[Reader-list] Fwd: press invite justice for maruti workers campaign

[Asit Das]

Dear Friend,


18th July 2013 will mark a year of the incident in the Manesar Plant of
Maruti Suzuki which has left 147 workers in jail and 2300 out of their
jobs. The incident in Manesar took place in the wake of a long struggle by
the workers to form their own independent Union, a demand which did not
prove to be an easy one to achieve. The Union was in the process of
negotiating over their charter of demands with the management when the
incident took place, the primary demand of the workers being the abolition
of contractual work inside the factory. The death of HR manager Awanish Dev
has however eclipsed all this and much more from public view, not least the
fact that Awanish Dev is forever fondly remembered by the workers as being
instrumental in getting their Union registered. With the elapse of a year
of intense struggle and much travail for the terminated and jailed workers
of Maruti Suzuki and their families, it is becoming increasingly clear that
the Congress government in Haryana has taken a clear position in favour of
the well known and powerful corporation and against the workers and their
family. The incarceration of so many people for so long, for the death of
one person is rarely to be found in the country’s legal history. It is
clear for everyone to see that no consideration for democratic rights,
legal norms or the suffering of the common working man and woman can deter
the government in their attempts to attract as much foreign investment as
possible.


As this saga of relentless repression and heroic struggle approaches the
completion of a year, many teachers, students, journalists, lawyers and
intellectuals of the country are convening a solidarity meeting on the *13th of
July, at 3pm at the Indian Society for International Law, 9 Bhagwan Das
Road, Opposite Supreme Court* to register their solidarity with the ongoing
struggle of the Maruti workers and demand the immediate release of all
jailed workers and the reinstatement of all 2300 terminated workers. The
most prominent among those who will stand in support with the workers and
their families on this day are *Arundhati Roy, Prashant Bhushan, Aruna Roy,
Rajinder Sachar and Praful Bidwai* among many others. You are heartily
invited to participate in the program and lend the strength of your voice
to the voice of justice at this important hour. Please find attached an
information kit containing releases by the Union and reports by People’s
Union for Democratic Rights and International Campaign for Labour Rights
and the invitation and poster for the program. For the most recent updates
about the movement, visit
http://marutisuzukiworkersunion.wordpress.com/2013/07/11/update-on-the-current-situation-11th-july/


In Solidarity



Rakesh, Shyamvir and Subhashini

On behalf of 'Justice for Maruti' Campaign

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