Haryana: Workers' Rally Warns Govt to Ignore their Demands at its Peril
Jai Bhagwan
The Lalkar Rally announced a Mahapadav in Chandigarh from November 26-28 in which thousands of workers from the state will participate.
ON October 8, thousands of workers from various parts of Haryana participated in the Lalkaar rally that was held at Huda Grounds in Karnal district. The rally was organised by the Haryana state committee of the Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) and the Khet Mazdoor Union.
During the rally, leaders of both the unions emphasized the pivotal role that workers play in the state's development. They voiced concerns that, instead of heeding the workers' voice, the government seemed intent on suppressing them. The Mazdoor Lalkaar Rally warned the government not to disregard the concerns of workers.
The rally garnered support from various quarters, including government employee unions, as well as labour unions from various companies, ASHA workers' unions, Safai Karmachari union, and the Khet Mazdoor union, demonstrating a united front among diverse segments of the workforce.
To mobilise support for the rally, workers conducted meetings at the entrances of their respective companies, as well as at district and village levels. Thousands of workers, including project workers and temporary workers from the state, participated actively in the rally. Speakers at the rally included CITU national secretary AR Sindhu, state general secretary Jai Bhagwan, president Surekha, Khet Mazdoor Union national general secretary A Vijay Raghavan, state general secretary Prem Chand, and president Jagmal Singh. They voiced the concerns of workers, asserting that the BJP government had introduced four labour codes aimed at subjugating workers. They also highlighted the overdue revision of minimum wages, emphasizing that the failure to address this issue amounted to the exploitation of workers' labour, benefiting capitalists. The leaders criticised the government's approach, citing instances of repression against striking ASHA workers and anganwadi workers in the past.
The leaders further decried the negligence of scheme workers and temporary employees in government departments. They condemned the substantial budget cuts in MGNREGA by the BJP government. They noted a lack of job opportunities and delayed wage payments for work done. Additionally, they raised concerns about the paralysed state of the board for construction workers, adversely affecting 17 lakh construction workers in the state.
Under the guise of a Family Identity Card, the state government revoked the BPL ration cards of approximately 9,50,000 families, primarily comprising workers. It is a result of the reductions in the food security budget. Whether in the organised or unorganised sector, migrant workers, who significantly contribute to the state's development, find themselves stripped of legal protections and essential facilities. Both urban and rural worker populations are grappling with housing challenges.
The BJP government of dismantling the public and government sectors, surrendering them to major capitalists. Exploitation of workers is rampant through contract-based recruitments or Skill Development Corporation recruitments, instead of opting for permanent hiring.
The speakers criticised the 2020 education policy, and said that it will exclude a substantial portion of the country's population from educational opportunities. Schemes like Ayushman Bhava were conduits for private hospitals to siphon funds from the government treasury. The speakers at the rally expressed opposition to the Electricity Bill 2023, asserting that it favoured private companies at the expense of common people.
In a bid to divert attention from its shortcomings, the state government is attempting to gain political traction by fostering an atmosphere of communal and caste-based animosity among the public, warned the leaders. But people of Haryana are rejecting this game-plan of BJP as seen in Nuh.
The speakers also condemned the attack on democratic rights and independent media.
The Lalkaar Rally gave a call to organise a Mahapadav in Chandigarh from November 26-28, drawing participation from thousands of workers across the state. The striking ASHA workers will be on a 24-hour camp at the ministers' doorsteps on October 18 and will actively participate in the national demonstration in Delhi on October 30. Rural sanitation workers will go on a three-day strike starting October 10.
The rally passed a resolution in support of the striking ASHA workers, urging the state government to promptly address their demands. A resolution condemning attacks on media, editors, and journalists associated with NewsClick was also passed.
The main demands of the rally were:
1. The minimum wage in the state should be revised to Rs 26,000 monthly.
2. Scheme, temporary, and contract workers should be made permanent.
3. Anti-worker labour codes should be cancelled, and the contract system should be abolished.
4. 200 days of work annually and Rs 600/day wage should be implemented in MGNREGA.
5. Construction workers should be registered with the Construction Workers Board, and all payments should be made on time.
6. There should be a guarantee of 100-yard plots for housing and a grant to construct houses for rural and urban workers.
7. A monthly pension of Rs 10,000 should be implemented for workers and farmers above 60 years.
8. Everyone should be provided with better education and health facilities.
9. Permanent recruitment should be done in vacant posts in the government departments of the state.
10. Loans of all workers and poor farmers of Haryana should be waived.
11. Provide BPL cards to all the needy, all the essential commodities should be given cheaply.
12. There should be a guarantee of purchase of all crops at MSP.
13. The demands of various movements going on in Haryana for a long time should be resolved immediately through talks.
16. Electricity Bill 2023 should be scraped.
