The industrial areas of Panipat contains mostly hosiery and yarn factories. Thousands of workers who work in this industrial area live in rented tenements in the neighbourhood.
The industrial areas of Panipat contains mostly hosiery and yarn factories. Thousands of workers who work in this industrial area live in rented tenements in the neighbourhood.
There is no limit to the exploitation of workers in this industrial area. Workers are forced to work for 12 and even 16 hours a day. They are also forced to work for far below the minimum wages. Even the overtime pay is meager. Workers who have a permanent status are hired at positions far below their level of skill and qualification, so that they can be paid less. For example one worker works as a 'fitter' but is paid the wages of only a 'helper'. This kind of situation is quite common there. Women workers in companies there have to face double exploitation. They are forced to work for wages below those of male workers, which themselves are far below the minimum wages.
Towels, bed-sheets, bedcovers, gowns and other cloth materials from Panipat industrial area are exported in large quantities. Even then, workers don’t enjoy protection of any labour laws. Workers are prevented from joining unions and if someone becomes a union member then the management expels the worker from the work place.
Workers are offered temporary positions so that the owners don’t have to give them various benefits and don’t face any problem in expelling them. Workers who raise their voice to demand some benefits are either expelled from work or are harassed and threatened by the goons of the owners. The role of the Inspector of the Labour Department is not any different from such inspectors elsewhere in India. They don’t take action for violations of labour laws to increasing the profits of the owners and for lining their own pockets. Most of the workers are contract workers. In some factories, there are more contract workers than the number of regular workers. Moreover, the contractors don’t even have licences for taking on contract work.
The workers are continuously struggling in these difficult situation. In one company, workers held a dharana at the factory gate for a whole month. They were able to exert enough pressure on the management, which had to yield to some of their demands. Some workers who were suspended have taken the fight to the court. In some companies, workers have started the process to establish their unions. In some other companies, although the workers don’t have a union, they have started to organise other workers.
What is clear is that in the capitalist system, governments work to ensure that the profits of the capitalists remain intact. Therefore, it is the duty of the communists to not only lead the day to day struggles of the workers but also to make them conscious of the need to overthrow capitalism. Let us overthrow this man-eating capitalist system and let us march towards Socialism and Communism!