[Reader-list] 5 Female and 2 Male workers in ASTI Electronics in India are on hunger strike for last 14 days

[Asit Das]

*5 Female and 2 Male workers in ASTI Electronics in India are on hunger
strike for last 14 days*

*Act to save their life and support their struggle to end the contract
labour system*



The 310 terminated contract workers including about 250 women workers of
the ASTI electronics are protesting at the factory gate since 1st November
2014 for reinstatement. They were terminated after contract and permanent
workers successfully united themselves and went on a strike and during the
strike they successfully registered their trade union. The termination of
contract workers was targeted to break the unity between contract and
permanent workers and tame the union by effectively weakening it. The
struggling contract workers have not received any wages since October 2014
and facing various kinds of threats, harassment and repression, but they
are continuing their struggle and not ready to compromise. Sit-in-protest
at the factory gate is continuing since 3rd November 2014. The workers and
the unions from various factories in the region are extending their support
to ASTI workers struggle and regularly participating in demonstrations and
gate meetings. The hostile attitude of the management compelled the workers
to start an indefinite hunger strike. Seven workers started fast-unto-death
since 25th November 2014. Only after the conditions of workers at hunger
strike started deteriorating, the labour department came in to action and
tripartite negotiations started. First they offered a retrenchment
compensation for two months but workers rejected and demanded
reinstatement. Recently it was vaguely and verbally offered that the
workers of PCB department may be reinstated, but workers demanded to make
an agreement in writing and take back all workers and not of only one
department. It also seems that the offers are part of a game to divide and
rule. By threat of termination, the management had successfully compelled
the permanent workers to not come in support of contract workers. Now the
recent offer is targeted to create a divide between contract workers. The
workers are successfully fighting against such attempts of divide and rule.
Lastly, the permanent workers dared to take the risk of losing job and
openly came in support of the struggles of contract workers. However, with
lengthening of the struggle the problems are increasing and the conditions
of workers on hunger strike are getting serious. *Out of seven on hunger
strike, one male and one female worker- **Sanju and Rashika were
hospitalized after their conditions became serious. The conditions of other
five workers on hunger strike including four female and one male workers-
Swagatika, Bhavna, Rinku, Honey and Krishna -are also getting serious day
by day. Therefore, it is urgently needed to mobilize the support for ASTI
electronics workers struggle and compel the labour department and the
management to take quick action and reinstate all contract workers as
regular workers.*



It is also worth highlighting that the ASTI workers struggle is not only
important for ASTI workers, it is relevant for the whole labour movement in
India. Following aspects of the movement reveal its general significance:

a)      Right from 2005 there is a wave of workers’ struggles against
repression of workers when they attempted to form trade union and demanded
right to collective bargaining. In all these struggles, in varying degrees
the permanent and contract workers were united and in general and
particularly in Maruti Suzuki workers struggle the demand for end of
contract labour system was raised strongly. ASTI workers struggle is taking
this struggle to culmination by demanding regularization of all contract
workers. It is in this regards the victory of ASTI workers will be a
victory of labour movement in India in its struggle to end the contract
labour system

b)      Nowadays the conditions in factories are such that it is very
difficult for the contract workers to organize themselves. ASTI workers
struggle is one of such brave and successful attempts of organizing and
leading a prolonged struggle for regularization of contract workers. The
success of their struggle will be an inspiration for contract workers all
over India

c)      In factory sector the number of women workers is increasing, but
women are least represented in the leadership of the labour movement.
Generally it is considered that the women workers do not easily come
forward for struggles for rights. Women workers in ASTI dared to break this
myth. ASTI workers struggle is one of struggles where women are taking the
leadership of the movement. This has a larger relevance for the labour
movement of India in general



The above relevance of the movement makes us duty bound to support and help
the ASI workers struggle by all possible means.



The demands of the workers are simple and justified under the law of the
land: a) Termination of workers is illegal and therefore reinstate all
workers, and b) In perennial nature of works contract workers cannot be
engaged, therefore regularize all contract workers.



*An appeal by ASTI Theka Mazdoor Sangharsh Samiti, Manesar, Gurgaon*

*3rd December 2014*

We the contract workers of ASTI Electronics factory at IMT Manesar, Gurgaon
are on Dharna from 3rd November and 7 of us continue fast-unto-death from 25
th November with our just demands against contractualisation, illegal lay
off, and exploitation.



