Brilliant victory of the hot rolling steel workers on the
third day of their hunger strike: the owners give written promise to implement
the agreement in toto
Factory Workers form factory committees for ensuring the
implementation of the agreement
The struggle of the hot rolling steel workers completed one
month today and it was also the third day of their relay hunger strike. It was
today itself that the workers secured their third victory. As you know, after
22-day long strike of the hot rolling steel workers, the owners were forced to
compromise on June 27 and June 28 when they gave in writing to abide by all the
labour laws. But they backtracked from the agreement the next day. Consequently
the workers' movement continued. The workers used to go to the factory gates daily
till 4 July. When the owners did not open the factories for implementing the
agreement, the workers even went on to occupy the factory gates. Meanwhile the
police arrested the members of 'Garam Rolla Mazdoor Ekta Samiti' and 'Bigul Mazdoor
Dasta' twice and the owners even launched an attack through the hired goons,
but despite all this the workers got their comrades released and gave fitting
reply to the goons as well. The workers commenced their relay hunger strike
from 5 July at Raja Park in Wazirpur. The mobilisation of workers was swelling
with each passing day and the owners were incapable to run the factories. Today
the owners had to respond to the 'show cause notice' issued by the labour
department. A delegation of 'Garam Rolla Mazdoor Ekta Samiti' led by Shivani,
Sunny and Raghuraj had also reached the labour department. During the talks,
the advocates from the owners side gave in writing that from now on the workers
will not be forced to work for 12 hours a day and all the owners will respect
the agreement. After this the delegation of the 'Garam Rolla Mazdoor Ekta
Samiti' returned and broke the hunger strike of the comrades sitting on hunger
strike and announced the victory.
Shivani, the legal consultant of the 'Garam Rolla Mazdoor
Ekta Samiti' and a member of 'Bigul Mazdoor Dasta' told that factory committees
of workers have been formed in all the factories and their heads are appointed
today for ensuring the implementation of the agreement. These factory
committees in the leadership of their head will decide that the workers will go
to work at 9 am and return at 6 pm. These 9 hours include 30 minutes lunch
break and two tea break of 15 minutes each and the workers will get 30 minute
relief after every 30 minute. Shivani told that the workers do not have faith
on the owners' written assurance and hence tomorrow (8 July) the labour
inspector and factory inspector will be present in the Wazirpur industrial area
in the morning. These inspector will also be present in the evening at 6 pm. In case the workers are forced
to stay in the factory beyond the working hours, the factory committees of
workers will immediately make a call to police at phone no 100 and also to
labour inspector, factory inspector, and Shivani, Sunny or Raghuraj, the
members of the leading committee. The workers have been given the phone numbers
of Deputy Labour Commissioner and Joint Labour Commissioner. If any of the
factory owners refuses to implement the agreement, immediate action will be
taken against him.
Sunny, a member of the Committee told that the agreement
will be fully implemented in the coming days. The workers are not prepared to
step back in any circumstance. The workers of the cold rolling steel plants
also participated in this fight with full enthusiasm along with their brethren
of hot rolling steel plants. It is during this strike itself that the workers
of cold rolling plants also decided to form their committee and the members of
the 'Garam Rolla Mazdoor Ekta Samiti' are helping them in this regard. The
workers of the cold rolling steel plant who visited today's meeting decided
that they will ensure that the agreement of the hot rolling steel plants gets
implemented in their factories as well.
The Wazirpur workers' movement secured several achievements
in this one month. Firstly this movement threw away the renegades and agents of
'Inqlabi Mazdoor Kendra' from the movement. The workers threw these renegades
away from Wazirpur first on 20 June and then on 29 June. Despite this these
renegades continued to spread misinformation about this movement in such a silly
manner that one can only laugh at them. These renegades first claimed that the
workers are exhausted and and are waiting for a shameful agreement; then they
termed the 27 June and 28 June agreement as "shameful agreement";
when a copy of this agreement was posted on the blog of Garam Rolla Mazdoor
Ekta Samiti, they changed their tone and started calling this agreement as
"illusory". Despite all this, the workers continued their struggle
and by gaining one victory after another they have given a tight slap to these
renegades.
The starting of the community kitchen was the second biggest
achievement for this movement. Besides the workers also performed a brilliant
experiment of occupying the factory gates. The movement valiantly countered the
police repression and attack by goons and in one such incident hundreds of worker
lied down in front of the police van to stop it from going ahead to arrest the
leaders. We will provide a detailed evaluation of this movement further on this
blog.
Today's victory is not the end of this movement. Firstly it
will be ensured that today's agreement gets implemented in toto and
subsequently fight for implementing other labour laws such as safety provisions
etc. will be carried on. Also, a union of hot rolling and cold rolling steel
workers will be formed whose proposed name is 'Wazirpur Karkhana Mazdoor
Union'. The process of registration of this union will be initiated in the
month of July itself.
Long live struggle!
Long live workers' unity!
Long live revolution!
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