 Hello and welcome to NewsClick. International Workers' Day, which is also known as May Day, is around the corner. And on this occasion, we are bringing you a series of interviews with people from various trade unions in India. Today, we have with us from CITU, Dr. Hemlata. Hello, ma'am. So, to begin our discussion, I would like to ask you, what are the general conditions of workers in India? In terms of their job security and minimum wages, since we are witnessing that fixed term employment that's rule is being pushed, so could you tell us a little bit about it? Actually, even as the Government of India Labour Ministry admits, more than 93% of workers in our country are in the informal sector, unorganized sector, where they don't have the protection of labour laws like the Industrial Disputes Act, Factories Act, etc. So only 7% workers are in the organized sector, where there is some sort of a protection, legal protection. But even where the legal protection is there, all the laws are not being implemented. And for the unorganized workers, minimum wages are not there. The demand of the trade unions has been that minimum wage should be not less than 18,000 per month. Because the Government of India has agreed to the recommendation of the Seventh Pay Commission of minimum wage of 18,000. So, whatever they have recommended, the minimum wage should be applicable to all. And on that basis, all the trade unions have been demanding minimum wage of 18,000, which is not being implemented, not even 18,000. In the unorganized sector, workers are getting as low as 5,000, 6,000, etc. for a month. And no labour law is implemented. They don't have any job security at all today. And now this, the government, the fixed term employment you are referring, that the government wants to make it applicable to all the sectors. In 2003, the government, BJP government at that time was pay government. They have issued a notification making fixed term employment. Then when there was an opposition from all the trade unions and there was strong resistance, after the UPI government came to power, in 2007 that has been withdrawn. But again, after the BJP government came to power, in 2015 they have issued a notification. And then all the trade unions again opposed that. But 2016 they have made it applicable to the textile and garment sector, saying that it will create jobs, employment generation. What type of employment generation is not known? They say that it is seasonal. So, some workers will be employed for that particular 3 months, 4 months, 5 months, 1 year like that. And then after that they will be automatically removed. But then despite the resistance they did not withdraw that. And in 2017, they have extended it to the made up sector. That is in addition to the garments, towels, bed sheets, etc., that also will be covered under the fixed term employment. And now they have extended to all sectors. In March they have issued a gadget notification, which says to all sectors it is applicable. So, the argument that the textile and garment industry is seasonal, if that was seasonal and you want to apply it to seasonal, all sectors are not seasonal. So, it is not for seasonal or anything, it is not for employment generation. No new employment is being generated. And earlier they said that because large number of women are working, it will be a transformative measure. And women empowerment will facilitate women empowerment. So, large number of women will get already there. What will happen is women will be employed on fixed term basis and they will be automatically removed. No notice is required, no compensation is required. So, once the term is over, you are automatically removed from service. So, that way what they want is to enable the employers. It is a measure to ease of doing business in text to improve that. Already when India climbed from 130 to 100, they were saying that we want to be in the upper top 50. And for that they have decided to take up some 90 measures related to labour law reforms. And this is one of that, nothing but that. So, it is not going to generate any new employment. It is not going to improve the conditions of the workers. Rather, actually what it is going to do is harm the interest of the workers. And because the implementation of labour laws, it is dependent upon the organization. If you are organized and fight, you are able to get at least a few of them implemented. Now, fixed term employment will not enable you to get organized because you will be under threat. So, you will be thinking that if I do not form union, if though I do not fight for my rights, maybe I will get renewal of my employment. I am getting employment for six months, maybe it will be renewed for another six months. So, it will discourage. It will threaten organization and it will facilitate non-employment, non-implementation of labour laws and help the employers, not the workers. So, in the Modi government, India has seen two successful general strike by workers a joint platform of the trade unions, of centre trade unions, big trade unions and a three-day Mahapadaab in Delhi in November 2017. What has been the result of all this? Result in the terms of government going back on its anti-labour reforms has now, till now, not taken place. The thing is that the government is going ahead with its privatization measures. The government is not implementing this minimum wages, etc., contract labour. They are trying to going ahead with amending all the, they are amending the contract labour act also. Already the Code on Wages Bill has been introduced in the parliament. The Code on Industrial Relations Bill is ready. They wanted to implement in the parliament till now, they have not been able to. We can say that because of this pressure, that has not been introduced. The Code on Social Securities has been made. It is ready and it has been kept in the public domain. The trade unions have given their opinions. It is under discussion. And latest, the last one, the Code on Occupational Health and Safety and Working Conditions. Now that also has been made ready and it is also placed in the public domain. So, all these things are not to extend. If any statutory measure is taken, if any law is being done, means formulated, it should be to extend the benefits to the workers. But all of these Codes are not intended to increase the benefits or widen the coverage of the workers under these laws to bring, curtail the benefits, existing rights and benefits. It will become very difficult for them to form unions. It will become very difficult for the workers to go on strikes and it will be no formula based on the Indian Labour Conference recommendations for minimum wages has not been included in the Code on Wages Bill. So, nothing is there. So, it is only to facilitate the employers to benefit them and curtail the rights of the workers. The government is going ahead, but after the Mahapadao, the joint trade union movement also against the budget, there were demonstrations immediately after the budget was presented in the parliament. There were joint demonstrations all over the country and against fixed term employment on 2nd April. In Kerala, all the trade unions 16 trade unions. In addition to the central trade unions, some state level trade unions also have come together and they have gone on one day strike and the CITU has called