Trade unions now eyeing BPOs, retail

MUMBAI: The shadow of trade unionism is looming large over the the new age money spinners, modern retail and BPOs. Having sensed a large vote bank and eager to show make their voice heard after years of decline, political parties are repositioning labour unions in an attempt to attract more retail sector and BPO employees.

Leading the pack is the Shiv Sena followed by the Left. In fact, the Centre of Indian Trade Unions, popularly known as CITU, the Left’s labour wing, has convened a special session in May in Mumbai to discuss its ‘unionisation’ plan for malls and BPOs. “

This is the next big thing happening after slowing down of the manufacturing sector. For last three years we have been trying to invade malls and BPOs. Our efforts are now paying off,” said Suryakant Mahadik, head, the Bharatiya Kamgar Sena—the Shiv Sena offshoot.

“In principal we are opposed to big capital coming to the retail sector. However, we don’t want to leave employees in this sector unprotected,” Ashok Dhvale, Maharashtra secretary of CPI (M), said. “We will keep opposing the government’s policies on retail and unite workers simultaneously,” Mr Dhavale stated.

Sunday, April 2, 2007, was a wake-up call for top retailers. The Bharatiya Kamgar Sena (BKS), the trade union wing of Shiv Sena, forced three malls to down shutters in Mumbai for almost the entire day to protest against the sacking of 120 employees from the Future Group led Big Bazaar chain in the city. The group had little option but to hire back the employees. The event once again brought back brought the issue of working conditions in malls and BPOs to the fore.

“These new sectors as of now has some 7.5 lakh people working with them. The number can only now go up. We don’t know about their working conditions, wages etc. So there is every reason for a labour union to organise them,” Mr Mahadik said.

Top retailers are exceedingly worried about the ill-effects on growth in a booming sector where the total manpower employed is huge and growing: up from 7-8 lakh three years back to 2.2 million today.