A text by The Invisible Committee (2009)
"How does a situation of generalized rioting become an insurrectionary situation? What to do once the streets have been taken, once the police have been soundly defeated there? Do the parliaments still deserve to be attacked? What is the practical meaning of deposing power locally? How do we decide? How do we subsist?
How do we find each other?"
Read it here
Sunday, October 23, 2011
Sunday, October 9, 2011
WE ARE THE 99 PERCENT
"It's called the American Dream because you have to be asleep to believe it."
http://wearethe99percent.tumblr.com/page/2
http://wearethe99percent.tumblr.com/page/2
Thursday, September 8, 2011
FROM HONDA TO MARUTI SUZUKI: A WIDE ANGLE VIEW OF CORPORATE STRATEGIES
(New Series No. 277, July 2011)
WHAT THE MARUTI BALANCE SHEET SHOWS
The 300-acre Maruti Suzuki factory in Gurgaon houses three plants and produces 7 lakh cars a year. The engine plant alone has a manufacturing capacity of 7.5 lakh engines a year.
The 600-acre Maruti-Suzuki plant in Manesar started production in February 2007. This factory houses Maruti's newest assembly plant with a capacity of 3 lakh cars a year.
Another assembly plant in this factory will begin production in March 2012 and will have a capacity of 2.5 lakh cars a year. The Suzuki Powertrain Diesel Engine factory adjoins Maruti's Manesar factory. This is a joint venture of Suzuki Motors (70%) and Maruti-Suzuki (30%) and has a capacity of 3 lakh engines a year.
12.7 lakh Maruti-Suzuki cars were produced in 2010-11 - 2.7 lakh units more than the installed capacity of its plants - and representing almost half of all cars produced in India.
Around 1.4 lakh Maruti-Suzuki cars were exported to 120 countries in 2010-11.Maruti earned slightly more than Rs.40,419 crores from sale of its cars during 2010-11.
Maruti-Suzuki contributed a total of Rs.4290.81 crores to the national exchequer by way of excise duties, and paid Rs.820.11 crores in taxes to the Haryana Government in 2010-11.
The company declared a total share capital of Rs.144.46 crores. The value of a Rs.5/- share went up to Rs.79.22 during 2010-11.
After deducting payments to employees (Rs.703.62 crores), bank interest payments (Rs.24.41 crores), costs of raw materials and plant maintenance (Rs.27,576.13 crores) and other expenses, the company declared a net profit of Rs.2288.64 crores.
WHAT THE BALANCE SHEET DOESN'T SHOW
Maruti-Suzuki had 8,500 employees as of March 31, 2011. Only 3,200 of the total of 8,500 employees are factory workers – 2,300 at the Gurgaon factory and 950 at the Manesar factory.
Apart from these 3,200 regular workers, every other worker in the Maruti factories is a contract worker, hired through a labour contractor.
Maruti first started hiring contract workers in 1977. In 2001, after a strike at the Gurgaon factory which was probably engineered by the management and was ruthlessly crushed, 1250 regular workers were laid off. Another 1250 workers were laid off in 2003. As of 2007, the Gurgaon factory had 1,800 regular workers and 4000 contract workers. The number of contract workers at the present date is not known.
According to figures from the ILO, regular workers comprise only 15% of the Maruti-Suzuki factory workforce – 85% are contract workers. This is a much lower proportion of regular workers than in companies such as Nokia (50% regular workers) and Ford (25% regular workers).
Regular workers in the Maruti-Suzuki factory are paid an average monthly basic salary of Rs.5,300/- and an “attendance allowance” of Rs.8,900/-. An amount of Rs.2,500/- is deducted from the salary for every day of non-attendance other than earned leave.
Contract workers hired through a labour contractor are paid an average monthly wage of Rs.7,200/- (for those with an ITI diploma) and Rs.6,200/- (for those who do not have an ITI diploma). There is no provision for leave, and an amount of Rs.2,000/- per day is deducted for absence from work.
