2024: A Year of Workers’ Assertion
Politically, 2024 saw the BJP government face a significant setback in the national elections. At the same time, the year saw a number of workers’ struggles from various sectors, protesting the anti-worker policies of not only the BJP as prime perpetrator, but also various other oppositional governments and private establishments who share the same crony corporate capitalist mores.
Scheme Workers
Thousands of scheme workers, including ASHA, anganwadi, mid-day meal, mamta, courier and other scheme workers, gave a resounding response to the national call for rural bandh and sectoral strike on February 16th, 2024. In Jharkhand, mid-day meal workers participated in the strike on a large scale in districts like Garhwa, Dumka, Latehar, Deoghar, and Giridih. In three districts of Odisha, mid-day meal workers of Rayagada, Kendrapara and Sonpur joined the protests. In Assam, ASHA workers joined the protest, whereas in Uttar Pradesh, demonstration were held in several district on the issue of honorarium for ASHA workers in PHCs, who submitted memorandums addressed to the Prime Minister. In Uttarakhand, protest marches were held in Haldwani, Nainital, Rudrapur, Almora, Ranikhet, Dwarahat, Chaukhutia, Sialde, SALT, Bhikyasain, Champawat, Lohaghat, Tanakpur, Patti, Barakot, Okhalkanda, Dhari, Hawalbagh and Bhainsiyachhana, Pithoragarh, among other places, where the Uttarakhand ASHA Health Workers Union, Uttarakhand Anganwadi Employees Union and Mid-day meal Workers participated. In Delhi, due to the imposition of Section 144, ASHA workers decided to strike work in the hospitals, and a signature campaign is being undertaken in regard to their demands. In Maharashtra, thousands of anganwadi workers participated in the protests, while observing a protracted strike for increased honorarium.
An important struggle was entered into by Jeevika workers in Bihar (workers of State Rural Livelihood Promotion Mission (SRLM) run by the state’s Rural Development Department) also proved to be important. The scheme provides for three categories of workers: 1) the CEO is an Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer 2) All others employed are on contract or honorarium basis and 3) unpaid volunteers of Self-Help groups at the village level. In September 2024, the government issued an Order directing for 20% decrease in honorarium payments to all Jeevika cadres in the second category each year, till 2028, when the honorarium would become zero, and the entire burden for payment would depend on contributions from community groups. This resulted in the struggle of around 1.5 lakh Jeevika workers, demanding scramming of the order, minimum wages of 25,000 rupees, appointment letters, social security etc. The Union has resolved to disaffiliate from the BMS and to affiliate to AICCTU, which has constantly supported their cause.
On the call of Bihar Rajya Viddyalya Rasoiya Sangh (Bihar State School Cooks Union- affiliated to AICCTU), a large number of MDM cooks of the state staged a militant demonstration on 24th July on 13 point demands in front of Legislative Assembly (Gardnibagh, Patna). The demands included in the memorandum were increase in the honorarium to Rs 10 thousands per month instead of the humiliating monthly honorarium of 1650 rupees presently being given to the cooks, ensuring honorarium for 12 months instead of 10 in a year, guaranteeing Rs 3000 monthly pension and retirement package, stop giving MDM food supply work to NGOs by retrenching presently working MDM cooks and to stop outsourcing of Mid-Day Meal (MDM) program to NGOs.
In Maharashtra, more than 2 lakh Anganwadi workers observed a strike for 54 days in the month of February. The strike was a culmination of consistent movement of Anganwadi workers for a dignified honorarium and other working-class rights like guarantee of pension and gratuity. Presently, the Anganwadi workers get Rs 10,500 per month in Maharashtra and the helpers are paid Rs 5,500 per month. The Anganwadi workers of Maharashtra have been demanding honorarium not less than Rs 18,000 per month.
App workers
With increasing force of gig economy, app workers have begun to unionise to raise various issues arising out of the insecure and exploitative nature of employment. In the blazing heat of summer, the App Kamchari Ekta Union (AICCTU) staged a protest in front of the Delhi Labour Commissioner's office on 20th June to highlight the increasing exploitation of app workers amid extreme heat conditions. The workers noted that they work for 14-15 hours daily facing health risks and without any facility for drinking water, toilet or first aid, while also facing reduction in incentives. India’s first women-led gig workers union, the Gig and Platform Service Workers Union, called for a nationwide strike in October 2024 demanding social security, minimum wages and security of employment.
Sanitation Workers
Sanitation workers in India achieved significant victories through their struggles in 2024.
In two consecutive victories to the struggles of powrakarmikas (sanitation workers) of Karnataka, the State Government declared that 24,005 workers will be made permanent and the High Court has directed the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) to deposit Rs. 90,18,89,719/- (Rupees Ninety Crore Eighteen Lakh Eighty-Nine Thousand Seven Hundred and Nineteen only) along with 12% interest to the accounts of pourakarmikas.
In Orissa, when 11 sanitation workers were illegally terminated from services by the CIPET, a Government of India institute, AICCTU has struggled for their reinstatement. Similarly Sanitation workers of East Coast railway protested refusal of employment in COVID time and also demanded regularisation of their services as they were working for more than 15 years.
