to contract labour system, came with the Manch convenor Dr Vivek Monteiro in large numbers and carrying banners and flags. Contract workers from the railways marched to the rally ground under the banner of National Railway Mazdoor Union and were led by NRMU leader P R Menon.

The presidium for the rally, comprising K L Bajaj (CITU), Sukumar Damble (AITUC), Dada Samant (Kamgar Aghadi), P R Menon (NRMU) and Suresh Gauli (Sarva Sramik Sangh), conducted the proceedings of the rally which, in all, 40 representatives addressed. Apart from the presidium members, other leaders who addressed the rally were Ahilya Ranganekar (AIDWA), Gajanand Shetye (state government employees), Dr K K Theckedath (BUCTU), A D Golandaz (AITUC), Sanjay Singhvi (TUCI), Abhyankar (Trade Union Solidarity Committee), G M V Nayak (BEFI), P R Krishnan (CITU) and Jayant Chawan (SSS).

It was, however, regrettable that though the HMS and HMKP were originally parties to the decision to hold a rally of unorganised workers, both these organisations chose to keep away from the programme and did not even depute any one of their representatives to address the meeting.