THE ARITHMETIC OF PROFIT
Assuming that none of the workers took leave, the total amount paid out by Maruti-Suzuki to their regular factory employees during 2010-11 is Rs.54.52 crores. Assuming that the number of contract workers today is 8,000 (twice that in 2007) and calculating at the higher rate (Rs.7,200/- per month) the total amount paid to the contract workers in 2010-11 is Rs.69.12 crores. The total amount paid to factory workers (Rs.123.64 crores) represents 5.4% of the profits of Rs.2,288.64 crore made by Maruti-Suzuki in the same period.
THE MARUTI FORMULA- "LEAN MANUFACTURING"
One year ago, it took a herculean effort for the Manesar plant, working two shifts on the main (automated) production line, to make 1,100 cars a day. Today, the plant rolls out 1,200 cars every day from the main line and another 150 from the manual line. How has the pace of production has been stepped up?
Maruti Production System or MPS draws learnings from its parent company Suzuki Motor Corporation's concepts on `lean manufacturing' under Suzuki Production System (SPS).
Setting trends in new products and achieving customer delight starts with Manufacturing Excellence and Maruti's manufacturing excellence hinges around four important pillars-Cost, Quality, Safety and Productivity.
Every employee working on the line is 'cost sensitive' and functions in capacity of a Cost Manager. He is a key contributor in suggesting how to keep costs of production under control.
A product of poor quality requires repeated inspections, entails wastage in terms of repairs and replacements. "Do it right first time," is the principle followed to avoid wastage. To ensure quality, robots were devices and deployed, especially where they reduced worker fatigue and were critical in delivering consistent quality. With consistent improvements in the plant the company was able to manufacture over 600,000 vehicles in 2006-07 with an installed capacity of just 350,000 vehicles per year.
"Home or work place; Safety takes First Place". This has been the motto of the company where safety is concerned. Maruti attaches great significance to safety of its people and strongly advocates that safety at work place adds to quality of the products and improves productivity of the plant significantly.
In the Japanese manufacturing system, the central role is accorded, not so much to Quality, Productivity or Cost, but to Safety. When process flow, lay-out and systems are designed for maximum safety, they automatically contribute to better quality and productivity.
- from http://www.marutisuzuki.com/lean-manufacturing.aspx
The deepening economic crisis is justification enough for companies like Maruti to push even harder to cut costs and increase production. Shorn of jargon, Maruti's much-lauded lean manufacturing system is the tried-and-tested traditional system of squeezing the workers through increasing workloads, cutting wages and benefits, undercutting investments in safety and increased casualisation of the workforce.
Here's what lean manufacturing looks like on the factory floor.
The paintshop at the Manesar plant is a schizophrenic combination of cutting-edge robotic technology and brute physical labour. One one side are 12 painting robots. On the other, are workers carrying 25 kilo headloads of used screens up two flights of stairs and returning with a 30 kilo load of clean screens. Each worker has to carry 70-80 screens up and down the stairs, working an extra hour without pay if the job is not done by the end of the shift. The lunch-break (30 minutes) and tea break (15 minutes) are not counted as part of the working time on the shift.
The Quality Maintenance Unit employs 95 workers hired through a labour contractor. Their job includes cleaning out the tanks that hold thinners and solvents. They are always on the C-shift – from 12.30 in the night to 8.30 the next morning. Workers on the C-shift work non-stop. There are no breaks for food or tea. The food allowance of Rs.44/- that they used to be given has now been slashed to half. By the end of the shift, they are exhausted, giddy and nauseous from the chemical fumes they inhale. Workers in the Quality Maintenance Unit put in 32 to 192 hours of overtime every month, for which they are paid only Rs.28/- per hour, well short of the legal minimum of 1.5 times the normal wage. For many of these workers, the shift can extend to 17.5 hours of non-stop work without breaks or food.
WORKERS AT THE MANESAR PLANT, SPEAKING TO FMS
Casual workers hired through a labour contractor are paid an average monthly wage of Rs.7,200/- (for those with an ITI diploma) and Rs.6,200/- (for those who do not have an ITI diploma). Casual workers on the A and B shifts are entitled to free meals at the canteen. There is no provision for leave. Wages for the day, and an extra penalty of Rs.2,000/- are deducted for every absence from work. Any protests or arguments with the contractor are dealt with by immediate dismissal.