upon all the working class. So, in many states all over the country, protest demonstrations were held against this fixed term employment. So, the struggle of the working class will continue. The joint trade union, all the central trade unions will meet in the first week of May, because other trade unions were busy with their own programs. In first week of May, all the central trade unions will accept BMS of course, will meet and then they will formulate the future course of action, including already Mahapadao has decided to go on multiple day strike, indefinite strike, indefinite country wide strike and in preparation to the indefinite strike, multiple day strikes and sectoral strikes, the sectoral strike of the scheme workers after the Mahapadao on January 17th. It was a very big success, 60 lakhs scheme workers, most of them women have gone on strike and around 20 lakhs were on the streets in protest demonstrations. So, this sectoral strikes and struggles are going on and in addition to that, we are planning for a multiple day strike and preparing for an indefinite strike. So, India has been seeing a very grave, a gradient crisis as well and these neoliberal policies are affecting both workers and farmers and now there is, there have been, there has been announced a Masdoor Kisan Sangharsh in September. Could you give us a little detail about? Actually, the CITU general council which met in Koi court, we have decided that this struggle has to be broadened. The struggle against the neoliberal policies needs to be broadened by involving all the other toiling sections who are impacted by the neoliberal policies. One is the Kisan and agricultural workers union also. A few days before that, the all India Kisan Sabha, they had their working committee meeting where they have also decided that they will work with the CITU and the workers so that some joint actions can be taken up. So, there in the general council, we decided on this fifth. It will be a Masdoor Kisan. So, the workers will participate, the Kisan farmers will participate and also the agricultural workers also will participate and the demands will be all and not only the demands of the working place like the workers are having about the minimum wages, contractualization, privatization, all these things are there. Kisams also are having their remunerative prices then against this land acquisition, these demands they have and loan waiver etc. Agricultural workers also social security extension of their Manrega etc. So, all these demands will be there, but in addition to that about their lives, about the living conditions like the education of the children, the health issues, the women's issues like women's empowerment, social justice, so many attacks are taking place on the deli's minorities etc. So, all these issues that we have decided to take up and we also want to project alternative policies. So, these issues can be addressed within the present framework. We have the available resources, we have the resources to provide education for all our children, we have the resources to provide health benefits to all the population in our country, but that is not being done. Private educational institutions, corporate education is being promoted, corporate hospitals are being promoted, health is being privatized, private, I mean public hospitals are being denied or deprived, the known recruitment, they do not have the medicines, they do not have the facilities, they do not have doctors, nurses etc. So, it is deliberately being done like that. So, we want to project that this can be done within the existing resources provided the ruling party has the political will. So, that we want to campaign and we want to on the basis of these alternative policies, we want to create awareness and in the coming elections we want to create an atmosphere among the workers that these policies can be defeated, whoever is implementing these policies can be defeated and we want to project alternative policies promote such forces who are willing to implement alternative pro people, pro worker policies. You talked about the ruling party right now, the Modi government assault on workers their rights has been very intense, they have from one after another they are bringing out rules which will completely destroy the workers life and their rights. So, what do you think like what will be the plan of action for trade unions to organize workers now in a much broader sense against the government not just not just for strikes and like just immediate their just to get their immediate rights but in larger sense. So, one thing is this this neoliberal policies need to be defeated it is actually the congress which brought which initiated these policies BJP is pursuing them more aggressively no doubt about that but in addition to that BJP is there is another danger that it is trying to divide the people on the basis of religion on the basis of caste etcetera they are committed to the Manu Dharmasastra Manu ideology. So, they although they want to bring together these people in the name of Hindu they want to co-opt the elites because of the electoral considerations actually their ideology is against women against the elites against minorities this. So, we want to unite the working class in this struggle unite the working class unite all the toiling sections and this our 5th September effort is a part of this plan. So, that all sections of toiling masses can be united in the fight against neoliberal policies and also we want to expose the communal divisive policies of this. So, how to protect the unity on 30th May actually the foundation day of CITU we have decided to take a pledge that we will intensify this struggle to unite the working class and resist whichever force is trying to disrupt the unity and fight against the neoliberal policies and that will be the basis and that will continue for the 5th September and after that also we will continue it is not that after 5th September we are stopping that that will be a starting point bringing together all these forces after that it will be continued and because we are taking up the issues of the students the issues of employment the issues of women's empowerment social justice we want to bring all these forces who are fighting on these issues together or an attempt has already been made there is the Janakta Janadika Randolan a platform of all these organizations mass organizations groups individuals who are supporting the struggle against the neoliberal policies and also against communalism. It is a broad platform they are going to have demonstrations against the Modi government exposing their activities how what the promises they have made and how they fail to fulfill these promises and how they are pursuing the same policies on 23rd on the occasion of 4 years of Modi government they are having a protest demonstrations from this platform and CITU will play an active role in these demonstrations there will be a 1 week long campaign before that so we gave a call to all our state committees to play an active role mobilize all these sections in these things so there will be this platform also we want to from different platforms join movements we strengthen joint movements against these policies. Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts with us thank you for watching NewsClick please continue to watch NewsClick