The Life of Labour: Minimum Wages Restored in Delhi; Ola-Uber Strike in Chennai

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After SC nod, Delhi government restores increase in minimum wages

On August 4, the Delhi high court ahd cancelled the notifications released by the Aam Aadmi Party government which raised the minimum wages of scheduled categories of workers by more than 30%. When the government appealed, the Supreme Court cancelled the cancellation and restored the notifications. The Labour Department immediately put them into effect. Now, Times of India reports that “skilled workers will be paid at least Rs 16,962 a month [and] semi-skilled and unskilled employees will now get Rs 15,400 and Rs 14,000, respectively.” This is a huge moment for the workers of Delhi. Of course, implementation will be a major challenge, but there seems to be intent on behalf of the government to go after violators seriously.

Ola and Uber drivers strike demanding revision of fares

In Chennai, over 600 drivers affiliated with Ola and Uber cab aggregators went on strike on October 29, demanding that the government fix a standard tariff for city taxis, similar to the tariff fixed for autos. After a brief negotiation with the transport commissioner, who deferred the discussion to November 1, one section withdrew the protest, while another continued leading to the detention of over 300 workers by the police.

The drivers have been demanding upward revision of tariffs for over a year now, with two massive protests in January and July. However, both the managements as well as the state government has been delaying any resolution on the issue. The cab aggregators, owing to cut competition, have slashed rates for taxis from as high as Rs 16 per km to Rs 6-7 per km. Coupled with increasing fuel costs, many drivers are finding it hard to make ends meet, leaving them indebted.

Autorickshaws in Chennai are regulated by government fixed rates and therefore they tend to have a better deal vis-à-vis operating under Ola, which has a auto service. The cab drivers are presently demanding a similar system, without surge pricing and target-based incentive systems. But the government seems reluctant to legislate, maintaining that the cabs are registered as tourist vehicles and that is currently not under the purview of ‘fare regulation'.

An employee walks inside the office of ride-hailing service Uber in Gurugram, previously known as Gurgaon, on the outskirts of New Delhi, India April 19, 2016. Credit: ReutersS/Anindito Mukherjee

Mumbai too witnessed similar strikes this week by Ola-Uber drivers demanding fare revision commensurate to fuel price increases. Maharashtra has amended the motor vehicles Act to formalise cab aggregators and fix minimum and maximum tariffs. With the government assuring that the issue will be looked into by November 15, the drivers called of the strike.

Modi announces quick loans, relaxation in labour laws for MSMEs as Diwali gift

The prime minister announced a dozen new measures to aid the life of MSMEs in India. This includes a new website where they will be able to get loans sanctioned in under one hour. Apparently, in their own words, the era in which businessmen approached banks for loans is over and now the government will be the one doing the approaching, reaching out to MSMEs to offer them loans.

Other promulgations include an ordinance that reduces the returns to be filed for labour laws, simplifying clearance for air and water pollution and ensuring that inspections will be random and prompt. The last measure has been described as a way of ending “inspector raj” and yet data has been showing the steady fall in number of inspections, inspectors per capita and the ability of inspections to stop labour law violations. Inspector raj remains a useful bogeyman to enable the government to further limit the abilities of the inspectorates to do the bare minimum to implement labour and environmental protections at factories.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Credit: PTI

IT employees to raise their issues at November 3 labour meet

The Forum for IT Employees (FITE), Pune will attend a conference between labour unions and elected representatives in Pimpri this week. This is the first time that an IT union will be attending such an event on a more or less even footing with other trade unions. The president of FITE told the Indian Express that they have more than 5,000 registered members and are fighting more than 100 cases of unlawful terminations with the labour department.

AITUC’s All India Working Women’s Forum holds National Convention in Chennai

More than 500 women workers from all across India came together for the third national convention of AITUC’s All India Working Women’s Forum. The three-day conference was held in Chennai on October 27-29, 2018. It included speeches by prominent women political leaders of the DMK and Congress as well leadership talks from TN-AITUC, World Federation of Trade Unions, ILO and the NFIW, among others. There were also seminars on topics like “Communal and Casteist Agenda of the BJP” and “Labour Law Amendments – affront against women’s work”.

Royal Enfield motorcycle production hit by labour strife, says Eicher Motors

As reported earlier, there has been major labour agitations in Chennai and surrounding industrial areas as workers fight for regularisation and better working conditions. One of the companies, Royal Enfield, has reported that the strikes and protests have led to production being hit by more than 25,000 units.  With an eye on these losses, Royal Enfield asked workers to resume work, promising to hold a dialogue internally. But the workers have resisted after the company mentioned conditions and riders such as giving up cell phones and giving an undertaking to desist from such activities in the future.

Chandigarh: Longest ever strike ends after HC intervention

In Haryana, transport workers just finished an 18-day strike and will return to work. The high court had directed the government not to take any punitive action against the workers and the unions have agreed to work out their demands at the next hearing. Despite the Essential Services Maintenance Act making such strikes illegal, thousands of transport workers went on strike to protest the corporation’s decision to hire 700 buses from private owners.

International News

Google walkout: Global protests after sexual misconduct allegations

The Guardian reports, “Thousands of Google staff across the world have staged a series of walkouts in protest at claims of sexual harassment, gender inequality and systemic racism.” There were walkouts in offices across the US and the world, including Tokyo, Singapore, Berlin, Ireland, New York, San Francisco and more. There were even protests in Hyderabad, where Google has an office in India.

The major instigation for this global protest was the revelation made by the New York Times a few weeks ago that the company had paid $90 million to Andy Rubin in a settlement but had failed to disclose the cases of sexual harassment behind his dismissal. This turned out to be true for a number of different executives. Sundar Pichai, the CEO, has owned up to the culture and has said that there will be no action against the striking employees. Protestors held signs like “Happy to quit for $90m – no sexual harassment required” and have accused the company of protecting the harassers rather than the victims.

Demand for better pay and work conditions in Melbourne

In Australia, there were rallies and marches in large cities and small towns demanding that the federal government 'Change the Rules'. The campaign aims to end wage stagnation by revamping the country's industrial relations laws. Central Melbourne came close to being entirely shut down as almost 200,000 workers congregated there to demand better working conditions and wages.

Unions come out strongly at 'assault on democracy' in Brazil

Trade unions across the world have come out against the elevation of a 'fascist authoritarian' to the role of Brazil’s president-elect. The IUF wrote in an editorial on their website, “Democracy in Brazil is not at a crossroads; It faces a firing squad. Former army captain Jair Bolsonaro, who is expected to comfortably win the second-round presidential vote on October 28, has pledged to physically eliminate the opposition Workers Party.”

Unions of teachers in Brazil have had to fight against a new statement by the government for students to record videos of teachers who try to “indoctrinate” them. The threat of physical violence and culls for political beliefs are ominous signs for freedom in the South American country over the next few years.

Weekend reading

The 250-year history of Indian diaspora in Australia and New Zealand

The co-editors of Indians and the Antipodes: Networks, Boundaries and Circulation write about their book in which “scholars from both sides of the Tasman and beyond trace the development of Indian involvement in New Zealand and Australia, from 18th-century sepoys and lascars (soldiers and sailors) aboard visiting European ships, through 19th-century migrant labourers and the 20th century’s hostile policies to the new generation of skilled professional migrants of the 21st century.” Read more.

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