OPINIONCOMMENT

Published:January1,201602:08IST|Updated:January1,201602:30IST
January1,2016

Labourslovelost

G.Sampath

TheHindu
Notsurprisingly,therehasbeenapersistentcorporatechorusdemandingalabourregimethatallowscompaniestofreelyhiretemporary
workersevenforcoreoperations.AndtheModigovernmentiseagertodeliver.FilepictureofworkersatMarutisManesarplantonstrike.
PHOTO:KAMALNARANG
AtapubliceventduringhisrecentvisittoIndia,FrencheconomistThomasPikettydrewattentiontothehypocrisyoftheIndianeliteinthe
wayitwantedtopursuecapitalistdevelopmentobsessedwithgrowth,butindifferenttowelfare.Nowhereisthishypocrisymoreevident
thaninthedebateoverlabourreforms.
Theprevailingwisdomisasfollows:Indiahastoomanyantiquatedlabourlawswhichhampergrowthandinvestment.Theneedofthehour
isabriskpruningofthisunrulythicketofpiecesoflegislationintoahandfulofelegantlawsthatmakeiteasyforcompaniestohireandfire
astheywish,andpaywhateversalariestheycangetawaywith.Oncesuchlawsareinplace,foreigninvestmentwillfloodintoIndia,
manufacturingwillshootup,andmillionsofIndianswillfindemploymentandmakeinIndiahappilyeverafter.
Fromanindustrialrelationsperspective,turningthiscorporatedreamintorealityrequirestwothings:one,tradeunionsmustbeneutralised
two,contractualisation(temping/casuallabour)mustbecomethelegalnormratherthanillegalsupplementforregularwork.
BoththeseareeffectivelyarealityintodaysIndia.Butourlegislativeframeworkmilitatesagainstit,leavingthecapitalistclassvulnerableto
beingchallengedbytheworkingclassesonlegalgrounds.ItisinthiscontextthattheincidentofJuly18,2012atMarutisManesarplant
assumeshistoricsignificance,forIndiasworkingclassaswellasfortheinvestorclass.
Thecontext
SinceIndependence,tradeunionsinIndiahavemostlyfoughtmodestandpragmaticbattlesforoutcomessuchashigherwagesandbetter
workingconditions.Butthischangedinthe1990s.GurgaonbasedlabouractivistShyambirpointsoutthatafterliberalisation,moststrikes
byworkershavebeennotforwagehikesbutfortherighttoformaunion.
TherighttocollectivebargainingisenshrinedinourConstitution.Article19(1)(c)grantsallcitizenstherighttoformaunion.Ontopofit,we
alsohaveaContractLabour(RegulationandAbolition)Act,1970thatprohibitsemploymentofcontractworkersforcoreindustrialwork.
Andyet,theIndianstatehaseitherstoodbyoractivelycolludedwhileemployerstriedeverytactic,includingillegaltermination,toprevent
unionformation,andkepthiringtemporaryworkersforregularjobs.
IntheNationalCapitalRegionsOkhlaFaridabadNoidaGurgaonManesarindustrialbelt,itiscommontofindworkerstoilingon12to16
hourshiftsforaslittleasRs.9,000amonth,foryearstogether.Itraisesafundamentalquestion:whoseinterestshavethelabourlawsserved
alltheseyears?Evidencesuggeststhatitisnotthelabouringclasses.
Andyet,oddlyenough,theclarioncallforlabourreformsiscomingnotfromtheworkingclassesbutfromthecorporateclass.Onereasonfor
thiscouldbethatwithglobalcapitalismyettorecoverfromtheshockdeliveredin2008,theonlywayoutofthecrisisistotightenthescrews
onlabourtoextractmorevalue.
Insuchascenario,whowantsalabourclassfeelingempoweredtofightforitsentitlements?Fromthisperspective,theManesar
conflagrationwasadecisiveeventthathas,atleastfornow,beatenbacklabourandputcapitalfirmlyincontrolinanageoldconflict.

