MODI GOVT’S ANTI-LABOUR CODES :
WORKING CLASS—RISE TOGETHER!
AGITATE!
State Wide Campaign

DEAR WORKERS!

The fascist Modi government has completely abolished the existing 44 labour laws and replaced them with four new labour codes. The government and the media shamelessly lie as though their aim is to bring betterment to the workers, create new jobs, and facilitate country’s growth. In reality, the objective is to snatch away all the hard-earned rights of workers and turn them into modern slaves.
8-HOUR WORKDAY, PERMANENT EMPLOYMENT, TRADE UNION RIGHTS—WILL CEASE TO EXIST EVEN ON PAPERS!

By sacrificing their lives, workers had reduced 12-14 hour workday to 8 hours. But now, Modi’s new labour codes have pushed it back to 14 hours. Moreover, the earlier law stated that factories employing 100 workers could not be closed without the government’s permission. Now it has been amended to even allow factories employing 300 workers to be shut down at overnight, that too without any prior notice.

From now on companies will no longer be required to make workers permanent. With the new provision called Fixed Term Employment (FTE), the entire factory can be run with just contract workers. Workers can no longer approach the Labour Commissioner to complain about the company’s exploitation and initiate negotiations. Forget approaching Labour Courts for remedies, such courts will no longer exist. Instead, the worker’s welfare is now at the hands of the tribunals, which are nothing but Kangaroo Courts. Moreover, every company can create its own Code of Conduct, under which the company can take any disciplinary action against workers.

While giving employers the freedom to close factories without government permission or prior notice, the laws have completely taken away the worker’s right to strike. Many conditions are imposed, such as issuing notice 60 days prior to the strike etc., which effectively means workers can no longer go on strike. Earlier, there were several restrictions for strikes in essential sectors such as pharmacies and dairy. Now these restrictions have been extended to all sectors. In other words, the workers’ final weapon to resist capitalist exploitation—the right to strike, has now been declared illegal by the Modi government.

The Samsung workers’ protest clearly showed how hard it is, even to register a union under the existing laws. But now, provisions have been made to cancel the registration of existing unions citing trivial reasons. Through this, they are striving to destroy trade unions altogether.

WORKPLACE SAFETY TOO, IS NOW IN THE HANDS OF THE MANAGEMENT!

Even the rules meant to ensure safety at the workplace are now relaxed. Earlier, officials could carry out ‘surprise inspections’ of safety arrangements in factories. Even that has now been done away with. From now on, factory management can self-certify that everything is safe and upload it online.

Even if a worker dies due to the company’s negligence or lack of workplace safety, the employer can no longer be punished. In the name of “decriminalization”, around 20,000 legal provisions that allowed criminal action and punishment for the offences of companies have been removed. From now on, instead of imprisonment, it will be enough for the companies to simply pay a fine.

Employers who illegally withhold worker’s wages to “bring them in line” earlier faced up to three years in prison. Now, it is enough to pay a ₹50,000 fine.

The afore-mentioned revisions are just a tip of the iceberg; the list goes on and on.

UNITING AND FIGHTING BACK IS THE ONLY WAY AHEAD!

Since the Trade Unions Act was introduced in 1926 by the British colonial rulers, the working class has, over the past 100 years, fought and won many rights, including the right to form unions, the right to strike, the right to collective bargaining, restrictions on employers declaring lockouts, safety at the workplace, working hours, leave, and so on. Today, the Modi government has effectively dismantled all of these and is turning us into modern slaves.

What are we going to do now? Can we trust the opposition parties like DMK and Congress? When these laws were introduced in Parliament and later notified, they did not even express slightest opposition. They are, in fact, in line with the anti-labour laws of the Modi government. In Karnataka, the Congress govt has increased the working hours to 12 hours. In Tamil Nadu too, the DMK did the same and only retreated after widespread condemnations.

When Samsung workers fought for the right to form a union, it was DMK that suppressed it, citing that “forming unions will affect foreign investment”. It is evident that when it comes to serving the capitalists, there is no ideological difference between the DMK and BJP!

So, we cannot rely on electoral parties; will the courts at least stand with the workers? Cases filed against such laws are dismissed by the Supreme Court and High Courts, saying that “courts cannot interfere in the policy decisions of the government.” Recently, when a Women Workers’ Union filed a case in the SC asking that minimum wages be fixed for domestic workers, the court dismissed it citing trivial reasons and it went on to express hostility towards trade union rights claiming—“flag-bearing-trade-unions are hindering industrial development”.

Thus, workers pleading before the courts and goats pleading for mercy in a butcher’s shop are the same!

Therefore, no Constitutional institutions or political parties are going to step in to protect or rescue us. We, the workers who built this very country, are left helpless today. Only two paths lie ahead of us. One is to accept these laws and live out our lives as modern slaves; the other is to unite as a working class, putting aside trade unions and political party affiliations, and raise a single demand: “REPEAL THE ANTI-LABOUR LAWS.”

History has shown that whenever working hands rise together, even the most powerful regimes are brought down. We have witnessed the so-called 56 inch Modi govt bowing down to the farmers’ demand of repelling the three Farm Laws. That is the very path the Indian working class must choose today.

• We will never allow the hard-earned labour rights to be snatched away!

• Tear apart the Modi govt’s anti-labour codes that turn workers into modern-day slaves!
• Let us discard any illusions of electoral parties and the courts coming to our rescue!

• Raise our voices loud: “REPEAL THE ANTI-WORKER LAWS!”

New Democratic Labour Front (NDLF)

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