The Life of Labour, a compilation of important labour developments from around the world, will be delivered to your inbox every Sunday at 10 am. Click here to subscribe.
Accident at Bhilai Steel Plant leaves 12 workers dead
On October 9, a fire in the gas pipelines at Bhilai Steel Plant, run by SAIL, caused a major accident, leaving 12 workers dead and 11 others injured. The injured have suffered 70% to 80% burn injuries and are under treatment. This incident happened during regular maintenance. Initial probes have revealed that there have been lapses in following the safety protocol. The CEO and two other senior officials responsible for safety and plant management have been suspended pending enquiry.
This accident comes just four years since another major incident that had left six dead and many injured. Many at the workplace have pointed out the absence of the statutory safety committee for the past two years. Such a committee would have been responsible for monitoring safety norms at the plant. Such accidents are not rare events, as reports indicate that at least 58 fatal incidents and over 150 non-fatal incidents have been reported from the three SAIL steel plants in the last four years. There is very little information about the safety and accidents in the hundreds of private ancillary units in the region.
Safety of workers in India has always come last for investors and the State. This is borne out by the simple fact that there are two more stories of fatal accidents in factories, in this very edition of Life of Labour. The lax attitude towards workplace safety is a consequence of unwieldy laws that leads to non enforcement of the laws. In the reckless pursuit of competitive advantage, low safety standards at workplaces is a way for the third world to cut manufacturing costs at the peril of human lives.
Exodus of migrants from Gujarat after hate attacks by locals
Last week also saw attacks on Hindi-speaking migrants in Gujarat, leading to exodus of migrant workers from Gujarat. The migrants from Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Madhya Pradesh, began leaving the state after numerous incidents of mob fury against non-Gujarati workers were reported. The alleged rape of a 14-month-old girl was touted as the reason behind these attacks. The attacks continued, even after the state government claimed to have brought the situation under control. Estimates claimed thousands of migrants left the state in a few days, bringing many factories and other establishments to a stand still.
Alpesh Thakor, a young Congress leader, and his aide, have been accused of fanning hate, after his speeches at a protest meeting. Denying the charges, the Congress leader sat on a fast demanding the state government to provide protection for the migrant workers. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi faced the ire of returning migrants and their families, who organised a protest at the Varanasi railway station. Some in the protest even called for Gujaratis and Marathi to leave UP, in a tit for tat response.
Internal migrants from central Indian states have become the mainstay of the unskilled workforce in the developed states, including Gujarat. A report in the Times of India reveals that over 70% of the workforce in Surat and 50% of the workforce in Ahmedabad are migrants. While companies profit heavily from using underpaid workers, it is leading to acute social tension across the country.
#MeToo in India: A movement or a moment
What started as lone allegation of sexual harassment against Nana Patekar, an acclaimed Bollywood actor, steadily gained momentum leading to another major #MeToo campaign. The long and growing list includes, national award winning lyricist Vairamuthu, Union minister and long-term editor M.J. Akbar, among many other journalists, Mazzer Hussain, a senior social activist, and even a senior executive at TATA Motors.
Given the numerous tumbling skeletons from many a revered closets, lots of peers, trade associations and political leaders have come in support of the victims. Cancellations and condemnations have followed these accusations. Mumbai Police have also begun investigations into the accusations. Women and child development minister Maneka Gandhi has also proposed to set up a four-member judicial panel to investigate the cases in order to review and recommend changes to the existing legal framework. Even as these positive measures are being taken to address the emerging allegations, there has also been attempts to shame the victims or colour these accusations. BJP leaders have come publicly questioning the conduct of the woman who accused M.J. Akbar. This denial is also happening among the liberal community. When a famed cultural critic and journalist Sadanand Menon, was accused by two women of sexual harassment, artists defended him by stating that the allegations were ambiguous, without even an enquiry. Asian College of Journalism, where he and the victims were associated, rather than initiate a enquiry claimed that they were being targeted for being ‘liberal’. The cases have not yet been enquired, by the artist community or the institute.
While the developments do offer a certain optimism about the struggle against sexual violence and gender equality in work spaces, it has to be noted that such movements have remained confined to high-level white collar employments and in celebrity media spaces. There have been numerous reports of sexual harassment of women in the informal and blue collar work, be it as domestic maids, garment workers, construction workers are in factories. They face a much greater battle, as they remain invisible and with little social support to come out openly. In the absence of media focus, these workers have suffered in silence or found micro methods to protect themselves. It is for the working class organisations and unions to work towards creating an ecosystem where they too can openly call out the accusers and seek justice. It also would act as a deterrent against predatory behaviour, enabling a much better work environment for all. Unless it spreads across working class population, this phenomenon, will only be yet another moment rather than a movement, in the struggle against sexual exploitation and gender justice.