Thebackground
ToquicklysummarisetheincidentofJuly18,2012:anoutbreakofriotingattheManesarplantleftoneHRexecutivedeadand40others
injured.Thepolicearrested147Marutiworkersandslappedmurderchargesonallofthem.Thedominantnarrativeaboutthiseventisoneof
labourmilitancygonewild,holdingitresponsibleforthelossoflifeandproperty.
Whathasnotattractedcriticalscrutinyisthefinaloutcomeofthelargerconflictbetweenlabourandmanagementofwhichthisincidentwas
theculmination:thetermination,inonego,of546permanentworkersand1,800temporaryworkers.Suchamassretrenchmentwouldbe
unthinkableinthenormalrunofthings.Werewetoaskwhogainedthemostfromthissorryepisode,theanswerisdefinitelynottheworker.
Theprovenanceofthisincidentgoesbackmorethanayear,toJune2011.ThatswhenMarutiworkersbeganagitatingfortheirrighttoan
independentunion.Afterseveralmonthsofstruggle,theMarutiSuzukiWorkersUnion(MSWU)wasformedinearly2012.Now,theMSWU
inearly2012wasadifferentanimalfromthekindofunionsIndianmanagementswereusedtodealingwith.Itderiveditspowerfrom
somethingunprecedentedintheshorthistoryoflabourstrugglesinpostliberalisationIndia:astrategicunitybetweenpermanentand
temporaryworkers.Itwastoodangerousathreat,onethatnomanagementwouldbrook.
AccordingtoShyambir,AfteritsformationinMarch2012,rightuptotheincidentofJuly18,themainagendaofMSWUwasregularisation
oftemporaryworkers.Theywantedpayparityforpermanentandtemporaryworkers.TheirsloganofSameWork,SamePaymadethem
hugelypopular.
Giventhataround80percentofindustrialworkersintheGurgaonManesarbeltarehyperexploitedcontractlabour,thisunionmayhave
madeabigimpactonlabourmobilisationshaditbeenallowedtoflourish.Withthepurgeof2,300workersthatfollowedJuly18,2012,the
threatwassnuffedout.
Thepresentscenario
ByOctober2012,withinthreemonthsoftheJulyclash,Marutihadsetupanewsystemofcompanytempsinplaceoftheearliersystemof
hiringtemporaryworkersthroughcontractors.Underthisregime,thetemporaryworkerwillworkforsixmonths.Thenheislaidoffforfive
months,afterwhichhemayberecalledforanothersixmonths.
Bothcorporatecommentatorsandlabouractivistshavetermedthisamasterstroke.Whiletheformerseeinthisareplicablemodeltopre
emptlabourunrest,thelatterconsideritamovedesignedtopreventunitybetweenpermanentandtemporaryworkersbyregularlychurning
thelatter.
InSeptember2015,MarutiannouncedasalaryhikeofRs.16,800,spreadoverthreeyears,forpermanentworkers.Whentemporaryworkers
agitatedforasimilarrevision,unlikeinearly2012,thepermanentworkersdidnotbackthem.Ifbreakingtheunitybetweenpermanentand
temporaryworkerswasthemission,ithadbeenaccomplished.
Maruti,foritspart,haspresenteditssystemofcompanytempsasasuperioralternative.WhencontactedbyTheHindu,amanagement
sourcesaidthatthenewsystemissuperiortothecontractsystemsinceitisadirectrecruitmentbythecompany.Nocontractorisinvolved,
andcompanytempsenjoyallbenefitslikecanteenfood,uniform,PF,ESIbonus,etc.
Notsurprisingly,therehasbeenapersistentcorporatechorusdemandingalabourregimethatallowscompaniestofreelyhiretemporary
workersevenforcoreoperations.AndtheModigovernmentiseagertodeliver.
Thelabourreformsontheanvilessentiallyboildowntotwothings:makeitimpossibletoformatrulyindependenttradeunionmakeitlegal
tokeeptemporaryworkerspermanentlytemporary,whilepayingthemasubsistencewage.
Withthecentraltradeunionsseeminglyuninterestedinputtingupafightoncorelabourissues,independenttradeunionsnippedinthebud,
andcontractlaboureffectivelylegal,theonlypotentialchallengethatlabournowposestocapitalismobilisationbasedonunitybetween
permanentandcontractworkers.ThiswastheweaponMarutiworkershadassembledattheManesarfactoryin2012.Itsthereasonwhy
theyneededtobemadeanexampleof,sothatIndiasworkingclasseswontdaretoattemptsuchexperimentsinthefuture.
sampath.g@thehindu.co.in
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