From India News Network (INN)
The working class of India went on a historic countrywide
general strike on 2nd September 2015 protesting against the anti
worker and anti people policies of the BJP led government at the centre. The
workers of the country have responded to the call of the central trade unions
and independent industrial federations for general strike in an overwhelming
and magnificent manner. This general strike will remain a historic milestone in
the history of the trade union movement of the country. BMS, which was part of
the decision, withdrew a few days before the strike saying that it was satisfied
with the governments’ response. But, obviously, the workers of the country were
not.
The special significance of this strike was the massive
participation of workers, both from the organised and unorganised sectors,
public and private sectors, women and men with great determination and grit. It
is estimated that over 15 crore workers participated in the strike all over the
country.
Through this massive and magnificent strike the working class of
the country effectively rebuffed the attempts of the government to show itself
as working for the poor. The success of the strike reflected the anger,
discontent and disillusionment of the workers and employees against the
brazenly anti worker, anti people, anti national and pro corporate policies of
the Modi led BJP government, which came to power with their support a year ago.
The working class has totally rejected the fraud being committed on the workers
by amending the labour laws intended to push out more than 75% of the workers
in the organised sector alone out of the purview of any legal protection. The
working class made it clear that it is aware of the evil design of the
government proposals in amending the Factories Act, Minimum Wages Act, Payment
of Wages Act, Payment of Bonus Act, Industrial Disputes Act, PF Act, ESI Act
etc whereby it wants to legalise what was hitherto consider violations of
labour laws. Through this strike the workers emphatically asserted that they
cannot be cheated by assurances on minimum wages, bonus etc while amending the
same set of labour laws to push them out of their coverage. Through this strike the working class warned
the government that it was not going to tolerate such fraud.
The government used all sorts of tactics to scuttle the strike.
It tried to create confusion and mislead sections of the workers at the same
time taking care not to concede any demands raised by the trade unions. It
constituted an interministerial group of ministers which made a show of
conducting several rounds of discussions with the trade unions, without putting
forth any concrete measures. It issued press releases making false claims of
acting upon several points raised in the charter of demands. But except BMS,
all the central trade unions saw through the game plan and effectively rebuffed
these claims. They stood firm upon the call for the general strike reflecting
the anger and dissatisfaction of the entire working class at the grass root
level. The resentment among the workers was so severe that many grass root
level unions affiliated to BMS were also not ready to withdraw the strike
notices served earlier despite such instructions from their leadership above.
In many places the workers owing allegiance to BMS also participated in the
strike.
The government also resorted to threats and issued notices to
central government employees about not only of loss of wages but also of loss
of service. NTPC Ramagundam threatened of action under ESMA. The BPCL
management approached the Kerala High Court which directed that no strike
should be called pending the disposal of the petition, which was posted for 4th
September. The police conducted a flag march on the eve of the strike in Noida.
In Assam, 1000 workers were arrested on the day of the strike. Around 100
workers including CITU leaders were arrested in Ahmedabad in Gujarat.
The TMC government resorted to severe repression on the workers.
Chief minister Mamatha Bannerjee threatened to smash the strike at any cost.
Workers were attacked even while they were campaigning for the strike. TMC
goons attacked CITU activists with lethal weapons. In Jalpaiguri district of
West Bengal, 175 tea garden workers along with their leaders Zia ul Alam,
general secretary of the All India Plantation Workers’ Federation, Sukhomoit
Oran, and Manik Sanyal, were arrested. In North 24 Paraganas district, CITU
leaders Ramola Chakraborty, Nandalal Bhattacharya and Soumen Chakraborty were
brutally beaten up and 125 persons including a septuagenarian bye stander were
arrested. 13 persons were injured. Workers on strike were attacked in
Durlabhpur of Bankura district; 5 workers were injured and 35 were arrested.
CPI (M) offices in Murshidabad and Birbhum districts were attacked and
ransacked. Several people including Moinul Hassan, former MP were beaten up and
injured. The police arrested the victims while allowing the TMC goons go
scotfree. Ashok Bhattacharjee, mayor of Siliguri was also arrested.
But the workers were not deterred by these threats. All over the
country including in West Bengal, workers bravely participated in the strike in
a massive manner facing thee threats and attacks. They showed their
determination not only to fight for the protection of their own rights but also
to save the public sector, the self reliance of our country and national
sovereignty.