Regular workers are not much better off. Their package consists of a basic pay of Rs.5,300/-, an incentive/attendance allowance of Rs.8,900/-, a house rent allowance of Rs.1,600/-, a Dearness Allowance and an allowance for children's education, adding up to between Rs.17,000 and 18,000/- a month. Although their contracts include provisions for paid leave and casual leaves, each day off work results in a deduction of Rs.2,200/- from the incentive allowance. The entire amount of Rs.8,900/- is forfeited if a worker takes more than four days off in a month.
Regular workers cannot be threatened by dismissal, but are harassed and humiliated by supervisors who abuse and manhandle them, arbitrarily move them from one assembly line to another, and report them to managers or the HR Unit for concocted offences.
THE STRIKE
The workers at the Manesar factory started a new union in April 2011. The membership included both regular workers and casual workers hired through labour contractors. The management refused to recognize this union. On June 4, 2011, the workers stopped work. The A shift was just ending and the workers on the B shift had all come in. Workers on the C-shift were quickly contacted over the phone and asked to join the strike. Before the management realised what was happening, more than 2,000 men - regular workers, apprentices, trainees and contract workers from all three shifts – had occupied the factory, sending the management into a complete panic.
As the strike went into its second week, the Haryana Government declared it illegal, but was unwilling to intervene as they had done in the Honda strike. Although police were stationed in the factory premises, the management was reluctant to force the workers out of the factory, given the the risk of damage to the equipment. Equally, the workers were determined to hold their ground inside the factory – everyone was aware that being forced or persuaded to vacate the premises would be the beginning of the end, as it had been for striking workers in Rico Auto, Denso, Viva Global, Harsurya Healthcare, Senden Vikas .... crushed protests that left workers far more vulnerable than before.
By the time the strike entered its tenth day, the factory had lost Rs.600 crores and Maruti shares had plummeted in value. It was obvious that the Maruti management and the government were helpless in the face of the workers' determined refusal to surrender.
The agreement between the workers and the management that ended the strike on June 16th does not reflect this situation. No one reading this extraordinary document would guess that the workers were in a strong bargaining position while the management and the government had their backs to the wall. Instead, those who brokered this “return to normalcy” created a scenario that disempowered the workers and made it seem as if it was their inability to hold out any longer that brought them to the negotiating table.
THE AGREEMENT
The signing of the agreement and the fact that the management agreed to take back the 11 office-bearers of the new union who had been dismissed on 6 June, has been hailed as a victory for the workers by some commentators.
But the terms of the agreement suggest otherwise.
A bitter “victory”
The 11 terminated workers will be taken back, but enquiry proceedings will be initiated against them and “appropriate disciplinary action” will be taken. Regular employees will be considered to have resumed work on June 17th, but actual shifts will resume from midnight on June 18th. An extra day of work on June 19th will be required to compensate for not working on June 17th.
In accordance with the provisions of the Payment of Wages Act, 1936 and the standing orders of the company, workers participating in the strike are liable to a fine of three days wages for every day of work lost. However, it was agreed that, for the moment, only ten days' wages will be deducted (ie one day's wage for each day of the strike). The remaining amount of the fine will be waived if, and only if, the workers maintain good behaviour and discipline, and abide by the rules of the company.
In accordance with the principle of “no work, no pay”, the workers will not be paid for the days they were on strike.
The workers agreed to maintain discipline, ensure expected levels of production and not indulge in any individual or collective activities that would hamper the normal functioning of the factory. The management also agreed not to behave badly or hold a grudge against the workers.
The agreement will be taken as a final resolution of all disputes between the workers and the management.
The story of the Maruti Suzuki strike of 2011 is very similar to that of the Honda strike of 2005. The Honda workers were persuaded by the so-called negotiators to come out of the factory. Once they did, they were mercilessly beaten by the police. By brokering this agreement, the self-appointed negotiators in the Maruti case have dealt an even more lethal blow to the workers' struggle. The Maruti Suzuki management is exhibiting care and concern for workers' welfare in the immediate aftermath of the strike. If the Honda case is anything to go by, this phase will be short-lived, and will be followed by a further tightening of the screws.
