The Hindu : Karnataka News : Closure of units casts shadow on May Day

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, May 02, 2004

Karnataka

Karnataka

Closure of units casts shadow on May Day

By S. Rajendran

BANGALORE, MAY 1. May Day celebrations, which used to be held on a grand affair in the State, were on a low key this time perhaps due to the elections and the large number of workers losing their jobs because of disinvestment.

For over three decades, the celebrations were held on a grand scale particularly in Bangalore, Mysore, Davangere, Kolar Gold Fields, Hubli Dharwad, and Chikmagalur. Ironically, in none of these places was May Day celebrated with the usual zest. However, most of the unions in major establishments such as Bharat Electronics, ITC, MICO, Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation, and the hotel industry mobilised workers and held meetings.

The May Day workers' rally, which is usually held at the Silver Jubilee Park here with the participation of major trade unions such as the Centre of Indian Trade Unions of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), the All-India Trade Union Congress of the CPI, and the Hind Mazdoor Sabha was not held at the venue. However, the CITU organised a workers' rally at the Banappa Park and the AITUC conducted a well-attended meeting at the Ghatge Bhavan (headquarters of the CPI) in connection with the laying of the foundation stone of the AITUC headquarters. It was mentioned that apart from workers, trade union leaders were themselves quite tired after a hectic schedule of campaigning for the elections to the Legislative Assembly and the Lok Sabha.

A few trade union leaders told The Hindu that while over 1.5 lakh youths had secured employment in the information technology sector in the past few years in Bangalore, nearly five lakh workers in the manufacturing sector, textile mills, and the agriculture sector had been rendered unemployed. They said that employees of the IT sector normally did not join trade unions. Even if they were interested, their service conditions would restrain them. Although the rules governing contract employment permitted employees to become members of unions, most of them stayed away from union activity as they feared they would lose their jobs.

Yet another factor for the celebrations being on a low key was the weekend, with employees utilising the opportunity to take a short holiday with their families.

Normally, major trade unions organise joint meetings in connection with May Day well in advance. Workers take out a procession from their workplaces, or factory workers affiliated to unions assemble and take out a procession. However, trade unions, which fielded candidates in the elections, could not give adequate attention to May Day celebrations this time.

The General Secretary of the State unit of the AITUC, H.V. Ananthasubba Rao, said that the working class would give a telling blow to the National Democratic Alliance in the elections for its alleged anti-labour policies. It should not be thought that the May Day celebrations were low key because of any disintegration of employees' unions.He said workers should unite to fight for their rights. "We are confident that a common-man-friendly government would be in place shortly. All mass organisations are united in their fight against the World-Bank-dictated policies which have hit the fabric of the country," he added.

Mr. Rao said bad policies had resulted in the closure of almost all the textile mills in the State which had provided employment to over 50,000 people. Some of the workers had received a final settlement of dues while a section was awaiting settlement. The State had lost revenue because of the closure of factories. In the name of liberalisation, privatisation, and globalisation, no attention was being paid to the working class, he regretted.

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