People's Democracy

7TH Conference Of SWFI –– A Grand Success

Ardhendu Dakshi

Steel Workers Federation of India is the largest and most active all India organisation of steel workers. Its activities are spread over nine states among the workers of steel plant, iron ore, limestone and dolomite mines as well as employees in offices and marketing organisations. 35 unions in various locations of both regular and contract workers are affiliates of Steel Workers Federation of India (SWFI) having a total of 65 thousand members but their influence goes beyond two lakh workers. The Federation has very strong presence in Durgapur Steel Plant, Alloy Steels Plant, IISCO Steel Plant, Salem Steel Plant and Vizag Steel Plant. Its strength is absolute in marketing organisations among the mines workers and contract workers in plants and mines and other establishments.

SWFI was founded in 1982 in Durgapur, inaugurated by Jyoti Basu in presence of representatives from Soviet Union and China. That was a great occasion. This year is the silver jubilee year and the seventh conference has been organised in a befitting manner in Burnpur on August 26-28, 2007 with great enthusiasm and determination to carry forward the struggle in the future years.

The first day of the conference was totally dedicated to discuss the problems of contract workers all over the steel industry. In the changing scenario it has become imperative to take up the problems of contract workers with highest priority as they are being engaged more and more in production jobs.

The conference was organised by a reception committee chaired by veteran and revered trade union leader Chandra Sekhar Mukherjee, ably supported by another veteran leader Bamapada Mukherjee. The reception committee consisted of all prominent trade union leaders, leaders of democratic movement and respected dignitaries. The workers and common people, even the officers of steel plant have donated generously for the success of this conference. The government of West Bengal, the Municipal Corporation and steel plant management extended all possible help for smooth and orderly conduct of this conference. The people responded magnificently. The mass meeting on August 28 was an unprecedented success where more than fifty thousand people had assembled. That was the biggest ever in Burnpur.

On August 25, an attractive exhibition organised by the reception committee was inaugurated by Basudeb Acharia, MP. The exhibition showed the horrors of war and atrocities perpetrated by American soldiers in Vietnam and also the pictures of 1857 war of independence. Some pictures of the movement of Durgapur and Burnpur were also put up where the martyrs pictures were displayed.

The conference started with hoisting of red flag by Ardhendu Dakshi, president of SWFI. It was followed by placing wreaths at the martyrs column by Dakshi, Chandra Sekhar Mukherjee, Bamapada Mukherjee, P K Das, general secretary, SWFI, Jibon Roy, Tapan Sen and all other senior leaders from Asansol – Burnpur area and from all the steel plants.

After condolence resolution, the special session on contract workers was inaugurated by Ardhendu Dakshi. He emphasised that in the era of globalisation there must be fight on two fronts. There must be resistance against rampant contractorisation and at the same time we must demand equal pay and equal rights for existing contract workers. The regular workers must give leadership to organise the contract workers and fight for their cause unitedly. In any case the contract workers movements have to become more and more powerful with time. The regular workers must join hands or else they would be left out. Not lip service but active participation by them will be beneficial for both the categories of workers, he said.

The contract workers story is the same everywhere - low wage, no benefit, non-compliance of labour laws by contractor and principal employer and a total lack of job security even if they are working in continuous manufacturing process. At the end of the session, the regular workers and contract workers vowed to fight jointly to ensure same pay for same work, regular employment in regular jobs, stopping of outsourcing and various other methods by which jobs are shifted to suppliers or buyers, against relieving the company from any responsibility for these workers, and the basic issue of compliance of all protective labour laws. Steel industry has a long history where regular workers had given leadership to organise contract workers. A strong movement of contract workers had grown in Burnpur (IISCO) and Durgapur (DSP and Alloy Steel) in sixties and seventies which had influenced passing of Contract Labour (R&A) Act, 1970. With the passage of time the movement grew stronger and as a result, thousands of contract labour have been regularised in IISCO, Durgapur steel and Alloy Steels Plant. The wage level in these plants is much higher and the workers have wrested some major benefits from the company(s). The special session decided to carry forward the traditions of united movement of regular and contract workers.

CONFERENCE PROCEEDINGS

The main conference proceedings started on August 26 evening with Ardhendu Dakshi giving the presidential address and P K Das placing the general secretary’s report. Dakshi dealt mainly on international situation and development of working class movement worldwide. P K Das gave a detailed account of the activities of the Federation, its successes and failures, an objective assessment of the present domestic economic situation and the prospects of steel industry in India. Anti-privatisation movement in steel industry has saved SAIL, Vizag Steel plant (RINL), Salem Steel plant from being privatized. IISCO and Alloy Steel were ordered to be closed down by the NDA government, that disaster was averted by SWFI by organising strong movement and leading a countrywide campaign among technologists and common people. Today Mc Kinsey recommendations stand debunked and IISCO is a part of SAIL renamed as ISP that is going to have a new life as well as a new plant. Alloy Steels Plant and Salem Steel Plant are now going to be expanded. Das pointed out that many new steel plants are coming up or have come up in last 10-12 years. Presence of SWFI is weak there and this situation has to be improved by all means, he said.