The 1,700 Honda regular employees who launched the strike in 2005 were workers on the factory floor. Of the 1,800 regular workers on the Honda rolls today, a large segment works as supervisors of contract workers hired through labour contractors. For instance, the motorcycle engine assembly plant at the Honda factory in Manesar is run by 4 engineers, 12 regular workers and 110 casual workers hired through a labour contracting company. Each shift in the assembly line in the no.2 motorcycle plant has 8 staff, 3 line leaders, 4 regular workers, 4 casual workers hired directly by the company and 101 contract workers hired through a labour contractor. Workers hired through labour contractors are responsible for the bulk of the production in the Honda plant. There are 6,500 such workers on the production line, and another 1500 in ancillary departments.
THE ISSUE IS GLOBAL
Regular workers and irregular workers. Casual workers employed directly by the company and contract workers employed through a labour contractor. Registered contractors and unregistered contractors. Workers who are entitled to PF and ESI, and workers who are not entitled to these benefits....
As many as 75% of the factory workers workers in Delhi, Noida, Gurgaon and Faridabad are invisible in government statistics. The vast majority – over 80% - of these workers are paid less than the statutory minimum wage. Shifts of 12 to 18 hours are the norm, and overtime is compensated at the same rate as regular duty and not at twice the regular rate as required by law.
The situation of workers in Maruti Suzuki and Honda is mirrored in thousands of small and medium factories operating within the 300 or so square kilometres of Delhi and the NCR, that are connected to other such operations in other cities thousands of kilometres away. All of them are struggling against similar strategies of exploitation and resisting attempts to undermine solidarity and unity.
Yet, it is this globalisation of oppression that is creating the conditions for solidarity across boundaries of race and nation, across different industries, different sectors, different companies.
WHAT THE MARUTI BALANCE SHEET SHOWS
The 300-acre Maruti Suzuki factory in Gurgaon houses three plants and produces 7 lakh cars a year. The engine plant alone has a manufacturing capacity of 7.5 lakh engines a year.
The 600-acre Maruti-Suzuki plant in Manesar started production in February 2007. This factory houses Maruti's newest assembly plant with a capacity of 3 lakh cars a year.
Another assembly plant in this factory will begin production in March 2012 and will have a capacity of 2.5 lakh cars a year. The Suzuki Powertrain Diesel Engine factory adjoins Maruti's Manesar factory. This is a joint venture of Suzuki Motors (70%) and Maruti-Suzuki (30%) and has a capacity of 3 lakh engines a year.
12.7 lakh Maruti-Suzuki cars were produced in 2010-11 - 2.7 lakh units more than the installed capacity of its plants - and representing almost half of all cars produced in India.
Around 1.4 lakh Maruti-Suzuki cars were exported to 120 countries in 2010-11.Maruti earned slightly more than Rs.40,419 crores from sale of its cars during 2010-11.
Maruti-Suzuki contributed a total of Rs.4290.81 crores to the national exchequer by way of excise duties, and paid Rs.820.11 crores in taxes to the Haryana Government in 2010-11.
The company declared a total share capital of Rs.144.46 crores. The value of a Rs.5/- share went up to Rs.79.22 during 2010-11.
After deducting payments to employees (Rs.703.62 crores), bank interest payments (Rs.24.41 crores), costs of raw materials and plant maintenance (Rs.27,576.13 crores) and other expenses, the company declared a net profit of Rs.2288.64 crores.
WHAT THE BALANCE SHEET DOESN'T SHOW
Maruti-Suzuki had 8,500 employees as of March 31, 2011. Only 3,200 of the total of 8,500 employees are factory workers – 2,300 at the Gurgaon factory and 950 at the Manesar factory.
Apart from these 3,200 regular workers, every other worker in the Maruti factories is a contract worker, hired through a labour contractor.
