Labour organisations weakening with time
About 20 crore labourers across the country from various outfits have called for two day national bandh to protest against the anti-labour policies and unilateral decisions regarding labour welfare programmes announced by the central government.
This bandh has been supported by 10 labour organisations. Two day bandh is really a big blow to the country’s exchequer. But then the central government has been implementing policies for labourers without consulting them about their opinion about proposed changes.
The government isn’t responding to the pleas submitted by labourers or even by two major rallies taken out by the farmers. Hence, to make the government listen to the labourers and others, such hard protest is much necessary. Except for Bharatiya Mazdoor Sanghatana which is the subsidiary of Sangh Parivar, all other labour organisations have supported this bandh.
There are two reasons why the anti-labour movements are getting implemented in the country. One is that the labour organisations have lost steam and weakened with time. Second one is that the labour organisations have been deeply politicized.
Hence the labour federations and organisations have to attend to the issues challenging the solidarity of labour collectives instead of getting down to solving their problems. Political parties have clearly mislead the labourers who came to show solidarity with them. The same labourers are now taking to streets in the name of religion and caste. They are identifying with the political parties that are implementing policies that are against their very welfare.
Only 8% of the total workers are in organized sector and the rest of 92% are in unorganized sector working under dire conditions and life challenges. The labour organisations and governments have to train their focus on them and find solutions to their problems. But then there are many challenges before the goal is accomplished. Women are in huge numbers in unorganized sector which is ever expanding. Information technology sector has posed a challenge to particular work atmosphere.
Now with modes of transportation having seen revolutionary changes overnight, private taxis like Ola and Uber have been witnessing complex issues that the country never witnessed before. Most of the public sector companies are worn out owing to the interference of the governments of their time.
But the government neither has plans nor is holding discussions with the labourers on schemes or packages for the rehabilitation of labourers or the organisations. The fixed hour work contract that was implemented in garment industry in 2016 is pro-industry and aids the employers to make terms according to their convenience instead of labour welfare. Now that policy has been implemented in all sectors.
As per that policy, the labourer can be removed from the job at any given time without prior notice, by the employer. Almost all the multinational companies are implementing the labour contract system has turned into a massive challenge since 1970 onwards.
With the labour federations and organisations facing the biggest challenge threatening their existence with pressure being mounted from every corner to eliminate them, how can they find solutions outside the political equations and situations? In fact even BMS with its RSS background has also objected to including MNCs and policies pertaining to labour into time bound contract and labour code bill of 2017.
The organization has sought to the government to present a whitepaper on the dependency of the government on MNCs and how many jobs have MNCs generated in the recent times. BMS had openly criticized the anti-labour approach of Modi government. But BMS stopped participating in nationwide bandhs since 2015 September even when the issues were about the safety and future of labourers.
The organization said they are more concerned about labour welfare than staging dharna or bandh or even indulging in politics. One of the core duties of organized labour sector is to facilitie tripartite discussions between joint labour federations, the government and employers to conduct meaningful discussions and find solutions for problems plaguing the sector.
Most labour organisations feel NDA government rejects any chance to hold discussions with the labour movements, feel the leaders of labour collectives. Labour welfare and shutting down of manufacturing units is not just owing to indiscriminate removing of people from jobs, but is also against the spirit of democracy.
Labour organisations owe it to people to take the real picture to them and make the labour welfare as people’s welfare. This has to be inclusive of labour welfare and public welfare too. Unless the labour sector becomes a political force to reckon with again, it cannot even dream of wielding political power. bandh will merely be something that people will never understand and complain against.
The question may arise about the government’s stance to this whole issue that having known govt’s unresponsiveness to this, why would the organisations still call a bandh? Labour organisations have to inform people that the core issue that is affecting manufacturing sector would have a bearing on everyone.
Labour movement has to become a common cause which would then ensure it would turn into a political power. Once when the parties know people and labourers are together, they will come down on their knees to fulfil the demands.
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Porsche car crash case exposed systemic corruption: Pune police commissioner
Pune (PTI): The Porsche car crash case exposed "systemic corruption," but the Pune Police have successfully uncovered the nexus behind the replacement of the accused juvenile's blood samples with those of his mother, Police Commissioner Amitesh Kumar said on Wednesday.
The case made national headlines after the high-end car allegedly driven by the 17-year-old boy in an inebriated state mowed down motorcycle-borne IT professionals Anish Awadhiya and Ashwini Costa in the Kalyani Nagar area on May 19 last year.
"Last year’s Porsche car crash case sparked widespread discussions about Pune’s deteriorating social culture, alleged police corruption, and several other issues. Amid all the criticism, one positive aspect stood out: the case exposed systemic corruption.
"It also demonstrated how the police, working within the same system, managed to uncover the entire nexus behind the replacement of the juvenile’s blood samples with those of his mother," Kumar said while addressing Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyan, an initiative aimed at raising awareness against drug addiction, organised at Modern College.
He added that the juvenile has been released since he was a minor.
"However, his mother has remained in jail for over a year, and his father continues to be behind bars. Doctors from Sassoon Hospital and others involved are also still in jail," Kumar said, adding that one mistake by a child, and an attempt by his parents to cover it up, destroyed an entire family.
He said the police will follow up on this case until every guilty person is punished.
Kumar also appealed to students to stay away from intoxicating substances and drugs.
"You are not only endangering your own life but also putting your entire family at risk," he said, urging the youth not to fall prey to harmful addictions.
"Instead, stand strong and act as a force to ensure that drug abuse is curbed in your surroundings. We assure you of full police support," he added.
He further stated that if youth from all colleges unite and decide to end this menace, "the day is not far when not even one gram of drug will be sold in the city".
The investigation into the car crash had revealed that the juvenile's blood samples were replaced with those of his mother.
The roles of Dr Ajay Taware, head of the forensic department, Medical Officer Shreehari Halnor, and a hospital staffer came under scrutiny.
While the mother is currently out on bail, the juvenile’s father, Sassoon Hospital doctors Taware and Halnor, staffer Atul Ghatkamble, two middlemen, Ashpak Makandar and Amar Gaikwad, and others remain in jail for the alleged blood sample swap.