On August 27, M K Pandhe inaugurated the conference and reminded the future tasks and responsibilities of the steel workers to provide leadership in trade union movement in general and in steel workers movement in particular. Pandhe is the founding president of SWFI and even before that he was deeply associated with steel workers movements. He cautioned that steel workers should take every step to be on the forefront of the struggle as they were before. The erosion of benefits and rights arising out of large scale contractorisation and out sourcing have to be stopped and the workers interests will have to be protected by organising resistance movements. He remembered the heroic struggle led by IISCO workers under the leadership of ‘save IISCO committee’ that has brought back IISCO from closure to a new life. He mentioned that IISCO workers have been long deprived of many benefits all along for which a new struggle is already on. He narrated that CITU had refused to sign the wage agreement in 2001 until and unless the management agreed to cover IISCO employees and give them all the due benefits. As IISCO was under BIFR, it took some time to merge it with SAIL and introduce revised scales but now we are fighting for their arrear payments from January 1,1997.

The conference was attended and greeted by Vuong Quoc Loi representing World Federation of Trade Unions. He is the president of Vietnam General Confederation of Labour (VGCL). Tran Duc Thuan was present on behalf of VGCL and Nguyen Viet Duy from international department of VGCL. They were greeted cheerfully by the delegates and in the mass meeting with slogans like tomar nam, amar nam Vietnam Vietna (your name and my name is Vietnam Vietnam).

Md Amin, general secretary of CITU greeted the conference and reminded the responsibility of steel workers in the present situation when the workers are losing their rights and effects of globalisation are devastating. He outlined CITU’s role in future to unify regular workers struggles with contract workers struggles as well as building worker-peasant alliance to fight government policies.

Jibon Roy, ex-MP and founder general secretary addressed the delegates and gave them an outline of major issues before the working class which should be discussed and consensus reached in the rapidly changing scenario in economic, political and social spheres. He advised them to learn form history and apply their knowledge for future movements.

47 delegates from both regular workers and contract workers took part in the discussion which enriched the report with new suggestions and more information. The general secretary’s report was adopted unanimously with the suggestions incorporated.

The conference unanimously elected a new working committee of 119 members with 30 office bearers. Ardhendu Dakshi was re-elected president and P K Das was re-elected as general secretary.

M K Pandhe while concluding the conference again reminded the responsibility of the steel workers in upholding national sovereignty in the wake of the signing of nuclear deal agreement with United States of America and at the same time increase international connections to be involved in steel workers movements’ world wide. The solidarity actions by international fraternity will strengthen our movement in India. He wanted the Federation to redouble its efforts to reach and organise steel workers in various new plants coming up all over the country and only through this process and action the quality of life of steel workers in the country can be changed. He emphasised the importance of forging worker-peasant alliance to fight the attacks on the people in this era of globalisation. People’s movements against unemployment, price rise, lack of social security have to be given a new thrust and direction by developing a powerful united struggle. He also reiterated the task of organising contract workers in the country and asked SWFI constituents to join in big number in the November 19 convention of contract workers in Delhi and CPSTU meeting on September 15-16 in Nasik.

President of Viseswariya Iron and Steel Ltd. Union, Rangegowda, though non-affiliated to SWFI attended the conference and promised to work together, so also representatives from co-ordination committee of Mini-Steel Plant unions of Goa who came and expressed their desire to join SWFI.

RESOLUTIONS

The conference adopted two resolutions, first on Indo-US nuclear deal that has bartered India’s independence on nuclear matters as well as foreign policy with some imaginary energy security offered by United States. The deal actually means India joining the axis of US, Israel, Australia, Japan and Singapore for military domination in Asian region. The conference condemned the deal and demanded India to get out of it.

The second resolution demanded a total ban on export of Iron ore specially the Haematite variety and conserve this precious raw material that can be used for making steel in the country than exporting it for use by other producers abroad. The resolution also demanded linkage of iron ore reserves to public sector steel plants like SAIL and RINL on a priority basis. The resolution asserted that India can be the second biggest steel producer in the world after China because of abundant iron ore and skilled manpower. There is no point in exporting iron ore cheap and damaging the country’s interest.

MASS MEETING

The mass meeting held in the Burnpur Boys’ School ground was a grand success which was addressed by Buddhadeb Bhattacharya, chief minister, West Bengal, M K Pandhe, Basudeb Acharia (MP), Bangsha Gopal Choudhury (MP), Jibon Roy, Ardhendu Dakshi and P K Das. The delegates from Vietnam greeted the huge gathering; the people welcomed them with great enthusiasm.

The meeting was presided over by Chandra Sekhar Mukherjee, chairman, reception committee and most respected leader of Asansol – Burnpur industrial belt.

M K Pandhe explained the importance of this conference and thanked the Burnpur people and all others who had helped in organising the conference.

Buddhadeb Bhattacharya hailed the role of SWFI in organising steel workers and leading their struggles which makes it an outstanding organisation dedicated to the cause of steel workers in particular and the working class in general. He gave an account that because of positive role played by the West Bengal government and the people in general, several big steel plants are coming up or being proposed in West Bengal. DVC and Coal India have joined hands to re-open MAMC in Durgapur which was condemned by NDA government. Hindustan Fertiliser is being started again in Durgapur while its Haldia unit is being considered for re-commissioning. He also narrated how the central government and SAIL was persuaded to merge IISCO with SAIL for which government of West Bengal gave a huge helping hand by writing off the outstanding taxes due from IISCO. Now it is a big achievement that SAIL is going to invest more than Rs. 10,000 crores for the modernisation of IISCO. He assured that despite difficulties and obstruction from a section of the polity, industrialisation is the only course to create a modern industrial society for which he appealed co-operation from the people at large.

The conference has created great enthusiasm and hope for all sections of people of Burnpur who are looking for better days. Burnpur was lit up with joy both in reality and figuratively on the occasion of seventh conference of Steel Workers Federation of India.