Kejriwal champions the cause of contract workers

Calls for them to unite

Moving away from corruption in land scams and land allotments,  India Against Corruption activist Arvind Kejriwal today gave a new definition to corruption as denial of labour rights especially of contract workers. He today called upon all contract workers in the country to unite to fight against the system that allows contractors and companies to collude and deny their rights.

The context was a dharna organised by some of the 30,000 contract workers of the five power companies in Delhi under their union DESU Mazdoor Sangh . But he was riding on the shoulders of  a union which is affiliated to Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh which again is linked to the BJP. But it did not seem to bother him as he called Delhi Government and BJP equally responsible for the poor conditions of the contract workers of the power companies in Delhi.

The union has been asking for taking back of 187 contract workers who were fired by BSES Rajdhani Pvt Ltd and BSES Jamuna Power Ltd both owned by Reliance Power. They were also asking for payment of bonuses to workers, most of whom said they neither got minimum wages, nor their dues in provident fund or health facilities like Employees State Insurance Scheme for which money was taken from them every month.

Kejriwal's confrontation was on a multiple level, with not only the companies that turn a blind eye at the wrong doings of contractors who deny workers their minimum wages, leave and accident compensation, but also the Chief Minister of Delhi Sheila Dikshit whom he accused of protecting these companies and acting on their behalf and not ensuring enforcement of labour laws.

Kejriwal who joined the dharna of contract workers from five private power companies in Delhi said the chief minister  was hand in glove with the companies and ought to resign for her failure to protect the workers.

He said that this was the case everywhere as labour departments, state governments and companies turn a blind eye to the labour law violations that are happening especially against contract workers.

He proceeded to call worker after worker and ask them about their wages, when a worker suddenly came to him and began to speak in gestures . He was Kanwar Singh a worker who had been sacked after he lost his speech in an accident at the power plant.

Kejriwal seemed taken aback himself as a co worker narrated Singh's tale, while the speechless worker himself wept standing there.

The worker was sacked mainly because the contractor did not want to pay him any compensation, said a co worker Lakshmichand.

Many other workers from BSES owned by Reliance Power came forward narrating their tales of denial of compensation despite suffering from accidents.

Kejriwal exposed today rampant violation of Minimum Wages Act and Factories Act in the power companies  as he called worker after worker and asked for the wages they were paid.

Not a single worker among those sitting on the dharna which comprised 300 odd workers earned more than Rs 8000. In fact many said they earned Rs 2700 or Rs 3500 while the minimum wages in Delhi are Rs 9000. It was Rs 8500 till last month.

So who is violating the law, and who is shielding the law breakers? asked Kejriwal, adding that the Chief Minister had sent him a notice for a defamation case against him.

I would tell her that I would continue to defame her and her party till they mend their ways, he said. He showed documents taken through RTI which showed that the licence of many of the contractors had lapsed last year and they were continuing to function. What will the chief minister do about this? Since she does not bother about workers at the mercy of unlicenced contractors, she might as well go to the companies for votes. As the people are not going to vote for her, he said, as workers loudly cheered him.

The workers have given an ultimatum to the power companies to pay the bonus of all workers by November 8 and to take back those who have been sacked.

The five companies that were represented today included BSES Jamuna Power, BSES Rajdhani Power, Tata Power Distribution Company, Delhi Transco, and IPGCL and PPCL.

Many other unions are there representing workers from these companies, which include independent ones and those affiliated to Congress affiliated Indian National Trade Union Congress.

BHaratiya Mazdoor Sangh's whose union today got the support of Kejriwal is affiliated to the BJP though it calls itself totally independent.

Balbir Singh who heads the DESU Mazdoor Sangh said that BMS was a non political trade union and usually the BJP does not take interest in the issues of the union.

I went to BJP leaders VK Malhotra and Jagdish MUkhi but they instead of helping us, talked in favour of the private companies . They praised the companies for paying bonuses, says Singh.

We dont care if BJP does not like our protests, says Singh who is now moving the High Court.