In several states, not only those states where the trade union
movement is traditionally strong like Kerala, West Bengal and Tripura, but in
many others like Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Odisha, Himachal Pradesh, Uttar
Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Rajasthan, Karnataka, the
industrial belt of Gurgaon, Manesar, Dharuheda, etc, the strike turned out into
a virtual bandh.
Though detailed reports are not available from all the states,
the reports that have come from states indicate the magnitude of the 16th
country wide general strike since the advent of the neoliberal policies by the
government of India.
Road transport in many of the states came to a grinding halt
with almost all segments of road transport workers totally participating in the
strike. There was near total strike in state road transport corporations in
Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand,
Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Rajasthan etc. Private passenger transport was
totally affected in Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Madhya Pradesh, Telangana, and
Himachal Pradesh. Truck operators joined the strike in several states including
Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Odisha, and several other states.
Auto rickshaw workers participated in the strike en masse in most
of the states including Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu etc.
In Delhi auto rickshaws & taxis also remained off the roads and extended
their support to the strike.
This time the strike was near total in most of the public sector
undertakings in different parts of the country with the massive participation
of both the permanent workers as well as the contract workers.
An overwhelming 90% of coal workers participated in the strike.
Strike was total in Singareni Collieries. It was also total in 7 areas of ECL
and 80% – 90% in the remaining. It was total in Talcher in MCL and 80% in the
rest of the areas. Strike was near total, 90% – 95% in CCL and BCCL; 85% in
WCL, 80% in NCL, 70% - 80% in SECL. In the Kolkata offices strike was 90%.
Strike was very successful in the oil sector as well. It was
100% in all the work locations of ONGC in Tripura, West Bengal and Assam; in
other areas including Mumbai offshore locations demonstrations were held with
black badges. Strike in Oil India was total throughout the country. More than
50% workers in Digboi refinery in Assam went on strike while in Guwahati the
regular workers went on 4 hours strike. All the contract workers in Digboi,
Guwahati and Numaligarh refineries were on total strike. In Chennai refinery,
protest activities were held by all workers. In BPCL Kochi both the regular and
contract workers participate totally in strike. In IOC, strike was total in the
southern and north eastern regions; it was successful in the northern region
and partial in the eastern region. In HPCL and BPCL marketing, strike took
place only in West Bengal. The strike was total in the IOC refilling plants and
petrol points all over Tamil Nadu.
The strike also impacted the power sector. The participation of
electricity workers in the strike ranged between 30% and 80% in different
states and utilities. All the Powergrid employees in the six states in the
southern region and all the seven states of north eastern region were on
strike.
Strike met with mixed response among the steel workers. It was
100% in Vizag steel, Visweswarayya Iron and Steel (VISL), 55% in Salem Steel,
and partial in Bokaro, Bhilai and Rourkela Steel plants among the permanent workers.
In Durgapur, Burnpur and ASP, strike had only marginal impact with over 20%
participation. However, strike was 100% among the contract workers in all steel
plants and near total in all iron ore mines.
In both the units of NALCO in Odisha, the strike was near total.
In BHEL Trichy, Ranipet, Haridwar, Jhansi and Bangalore the
strike was near total. 50% permanent workers and all the contract workers
joined in the strike in BHEL, Hyderabad.
In Hindustan Aeronautics, Bharat Electronics, BEML (Bharat Earth
Movers Limited), ITI in Karnataka, permanent and contract workers are on total
strike. BEL executives in Bangalore wore black badges. Altogether 50000 public
sector workers in Karnataka participated in the strike.
In Hyderabad, strike was total in NMDC, HAL, BEL, HCL, and HMT
Bearings; it was 90% in BHEL R&D and 50% in BHEL and 40% in BDL where all
the casual workers went on strike. There was no strike in Midhani, HMT and
Praga Tools.
The strike was total in insurance and near total in banks. Lakhs
of central government employees including in postal, income tax, audit and
accounts, atomic energy and various other departments participated in the
strike. The participation of state government employees was also massive.
Except in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana where they only expressed solidarity, in
all the other states, state government employees participated in the strike.
Strike was also total in BSNL with over a lakh telecom employees
participating.