Maruti first started hiring contract workers in 1977. In 2001, after a strike at the Gurgaon factory which was probably engineered by the management and was ruthlessly crushed, 1250 regular workers were laid off. Another 1250 workers were laid off in 2003. As of 2007, the Gurgaon factory had 1,800 regular workers and 4000 contract workers. The number of contract workers at the present date is not known.
According to figures from the ILO, regular workers comprise only 15% of the Maruti-Suzuki factory workforce – 85% are contract workers. This is a much lower proportion of regular workers than in companies such as Nokia (50% regular workers) and Ford (25% regular workers).
Regular workers in the Maruti-Suzuki factory are paid an average monthly basic salary of Rs.5,300/- and an “attendance allowance” of Rs.8,900/-. An amount of Rs.2,500/- is deducted from the salary for every day of non-attendance other than earned leave.
Contract workers hired through a labour contractor are paid an average monthly wage of Rs.7,200/- (for those with an ITI diploma) and Rs.6,200/- (for those who do not have an ITI diploma). There is no provision for leave, and an amount of Rs.2,000/- per day is deducted for absence from work.
THE ARITHMETIC OF PROFIT
Assuming that none of the workers took leave, the total amount paid out by Maruti-Suzuki to their regular factory employees during 2010-11 is Rs.54.52 crores. Assuming that the number of contract workers today is 8,000 (twice that in 2007) and calculating at the higher rate (Rs.7,200/- per month) the total amount paid to the contract workers in 2010-11 is Rs.69.12 crores. The total amount paid to factory workers (Rs.123.64 crores) represents 5.4% of the profits of Rs.2,288.64 crore made by Maruti-Suzuki in the same period.
THE MARUTI FORMULA- "LEAN MANUFACTURING"
One year ago, it took a herculean effort for the Manesar plant, working two shifts on the main (automated) production line, to make 1,100 cars a day. Today, the plant rolls out 1,200 cars every day from the main line and another 150 from the manual line. How has the pace of production has been stepped up?
Maruti Production System or MPS draws learnings from its parent company Suzuki Motor Corporation's concepts on `lean manufacturing' under Suzuki Production System (SPS).
Setting trends in new products and achieving customer delight starts with Manufacturing Excellence and Maruti's manufacturing excellence hinges around four important pillars-Cost, Quality, Safety and Productivity.
Every employee working on the line is 'cost sensitive' and functions in capacity of a Cost Manager. He is a key contributor in suggesting how to keep costs of production under control.
A product of poor quality requires repeated inspections, entails wastage in terms of repairs and replacements. "Do it right first time," is the principle followed to avoid wastage. To ensure quality, robots were devices and deployed, especially where they reduced worker fatigue and were critical in delivering consistent quality. With consistent improvements in the plant the company was able to manufacture over 600,000 vehicles in 2006-07 with an installed capacity of just 350,000 vehicles per year.
"Home or work place; Safety takes First Place". This has been the motto of the company where safety is concerned. Maruti attaches great significance to safety of its people and strongly advocates that safety at work place adds to quality of the products and improves productivity of the plant significantly.
In the Japanese manufacturing system, the central role is accorded, not so much to Quality, Productivity or Cost, but to Safety. When process flow, lay-out and systems are designed for maximum safety, they automatically contribute to better quality and productivity.
- from http://www.marutisuzuki.com/lean-manufacturing.aspx
The deepening economic crisis is justification enough for companies like Maruti to push even harder to cut costs and increase production. Shorn of jargon, Maruti's much-lauded lean manufacturing system is the tried-and-tested traditional system of squeezing the workers through increasing workloads, cutting wages and benefits, undercutting investments in safety and increased casualisation of the workforce.
Here's what lean manufacturing looks like on the factory floor.
The paintshop at the Manesar plant is a schizophrenic combination of cutting-edge robotic technology and brute physical labour. One one side are 12 painting robots. On the other, are workers carrying 25 kilo headloads of used screens up two flights of stairs and returning with a 30 kilo load of clean screens. Each worker has to carry 70-80 screens up and down the stairs, working an extra hour without pay if the job is not done by the end of the shift. The lunch-break (30 minutes) and tea break (15 minutes) are not counted as part of the working time on the shift.