Over 500 contract workers protested in front of the Coimbatore South Taluk pressing for fair wages and better working conditions, and against the Corporation’s outsourcing practices. The protest was organized by a coalition of labour unions employed in sanitation, waste management and municipal services. Concerns were raised over ESI and EPF contributions being not credited for one year.
Sanitary workers in Trichy City Corporation also protested demanding better daily wages, which were promised by the authorities, and a month’s salary as Diwali bonus.
On July 25, 2024, the Medinipur Municipality Puro Shromik Songrami Union (Midnapore Municipality Workers' Struggle Union) initiated a strike demanding a wage increase for workers associated with the West Bengal Urban Employment Scheme and other departments. The strike gained widespread support, although essential municipal services (drinking water, health, electricity, etc.) were kept outside the scope of the strike.
In Tuticorin, the notified minimum wages were not being paid to sanitation workers. They have no weekend holidays. They are forced to collect 1 ton of garbage per day. No PF and ESI account details were given to workers. They are not issued salary receipts. Supervisors illtreat the workers when they raise their voice for the rights. The workers joined AICCTU to fight against the exploitation and oppression. AICCTU made several petitions to the administration, and when no response was received, a plan was made for a mass demonstration in Jun 2024. Just a day before the demonstration, the administration invited AICCTU for talks and acceded to a number of demands. Even thereafter, the promises of the administration were not fulfilled and more than 500 workers decided to strike. Within 2 hours, the Mayor of the Corporation negotiated with the workers and agreed to implement most of the demands. On the following day, salary slips were issued, and illegal transfer of president of the Union was withdrawn. Illegal deduction in wages was also refunded.
Across the country, Sanitation workers organised under the banner of AICCTU held demonstrations demanding the legally stipulated bonus, which is denied to them by terming them contract workers.
Contract workers
The Supreme Court held the contract system to be a modern form of bonded labour, and the same is proving more true with every day. The level of exploitation of contract workers has correspondingly resulted in larger struggles of contract workers across the country.
In Bangalore, 61 sanitation workers of Centre for Airborne Systems (CABS), Defence Research & Development Organisation (DRDO), Government of India - Ministry of Defence, were refused employment for protesting against extortion of wages by the sham contractor and DRDO official. These workers, who had worked for long periods extending to over a decade in the same establishment, are shown to be contract workers and therefore are denied the benefit of permanency, pay scales and security. A strong struggle has ensued. As a result, the Karnataka State Safai Karamchari commission has ordered for their reinstatement, but the DRDO has refused to comply with the order.
In JNU, contractual workers have been consistently fighting for every bit of their legal rights. They have been fighting against arbitrary retrenchments, introduction of arbitrary retirement criterion, for regularisation and equal pay for equal work. In this course of struggle, an important achievement was that workers secured central minimum wages which was higher than the existing wages because of consistent intervention by the union, AIGKU JNU (affiliated to AICCTU).
The sanitation workers of JNU took a leading role in the fight for wage hike. Being forced to work at a meagre payment, regular delay in payment, absence of PF, ESI benefits and denial by employers to regularise their jobs are the harsh reality that each and every contractual sanitation worker of Delhi faced. Even in institutions like the Municipal Corporation of Delhi, most of the legal rights of contractual sanitation workers are violated. Such open denial of the rights of sanitation workers is the manifestation of a system that is deeply casteist and discriminatory. AICCTU has been consistently building up struggles to guarantee legal rights of contractual workers. With our present advancement in JNU and earlier intervention in the LHMC Hospital complex, the AICCTU is all prepared to expand the fight among workers in other institutes in Delhi.
Contractual Workers in Victoria hospital in Bangalore were also refused employment for demanding salary hikes and regularisation. After 7 days of struggle, the workers were all reinstated, though the battle for reinstatement continues.
It must be noted that although a successful struggle, the arbitrary termination of the Victoria Hospital workers is a microcosm of the exploitative capitalist society in India at present. Workers are routinely denied wages, paid less than minimum wage (which the Courts have held to be bonded labour), and are employed in insecure conditions. Due to this, workers do not have adequate social security or job security and are stuck in cyclical debt traps for their
Some other Notable mentions
In Kolkata, the brutal rape and murder of a junior woman doctor in the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital resulted in struggles by not only doctors but also women cutting across class backgrounds, sexual minorities and other citizens flooded the streets at midnight all across West Bengal.
In the Samsung India plant located at Sriperumpudur, Chennai, the Union with overwhelming majority [Samsung India Workers Union (SIWU)] resorted to strike demanding even registration of the union by the Government, which is a statutory right. Moreover, Samsung also refused to recognise the union though about 1,550 workers out of a total workforce of 1,723 were members of the union. Due to the prolonged struggle, the management was forced to concede to several demands of the Union.
With all indications pointing at implementation of the anti-worker Labour Codes in 2025, AICCTU and all other progressive unions will have to amp-up the battle for politicisation of working class and against their brutal exploitation and repression by private corporations working hand-in-glove with all capitalist parties.