We had a tripartite meeting with the management and labour department day
before and yesterday 2nd December. The management of ASTI continued with
their adamant anti-worker attitude, and spoke through the contractors in
the meeting. The DLC (Deputy Labour Commissioner) of Gurgaon, J.C. Mann
also spoke in the management’s language, and told us off that there is no
work so we have been laid off. We did not buy their false arguments and
said that most of us have been working in the factory for the last 4-5
years in perennial nature of work in the assembly line. We should rather be
made permanent by law and the contract itself is a sham contract. There was
no resolution in the tripartite meetings, and the DLC rather than giving us
any concrete promise has now passed on the case to the ALC (Asst. Labour
Commissioner) Gurgaon.



Anti-social elements instigated by the management have been continuing to
harass us, to inform which, a team of workers also met the Police
Commissioner Gurgaon yesterday, but no concrete steps have been taken by
the police other than forming barricades from the management’s side in
front of the factory.



The health of 5 women and 2 male workers on fast-unto-death from 25th November
is deteriorating, and ketone body has been found in the blood samples. But
the Gurgaon administration has not even sent a single doctor or any medical
assistance to the dharna site till date. A team of workers from ASTI Theka
Mazdoor Sangharsh Samiti also met the DC (Deputy Commissioner) Gurgaon to
tell the administration to remind them of their responsibility but to no
heed. We shall go to meet the DC Gurgaon again tomorrow 4th December at
11am and we appeal to pro-worker individuals and forces to come in
solidarity in the meeting with the DC Gurgaon.



We are enthused to have received solidarity from workers in industrial
belt. But at present, we are continuing with our struggle in the face of
severe odds of anti-worker management-administration-police nexus. We are
faced with a severe financial crisis which is becoming a hurdle in
sustaining our struggle. We appeal to all pro-worker forces and individuals
to come to our dharna site and also to contribute financially to our
struggle.



Please send in your contributions to:





*Raghuvendra PratapState Bank of India,Sector 10A, Gurgaon Branch,Account
No. 34189662682CIF No. 87673860011*

Contact for further details: Shivani and Raghuvendra (ASTI Theka Mazdoor
Sangharsh Samiti): 09555671885; 9654553194, 9971735073



*The Background of the struggle*



ASTI Electronics India Ltd is a subsidiary of Asti Corp, Japan which
produces wiring harness, switches, controllers, and other automotive and
electronics parts. It supplies to auto companies like Suzuki Motorcycles,
Maruti Suzuki, Yamaha Motors, Omron Automotive etc. It has branches in
Japan, China, Vietnam and India. There are 150 permanent workers and 310
contract workers in its harnessing unit at Manesar, Gurgaon. There are two
modes of production; one is manual and the other is automatic. Production
takes place in three shifts. The manual section produces three thousand
units per shift with 50 employees, of which only 17 are permanent. The
Automatic section produces 12000 units per shift employing 25 workers, of
which only 3 are permanent. There are two layers of production process used
in this company; sub assembly line where each table is occupied by one
worker and later the processed material goes on the conveyor belt assembly
line. Most of the workers work as operators. Contract workers earn between
5000 and 7000 per month.



Wire harnessing process (assembling wires on a board) involves different
stages that are completed in 3 shifts. Firstly wires are cut using a
machine. Huge chances of accidents are involved in this process where there
is a risk of cutting one’s finger. The wire is crimped i.e. the wires are
squeezed from their ends manually using a crimping machine to obstruct air
pockets, these air pockets cause corrosion of copper wire leading to damage
of machinery. Terminals are later attached to the ends. All this takes
place in the machine shop. The most tedious part of this process involves
assembling of wires on a board. This process takes place on a conveyor
belt. The workers work in lines and must produce harnesses according to
designs provided to them. Interestingly here in Asti-Manesar, more women
workers are employed for this tedious process. Numbers of women workers
exceed the number of male workers in this final process. Both mentally and
physically challenging, this final process takes place only during the
daytime shift A from 7 to 3:20. Many of them are made to work overtime. The
pressure of meeting targets has been increasing. Reducing toilet and tea
breaks and increasing the speed of conveyor belt gradually on an hourly
basis are some of the ways of increasing work pressure on the workers by
the management. During the summertime, cases of workers fainting have been
reported often. A pregnant woman had a miscarriage while working on the
conveyor belt. (Anshita and Arya* (2014). One Night in
Manesar..; http://sanhati.com/articles/11947/
<http://sanhati.com/articles/11947/>)*



