AT the joint call of Delhi units of 11 central trade unions (CTUs), a strike was observed on July 20 by unorganised sector workers in Delhi and adjoining areas of Noida and Ghaziabad in NCR over their various demands including enforcement of notified minimum wage of Rs 13,896 for unskilled workers and fixation of minimum wage at Rs 20,000.

Their demands included common wage board for the entire NCR region; safety measures at work places; regularisation of contract workers; registration and welfare benefits to construction workers; stopping the removal of street vendors; constitution of all labour-related tripartite committees; new recruitment in municipal corporations and government departments; and implementation of seventh pay commission at par. The strike call given by CITU, AITUC, INTUC, HMS, AIUTUC, TUCC, SEWA, AICCTU, UTUC, LPF and MEC – was also against fixed term employment and proposed labour laws amendments by the central government.

The demands have significant background. Though, after long drawn serious struggles, the minimum wages were notified on March 3, 2017, the same is yet to be effectively implemented. It may be recalled that in the absence of safety measures, 28 workers were killed in separate industrial fire accidents this year alone. During election, the Aam Aadmi Party promised regularisation of jobs of the contract workers. The construction workers welfare benefits have been stopped since the Delhi Police under the central government, has started investigation on an FIR against the labour department and welfare board officials two months ago. Street vendors are being removed under ‘smart city project’ and to favour the multinationals.

PREPARATION & CAMPAIGN

The decision to strike was taken at the May 7 meeting of all CTUs. On June 2, a joint convention was held at AITUC Bhavan in New Delhi where activists and leaders from all sectors participated and decided to print one lakh handbills and 7,000 posters jointly. Area level joint meetings/conventions were held in East, West, South and North Delhi; and in Ghaziabad and Noida.  Joint tempo campaign was conducted in the 18 industrial areas of Delhi and in five industrial areas of Ghaziabad and four industrial centres of Noida and Greater Noida. More than 200 street-corner meetings were held during this campaign in industrial areas as well as in workers colonies. Sectoral joint handbills were printed and distributed among construction workers, street vendors and scheme workers. All CTUs participated in the strike campaign in Delhi. But, only CITU, AITUC, HMS and INTUC participated in joint strike campaign in Ghaziabad.  In Noida, except CITU, all the other unions withdrew from the strike call. 

CITU Delhi state unit separately printed 10,000 posters, 12,000 stickers and 20,000 handbills, especially focusing on the issue of minimum wages for industrial workers. Almost all CITU unions held general body meetings. Separate campaign material was printed by respective unions on their own demands, supporting the strike. In all, around three lakh handbills and 35,000 posters were printed. DSMRO, the medical representatives union, had conducted the campaign in a very meticulous way. It printed 2,000 folder handbills and conducted meetings in 11 hospitals of Delhi. Supportive actions were conducted by Delhi Jal Board employees, Airport employee unions, transport department, etc. To sensitise the workers, street theatre shows were conducted at 16 places covering all the regions.

IMPACT OF STRIKE

Around 1.5 lakh workers participated in the strike in Delhi. Industrial activities were completely paralysed in Narela industrial area, Badli industrial area, Rajasthani Udhyog Nagar, Wazirpur industrial area and GT Karnal Road industrial area of North Delhi. Similar impact was seen in Mangolpuri Phase-I, Udyog Nagar, Peera Garhi, Mayapuri industrial area phase-I, phase-II, Naraina industrial areas of West Delhi; and Okhla industrial area phase-I, phase-II and phase-III of South Delhi. Partial impact was witnessed in Patparganj industrial area and Jhilmil, Friends Colony industrial area. There were huge processions of workers in almost all the areas reflecting the anger among them. 

In Ghaziabad district, Sahibabad site-4 industrial area saw the maximum impact of the strike. At eight points, picketing started early morning at 6 am. Here women activists took the lead in boycotting the work. Industrial activity was affected in Anand Industrial area, Meerut Road Industrial area, South of GT Road and Dasna Masuri Industrial area. Around 1.9 lakh workers participated in the strike in this area.

In Gautam Budh Nagar (Noida) district, successful picketing and processions were organised at eight points and the meetings were addressed by district trade union leaders and kisan leaders. Memoranda with charter of demands were submitted to the city magistrate and the district magistrate. Hosiery complex was most affected with 80 percent workers numbering around 60,000 being on strike. In total more than one lakh workers participated in the strike in this area. Around 1,026 sales and medical representatives participated in the strike.   

The police detained around six persons including CITU Delhi general secretary in Patparganj and two activists in Badli industrial area. The Central Warehousing Corporation in Ghazipur area of East Delhi remained shut. All 200 contract workers of Indira Gandhi International Airport staged dharna at Mahipalpur bus stand in support of the strike. Around 800 workers of Delhi Jal Board also staged dharna in front of their head office. Construction workers staged dharnas at 16 places. For the central march to Delhi assembly which started from Civic Centre at 11 am, the participation was mainly from DBC and Safai Karamcharis, street vendors, domestic workers, and anganwadi workers. The public meeting at Delhi Secretariat was addressed by Anurag Saxena (CITU), Vidyasagar Giri (AITUC), Satyabrat Puniya (INTUC), Rajendra (HMS), Santosh Rai (AICCTU), Nasim (UTUC), Subash Bhatnagar (NMPS), and SNS Kushwaha (Rehri Patri). Dhiren Sharma (AITUC) presided over it.

It was after a gap of almost ten years that Delhi, Ghaziabad and Noida workers decided to go on strike on their own initiative.  

Meanwhile, in a significant development on July 18, the Delhi Contract Labour Advisory Board meeting took a historic decision that the Delhi government would take all the outsourced contract employees on its direct payrolls in all departments. The joint trade unions platform congratulated the workers of Delhi-NCR for their huge participation in the successful strike.