[Reader-list] HONDA : Action Alert

[vishwajyoti ghosh]

On 25 July, 2005, workers of Honda Motorcycles and
> Scooters India Pvt Ltd in
> Gurgaon, Haryana, in North India, were brutally
> attacked by the police armed
> with staves. More than 700 received injuries to the
> head and limbs. The
> Honda workers were agitating for their right to
> organize in the face of
> harassment by the Honda management. Japanese auto
> major Honda had busted
> earlier efforts by its workers to unionise, leading
> to a simmering
> discontent among its workers. In December 2004, a
> Japanese manager had
> kicked an Indian labourer. Workers had also raised
> issues regarding sexual
> harassment and disrespect of Indian workers by
> Japanese employees, and
> Indian management staff. In June 2005, the company
> attempted to force many
> workers to sign “good conduct” agreements that
> barred the workers from
> organizing, protesting or engaging in collective
> bargaining.
>
>
>
> On 26th July, the Haryana Police once again attacked
> workers and their
> families inside the Civil Hospital premises where
> the wounded from the
> previous day’s brutalities were recuperating. Social
> activists and renowned
> political figures were witness to the police
> atrocities at the behest of the
> Japanese multinational.
>
>
>
> Ironically, rather than take action against the
> State police or the Honda
> management for violating workers’ right to organize,
> the governments at the
> Centre and State are bending over backwards to
> ensure that the Japanese are
> not hurt by the controversy. Both the Japanese and
> Indian Governments have
> refused to acknowledge the human rights violations
> inherent in the
> conditions leading up to the workers’ demonstration
> and the police brutality
> during the demonstration.
>
>
>
> The statement of the Japanese envoy to India, Mr.
> Yasukuni Enoki, has
> further enraged workers and people of India. Rather
> than ask Honda to
> respect India’s labour laws and investigate its
> malpractices, the Envoy
> refers to the workers’ protest as “a disadvantage
> for India’s image as an
> FDI (foreign direct investment) destination and also
> a negative image on
> Japanese management.”
>
>
>
> The Indian Government will not stand up for its
> citizens against a
> multinational, particularly one from a rich country.
> Bhopal, Enron and
> Sterlite have taught us that. Only public-spirited
> individuals and
> organizations can challenge these atrocities.
>
>
>
> Even while protests against the Indian and Haryana
> Governments are mounting,
> we request you to also write strong condemnatory
> letters to or phone the
> Japanese embassy, and to spread the word around. A
> model letter is below:
>
>
>
> Yasukuni Enoki
>
> Ambassador
>
> Embassy of Japan
>
> 50-G Shantipath, Chanakyapuri
>
> New Delhi 110 021
>
> Phone +91 1126876564, 26876581
>
> Fax +91 11 26885587
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> To: Mr. Yasukuni Enoki,
>
> Ambassador, Embassy of Japan
>
> 50G Shantipath, Chanakyapuri
>
> New Delhi 110 021
>
> Fax: +91 11 26885587
>
>
>
>
>
> DATE:
>
>
>
> Sirs:
>
>
>
> I am appalled at your response to the tragic
> brutalisation of workers of the
> Honda Motorcycles & Scooters India Pvt Ltd by the
> Haryana state police on
> 25-26 July, 2005. The charges against the Japanese
> company in question are
> very serious. The company has allegedly engaged in
> frustrating efforts by
> workers to organize, and has reportedly taken a
> casual attitude towards the
> charges of racism and harassment leveled against the
> Japanese employees of
> Honda, and the Indian management.
>
>
>
> It is unfortunate that you project Japan in such a
> poor light, as an
> uncaring nation that is incapable of appreciating
> the difficulties and
> circumstances of workers. We are particularly
> shocked that you chose to
> project the workers’ protest as “a disadvantage for
> India’s image as an FDI
> destination.” Surely, you will agree that honour,
> dignity and healthy
> working conditions are far more important for Indian
> workers than FDI. India
> may benefit from Japan’s FDI; but so does Japan.
> Honda and Japan, both
> benefit from increased access to the Indian market,
> and availability of
> inexpensive and skilled workforce. We take strong
> exception to your
> assumption that India should court FDI without
> regard to its workers’
> well-being, or that workers should abandon their
> rights to organize, to
> protest, to bargain collectively, or to hold their
> management accountable.
>
>
>
> Even while public-spirited individuals and
> organizations are mobilizing to
> take the Indian and Haryana Governments to task for
> brutalizing Honda
> workers and bending over backwards to accommodate
> the interests of Japanese
> capital, I’m writing to urge you to initiate an
> enquiry into the allegations
> of union-busting, and racist and sexual harassment
> in the Honda company.
>
>
>
> I hope that you’d be able to view the happenings in
> Gurgaon from a labour
> justice perspective, and set right the damage that
> you have caused to the
> image of Japan.
>
>
>
> Sincerely,





VISHWAJYOTI GHOSH,
D-598/c,
CHITTARANJAN PARK,
NEW DELHI-11019,
INDIA


CELL: 0091-9891238606
STUDIO: 0091-11-51603319
RES.: 0091-11-26270256
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