On 18th February 2014, contract and permanent workers formed their unity
and went on one day strike <http://sanhati.com/articles/9242> for their
demands. They successfully registered their trade union during the strike.
They demanded for wage settlement and regularization of contract workers.
The management had been on an offensive since then. While constantly
plotting to further the division between the permanent and the contract
workers. To harass the workers the speed of the assembling belt kept
increasing after the union formation. On 1st November 2014, without any
prior notice the management terminated all contract workers.



On 3rd November, all 310 terminated contract workers including 250 female
workers started sit-in-protest at factory gate. On 13th November, workers
from various factories held a rally in Manesar from Munjal Kiriu to ASTI
factory gate against suspension of workers in Munjal Kiriu, and termination
of contract workers in ASTI. On 17th Nov, workers of ASTI were joined by
workers from other factories in a spirited rally in the Manesar industrial
area. On 19th November a Joint demonstration of Munjal Kiriu workers
(struggling for last two months) and ASTI Electronics workers was organized
at ASTI factory gate. Workers and Union members from Maruti Suzuki, Hi-Lex,
Endurance, Autofit and some other organizations like Workers Solidarity
Centre Gurgaon & Inqlabi Mazdoor Kendra also participated.



On 25th of November, Seven ASTI workers including 5 women workers launched
into an indefinite hunger strike, after two rounds of negotiations failed,
where the company just offered them two months’ salary.



Most of the women workers are migrants from Nepal, Arunachal, Assam,
Jharkhand, who live alone here in rented accommodations in nearby Aliar
Gaon or Gurgaon or Dharuhera, on a meagre salary of around 6-7 thousand per
month. At this point, they haven’t received their salary from October
onwards and are bearing the expenses of travel, food, rent etc., without
compromising their commitment to this struggle! Raj Kumari had tears in her
eyes when we ate dinner last night. She said she can’t be eating, when her
friends had been going without food for 4 days now. On asking her why she
was doing this, she said that in a couple of years, say in one or two, she
would be married off, and she really wants to remember that she had done
something radical like this. Well, maybe she didn’t remember then that
there are others amidst her, who have left behind their kids and husbands
and are participating in the strike. (Anshita and Arya* (2014). One Night
in Manesar..;http://sanhati.com/articles/11947/
<http://sanhati.com/articles/11947/>)*



November 29 a demonstration was organized at ASTI gate. District
administration deployed over 1000 policemen to stop the demonstration,
however, huge participation of workers made the demonstration successful.
Workers and unions from various factories including Maruti Suzuki,
Endurance, Satyam Auto, Munjal Kiriu, Autofit, Rico auto, Baxter, and other
organizations like CITU Gurgaon, Workers Solidarity Centre Gurgaon (WSC),
Inqlabi Mazdoor Kendra (IMK), and Krantikari Naujawan Sabha (KNS) etc
participated in the demonstration.

The solidarity is pouring in from workers and other unions in the
industrial belt. Various independent unions from nearby factories have been
coming in solidarity, contributing financially, carrying out collections at
the factory gates to support the Asti workers. The gate of Endurance is
being used as the charging station for the microphone and mobiles, the
common kitchen is being run from contributions of this sort and a system of
night vigil has been established, to ensure each other’s safety and well
being. (Anshita and Arya* (2014). One Night in
Manesar..;http://sanhati.com/articles/11947/
<http://sanhati.com/articles/11947/>)*



In the first week of December the workers won another victory in terms that
defying all threats of losing jobs, the permanent workers openly came
forward in support of contract workers struggle. Rather than going on
strike, they continued working but did not eat for one day in solidarity of
workers on hunger strike, and now they are working in the factory with
black bands around their foreheads as a form of protest against the
management


The conditions of workers on hunger strike is getting serious day by day
and out of fear that the anger of workers in the whole region may burst any
day, finally the labour department compelled the management for tripartite
negotiation. A tripartite meeting was called today and was still going on
at the time of writing of this draft.


Regards

Surendra Pratap

Centre for Workers Education, NewDelhi

http://workerscentre.wordpress.com/


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