Other news and updates
Noida: 4 killed, 5 injured as iron fixtures of under-construction building in Sector 94 collapse
A building collapse in Noida has recreated a story that we’ve heard so many times before. “Nine people were injured when the shuttering of the building collapsed,” said senior superintendent of police Ajay Pal Sharma. “Four of them have died while five others have been hospitalised.” The local administration has promised compensation and an inquiry but with the constant cycle of deaths and compensations, is it a stretch to say that in India, a person’s life has an explicit value? Is it fair to call them “accidents” anymore? In this scenario, the story is quick to note that the workers were wearing helmets but didn’t have safety harnesses. But occupational safety and health compliance isn’t a question of passing the blame but rather taking the sanctity of human life seriously enough to ensure that workers don’t face death constantly.
To take the extent of the apathy further, the Labour Department had inspected the site five months ago and reported a number of safety violations by BTBP, the promoters, and Ahluwalia Contractors, the executors. Times of India reports that “It had recommended that a case be filed against the builder, but no action was taken since.”
Four workers locked into hosiery factory in Ludhiana die in fire
In an even more gut-wrenching story, the management of a factory in Ludhiana locked the doors from the outside. When a fire broke out inside, the workers could not escape and choked to death on the smoke. This isn’t a safety violation, this isn’t an “accident”, this is outright murder, isn’t it?
Bhopal police attack: ASHA workers demanding minimum wage detained “illegally”
Police attacked a gathering of around 3,000 ASHA workers in Bhopal in the first week of October. One of the ASHA workers was a correspondent with the community media organisation, Video Volunteers, and her testimony makes for stark viewing. She describes how her colleague was pulled down from a tower as she was protesting by the police and lost consciousness. She had to be rushed to the hospital and remains there. Aman Kumar’s report in The Citizen describes how the workers have been protesting since April to be included in the ambit of the latest Pay Commission’s increase of minimum wage to Rs 18,000 per month. He writes, “With central health spending a more or less stagnant 1.3% of GDP for the past decade, as compared to a world average of 6%.. According to this year’s Economic Survey, a five-year decline in real terms in the central expenditure on health was reversed this year, with a nominal increase of 23% in the budgeted amount. The truth of this remains to be seen; at present the Indian government spends about Rs 3 per day per citizen on healthcare.” The responsibility thrust on ASHA workers is huge but their compensation is minimal and they are not regularised.
While ASHA workers are government workers rendering government services, there has recently been a greater discussion over whether there should be a binding minimum wage policy for India’s huge informal sector. The Supreme Court recently dismissed a petition saying that this was a legislative decision, which sounds about right. Writing for LiveMint, Radhakrishnan Gopalan describes a large American study that showed an increase in minimum wage did not lead to workers being fired but did lead to a slowdown in hiring in the subsequent months in trading (as opposed to service) enterprises. While the results of the study are useful, the subsequent extrapolation to the Indian situation doesn’t cite any studies and seems to be the author’s opinion.
Workers’ strike: Madras high court notice to Yamaha India
As reported earlier, it’s tense times in Chennai as industrial workers from a number of companies have gone on strike demanding better working conditions and regularisation. The workers’ union approached the court for justice, asking it to direct the company to follow the findings of the assistant labour commissioner. While the court did not pass an interim order on behalf of the workers, it has directed the company to respond to the petition filed by the union.
Gurugram: Workers protest new labour norms
Times of India reports that “According to labour department officials, seven units, including Rico (Manesar), Endurance Technologies, Dhanuka Agritech (Gurgaon), Omax Auto (Gurgaon and Manesar), Automax (Daruhera) and Napino Auto and Electronics Limited (Gurgaon) have applied for closures in the last year, affecting over 2,200 workers.” Ravikant, who worked at Automax, told ToI, “After 20 years of service, they have left us here. I’ve been at home since July last year and I’m struggling to educate my kids and meet my family’s daily expenses.” The workers mostly find out all of a sudden and receive little to no compensation for their years of service. The companies claim that financials crunch has led to their shutdowns but the workers are taking them to court.
India at the bottom of Oxfam index on efforts to reduce inequality
India ranks 147 out of 157 countries in terms of commitment to reducing inequality according to a new report by Oxfam. PTI reports that “In terms of its ranking across specific pillars this year, India was placed 151st on the index for public spending for healthcare, education and social protection, 141st for labour rights and wages, and 50th on taxation policies.” Apparently, China outspends India four to one in terms of welfare and its health budget is double the size of India’s budget. While they aren’t a bastion of labour rights either, their budget allocations show a greater commitment to reducing inequality in their country.
Weekend reading
The coal-worker’s dilemma: Die slowly of unhealthy conditions or die quickly of starvation?: Scroll publishes an excerpt from Sandeep Pai and Savannah Carl-Wilson’s new book, Total Transition: The Human Side of the Renewable Energy Revolution, which covers the lives of two miners. Read more here.
Why is the Communist Party telling the All-China Federation of Trade Unions to reform?: An insight into the labour politics of China from the China Labour Bulletin. “If the ACFTU and its local federations continue to do nothing in the face of increased worker activism and the Party’s demands for reform… the union will miss a real opportunity to help workers and at the same time plunge the Party into a crisis of legitimacy. Meanwhile, workers will continue to protest and take collective action in even greater numbers than before.“ Read more here.