Citu working overtime to kill the IT goose
For Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, the enemy may strike from within. Even as the Marxist chief minister tries to strike-proof the IT sector, Citu is taking steps to ensure unions are formed, and if needed, keep names of union members under wraps.
By TNN |
NEW DELHI: For Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, the enemy may strike from within. Even as the Marxist chief minister tries to strike-proof the IT sector, Citu is taking steps to ensure unions are formed, and if needed, keep names of union members under wraps.
Alleging that state governments are luring investors by promising non-implementation of labour, Citu said it was determined to secure the right to strike for workers in the IT sector. As the December 14 general strike nears, the disharmonious noises within the CPM are growing louder.
Worried that managements would sack employees trying to form unions, Citu leader and CPM polit bureau member M K Pandhe said “unions will have to be formed carefully without disclosing the names of members. If IT sector managements think that they would be able to prevent formation of unions for a long time, they are greatly mistaken.”
Disagreeing with his polit bureau colleague, Mr Bhattacharjee had given an assurance that he would strike-proof the sector. The IT sector management’s claim that employees there are not interested in unions after Citu’s announcement on forming unions in the sector has not dissuaded the Marxist union leaders.
In an article in the party mouthpiece, People’s Democracy, Mr Pandhe listed eight points of concern of working conditions in the sector, including absence of a grievance redressal mechanism.
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“The concept of labour market flexibility or fixed-term employment is curtly being made applicable to these employees,” he said. While the West Bengal government is considering whether to identify the 24x7 sector as an essential service, Mr Pandhe said it cannot be considered essential like water, milk and electricity supply. Citu has demanded a bill to govern working and living conditions of IT sector employees. “In countries which outsource jobs to India, IT sector employees are covered by their national labour laws. They have the right to collective bargaining and right to strike. Hence there is no justification for not giving the same rights to Indian workers in this sector,” Mr Pandhe said.
However, Citu is silent on what unions in the sector would do on December 14 saying the mode of protest would be decided by the unions. The chief minister has the backing of a majority in the party leadership, including Jyoti Basu.
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