Reports show that defence production was seriously affected by
the strike. Workers in the defence units all over the country participated in
the strike in a big way. It was 85% in Trichy, and 75%-100% in different units
in Avadi in Tamil Nadu. Strike was almost total in DRDO Labs in Hyderabad.
Strike was near total in most of the major ports in the country.
It was total in Chennai, Tuticorin, Visakhapatnam and near total in Mumbai,
Cochin, Paradeep, Marmagoa, Mangalore, Kandla, JNPT and Haldia ports and 60% in
Kolkata port.
Private organised sector workers also participated magnificently
in the strike.
Gurgaon industrial area witnessed massive strike. All the
factories including those of multinational corporations like Maruti and Honda
in the entire industrial area Gurgaon, Manesar, Banola and Dharuheda were
closed with the workers going on strike and holding massive demonstrations and
rallies. Strike was near total in all the industrial areas of Delhi, Ghaziabad,
Noida & Hapur. Massive demonstrations were held and effigies of the
government were burnt in several industrial centres.
In Tamil Nadu, workers of major industries including
multinational companies like Ashok Leyland, Enfield India, Ennore Foundries,
MRF, Eveready Industries, Sriram Fibres, ATC Tyres participated in the strike
fully. Lakhs of workers in industrial clusters of small and medium factories in
different parts of state participated in the strike en masse. The garment
manufacturing centre in the state, Tiruppur witnessed a total strike with a
bandh like situation prevailing. In the cooperative textile mills, NTC mills,
Dalmia cements, the strike was total.
In Karnataka workers of major multinational companies like
Toyota, Volvo 2 units, Bosch 1 unit, Kirloskar, Federal Mogul, ITC, joined
strike fully.
Manufacturing activity was totally stalled in Telangana with
workers in all the 54 industrial clusters in the state fully participating in
the strike. The workers in the industrial clusters of small and medium units of
Indore and Gwalior in Madhya Pradesh also participated in the strike
The strike was total among the medical and sales
representatives. Around 3 lakhs medical and sales representatives all over the
country in all the 344 local units including the north eastern region
participated in the strike as per the preliminary reports.
Lakhs of plantation workers participated in the strike,
including in West Bengal where they had to brave police repression. In the
Terai and Doars areas of Jalpaiguri district, only 8 tea gardens functioned
normally out of the total 210 gardens. 175 tea workers including 100 women were
arrested along with their leaders. In Sonagachi gardens, workers successfully
resisted the attempts of the police to apply force. Strike in the plantations
of Kerala and Tripura was total. It was successful in Karnataka. It was partial
in Assam and Tamil Nadu.
The 2nd September strike crossed past records in the
participation of the unorganised workers and scheme workers. Hundreds of lakhs
of workers including the head load workers in almost all the states, the mandi
workers, the rickshaw pullers, construction workers, brick kiln workers, shop
employees, beedi workers etc all over the country participated in the strike on
their demands of minimum wages and social security. In most of the states
mandis wore a deserted look.
Lakhs of municipal workers, panchayat workers and local body
employees participated in the strike including the conservancy workers in major
cities like Chennai.
More than 20 lakhs anganwadi employees, an equal number of mid
day meal workers, around 4 lakhs ASHAs and lakhs of other scheme workers
including the teaching and non teaching staff of NCLP schools, para teachers
under the Sarva Siksha Abhiyan etc participated in the strike demanding
recognition as workers, minimum wages and pension and other social security
benefits.
Massive rallies were held at the local and district headquarters
in several states in which thousands of workers including large numbers of
women workers participated. Rallies though planned could not be held in some states
like Himachal Pradesh due to lack of transport.
A very significant aspect of this strike was the total support
from the different toiling sections of the society and the common people, the
peasants, the agricultural workers, the artisans etc all over the country. The
Bhoomi Adhikar Andolan, a broad alliance comprising hundreds of organisations
across the country including the All India Kisan Sabha etc, the All India
Agricultural Workers’ Union, and the All India Kisan Mahasabha extended their
total support to the strike. Crores of people not only expressed their support
to the demands raised by the working class but also extended their solidarity
by participating in massive demonstrations, rail roko and rasta roko in many
parts of the country. A large number of them were women. The Left parties too
extended their full support to the strike.