The Quality Maintenance Unit employs 95 workers hired through a labour contractor. Their job includes cleaning out the tanks that hold thinners and solvents. They are always on the C-shift – from 12.30 in the night to 8.30 the next morning. Workers on the C-shift work non-stop. There are no breaks for food or tea. The food allowance of Rs.44/- that they used to be given has now been slashed to half. By the end of the shift, they are exhausted, giddy and nauseous from the chemical fumes they inhale. Workers in the Quality Maintenance Unit put in 32 to 192 hours of overtime every month, for which they are paid only Rs.28/- per hour, well short of the legal minimum of 1.5 times the normal wage. For many of these workers, the shift can extend to 17.5 hours of non-stop work without breaks or food.
"The tea break is seven minutes long. In that time, we have to run to the canteen, line up for tea and a snack, use the toilet and get back to the assembly line – and they expect us to be back with a minute to spare.”
“The line moves so fast that there's no time even to scratch an itch...”
“The company gave us all mobiles as gifts to celebrate reaching the one crore production mark, but what's the use - we don't have the time to call anyone.”
WORKERS AT THE MANESAR PLANT, SPEAKING TO FMS
Casual workers hired through a labour contractor are paid an average monthly wage of Rs.7,200/- (for those with an ITI diploma) and Rs.6,200/- (for those who do not have an ITI diploma). Casual workers on the A and B shifts are entitled to free meals at the canteen. There is no provision for leave. Wages for the day, and an extra penalty of Rs.2,000/- are deducted for every absence from work. Any protests or arguments with the contractor are dealt with by immediate dismissal.
Regular workers are not much better off. Their package consists of a basic pay of Rs.5,300/-, an incentive/attendance allowance of Rs.8,900/-, a house rent allowance of Rs.1,600/-, a Dearness Allowance and an allowance for children's education, adding up to between Rs.17,000 and 18,000/- a month. Although their contracts include provisions for paid leave and casual leaves, each day off work results in a deduction of Rs.2,200/- from the incentive allowance. The entire amount of Rs.8,900/- is forfeited if a worker takes more than four days off in a month.
Regular workers cannot be threatened by dismissal, but are harassed and humiliated by supervisors who abuse and manhandle them, arbitrarily move them from one assembly line to another, and report them to managers or the HR Unit for concocted offences.
THE STRIKE
The workers at the Manesar factory started a new union in April 2011. The membership included both regular workers and casual workers hired through labour contractors. The management refused to recognize this union. On June 4, 2011, the workers stopped work. The A shift was just ending and the workers on the B shift had all come in. Workers on the C-shift were quickly contacted over the phone and asked to join the strike. Before the management realised what was happening, more than 2,000 men - regular workers, apprentices, trainees and contract workers from all three shifts – had occupied the factory, sending the management into a complete panic.
As the strike went into its second week, the Haryana Government declared it illegal, but was unwilling to intervene as they had done in the Honda strike. Although police were stationed in the factory premises, the management was reluctant to force the workers out of the factory, given the the risk of damage to the equipment. Equally, the workers were determined to hold their ground inside the factory – everyone was aware that being forced or persuaded to vacate the premises would be the beginning of the end, as it had been for striking workers in Rico Auto, Denso, Viva Global, Harsurya Healthcare, Senden Vikas .... crushed protests that left workers far more vulnerable than before.
By the time the strike entered its tenth day, the factory had lost Rs.600 crores and Maruti shares had plummeted in value. It was obvious that the Maruti management and the government were helpless in the face of the workers' determined refusal to surrender.
The agreement between the workers and the management that ended the strike on June 16th does not reflect this situation. No one reading this extraordinary document would guess that the workers were in a strong bargaining position while the management and the government had their backs to the wall. Instead, those who brokered this “return to normalcy” created a scenario that disempowered the workers and made it seem as if it was their inability to hold out any longer that brought them to the negotiating table.
THE AGREEMENT
The signing of the agreement and the fact that the management agreed to take back the 11 office-bearers of the new union who had been dismissed on 6 June, has been hailed as a victory for the workers by some commentators.
