Gurgaon: Protest Program and Rally Against Anti-Worker Labour Law Reforms -Workers Solidarity Centre, Gurgaon

Gurgaon: Protest Program and Rally Against Anti-Worker Labour Law Reforms

October 24, 2014
a press release by Workers Solidarity Centre, Gurgaon

Towards Forging United Struggle of Workers in the Industrial Belt
Workers Solidarity Centre (WSC), Gurgaon organized a Protest Program and March against pro-capitalist anti- worker changes in labour laws in Gurgaon this morning. Along with members of Workers Solidarity Centre Gurgaon, Union representatives from various Workers Unions in the industrial belt participated with a pledge to fight these ‘reforms’ brought by the Naredra Modi government which re-enforce already existing regime of exploitation and repression under which workers here and everywhere are forced to work and live everyday.
We had a PROTEST SABHA at 10am at Kamla Nehru Park, and then Marched through Gurgaon city to the Mini Secretariat, where we handed a memorandum to the Deputy Commissioner, Gurgaon to be sent to Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of India. The delegation comprised of Ramniwas, President of WSC; Bhimrao, Gen.Sec. of Hero MotoCorp Union; Sanjay, Gen. Sec of Maruti Suzuki Workers Union Manesar; Satpal, President of Nerolac Paints Union and Chief Patron of WSC, Nandan Bhndari, Gen Sec of Autofit Workers Union and Joint Secretary of WSC, Rajesh, President of MUKU Gurgaon and Working President WSC, Anil, Secretary of AITUC Gurgaon, Pal Singh, President of Jan Sangharsh Manch Haryana and Brahmanand of Munjal Kiriu Employees Union.
All the participants and speakers were unanimous in their view that the present proposed labour law reforms are a direct brutal attack on workers rights and will only increase the exploitation by capitalists from the country and multinationals. Rajpal from WSC said, “Today ‘acche din’ is only for capitalists, while for us workers it is ‘andhera daur’, and attack on our basic Trade Union rights. Apart from conditions of workers of organized sector comprising mainly of contract workers, casuals and now apprentices with sub-minimum wage, millions of workers in the unorganized sector are facing an increasing insecure future.”
Union representatives from Maruti Suzuki Workers Union -Manesar, Maruti Udyog Kamgar Union -Gurgaon, Maruti Suzuki Powertrain India Employees Union – Manesar, Suzuki Motorcycles India Employees Union – Gurgaon, Nerolac Paints Karamchari Union- Bawal, Autofit Workers Union -Dharuhera, Sunbeam Workers Union -Gurgaon, Hero MotoCorp Employees Union -Gurgaon, Munjal Kiriu Employees Union -Manesar, Endurance Employees Union -Manesar, Belsonica Workers Union -Manesar, AITUC Gurgaon, as well as struggling workers from these and various factories, and representatives from mass organisations like Jan Sangharsh Manch Haryana and Krantikari Naujawan Sabha participated in the rally.
Speakers said that the few pro-worker labour laws have come out of workers struggles in the past. As they presently exist, labour laws are only there for name-sake and their violation is a norm for capitalists. The present ‘reforms’ brought in by the Modi-government will effect a further erosion in workers rights and suck the last drops of blood. The Gurgaon-Manesar-Dharuhera-Bawal-Bhiwadi industrial area situated in the Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor, forms the core area of the developmental model in India being projected for the grand ‘Make in India’ project. But here workers find their life-blood sucked everyday on the assembly line and outside. Any voice for workers minimum rights and demand of Union recognition or organized struggle are ruthlessly suppressed. Apart from the inhuman working conditions, violation of trade union rights by anti-worker managements is the rule.
The President, General Secretary and three other Union representatives of Hero MotoCorp Gurgaon have been terminated from their jobs recently for alleged ‘indiscipline’. Munjal Kiriu workers in IMT Manesar are on strike in front if the factory gate for the last one month with the demand of taking their suspended Union representatives back on duty. The President and Vice President of Autofit factory in Dharuhera still remain suspended for asking for workers rights in the factory. Workers at POSCO IDPC in Bawal, Rewari are on strike for more than 5 months for their Union rights. Due to pending settlement, workers at Omax Dharuhera and at Suzuki Motorcycles Gurgaon have refused to receive their ‘Diwali gifts’. 46 workers at Belsonica in Manesar have been suspended for the audacity to of workers in the factory to have asked for Right to Union formation. All through the belt, workers strikes and unrest is raging in Talbrose and Minda Furukawa in Bawal, Jay Ushin, Baxter and Autoliv in IMT Manesar, and Shriram Piston in Bhiwadi to name only a few instances.
It is in this situation of exploitation and repression on workers struggle, the participants in the Rally today said, comes the proposed changes in labour laws. These will only decrease the real wage, increase contractualisation and make jobs more insecure, thereby adversely affecting access to basic needs of food, health and education.
Workers Solidarity Centre Gurgaon strengthened by today’s Protest program, pledged to take the struggle forward through the building larger unity of struggling workers, Unions and pro-worker forces in this entire industrial belt

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