But the terms of the agreement suggest otherwise.
A bitter “victory”
The 11 terminated workers will be taken back, but enquiry proceedings will be initiated against them and “appropriate disciplinary action” will be taken. Regular employees will be considered to have resumed work on June 17th, but actual shifts will resume from midnight on June 18th. An extra day of work on June 19th will be required to compensate for not working on June 17th.
In accordance with the provisions of the Payment of Wages Act, 1936 and the standing orders of the company, workers participating in the strike are liable to a fine of three days wages for every day of work lost. However, it was agreed that, for the moment, only ten days' wages will be deducted (ie one day's wage for each day of the strike). The remaining amount of the fine will be waived if, and only if, the workers maintain good behaviour and discipline, and abide by the rules of the company.
In accordance with the principle of “no work, no pay”, the workers will not be paid for the days they were on strike.
The workers agreed to maintain discipline, ensure expected levels of production and not indulge in any individual or collective activities that would hamper the normal functioning of the factory. The management also agreed not to behave badly or hold a grudge against the workers.
The agreement will be taken as a final resolution of all disputes between the workers and the management.
The story of the Maruti Suzuki strike of 2011 is very similar to that of the Honda strike of 2005. The Honda workers were persuaded by the so-called negotiators to come out of the factory. Once they did, they were mercilessly beaten by the police. By brokering this agreement, the self-appointed negotiators in the Maruti case have dealt an even more lethal blow to the workers' struggle. The Maruti Suzuki management is exhibiting care and concern for workers' welfare in the immediate aftermath of the strike. If the Honda case is anything to go by, this phase will be short-lived, and will be followed by a further tightening of the screws.
The 1,700 Honda regular employees who launched the strike in 2005 were workers on the factory floor. Of the 1,800 regular workers on the Honda rolls today, a large segment works as supervisors of contract workers hired through labour contractors. For instance, the motorcycle engine assembly plant at the Honda factory in Manesar is run by 4 engineers, 12 regular workers and 110 casual workers hired through a labour contracting company. Each shift in the assembly line in the no.2 motorcycle plant has 8 staff, 3 line leaders, 4 regular workers, 4 casual workers hired directly by the company and 101 contract workers hired through a labour contractor. Workers hired through labour contractors are responsible for the bulk of the production in the Honda plant. There are 6,500 such workers on the production line, and another 1500 in ancillary departments.
THE ISSUE IS GLOBAL
Regular workers and irregular workers. Casual workers employed directly by the company and contract workers employed through a labour contractor. Registered contractors and unregistered contractors. Workers who are entitled to PF and ESI, and workers who are not entitled to these benefits....
As many as 75% of the factory workers workers in Delhi, Noida, Gurgaon and Faridabad are invisible in government statistics. The vast majority – over 80% - of these workers are paid less than the statutory minimum wage. Shifts of 12 to 18 hours are the norm, and overtime is compensated at the same rate as regular duty and not at twice the regular rate as required by law.
The situation of workers in Maruti Suzuki and Honda is mirrored in thousands of small and medium factories operating within the 300 or so square kilometres of Delhi and the NCR, that are connected to other such operations in other cities thousands of kilometres away. All of them are struggling against similar strategies of exploitation and resisting attempts to undermine solidarity and unity.
Yet, it is this globalisation of oppression that is creating the conditions for solidarity across boundaries of race and nation, across different industries, different sectors, different companies.
Thursday, August 18, 2011
THINE-MINE INTERACTIONS
THINE-MINE INTERACTIONS WITH SPEAKING HANDS
In the present system, each person is becoming increasingly insignificant. It is becoming meaningless whether or not a person exists or does not exist.
It is the effect of the present and the expression of this dark misery of human existence that many of our discussions take place in the combative arena of 'my-my, yours-yours':
I am this (praiseworthy) and you are that (derogatory), my father is like this and your daughter is like that, my heroine is this and your party is that; my caste is like this and your region is like that; my religion is this and your country is that...
In order to bolster oneself and downgrade the other, all that is taken up-attributed to-adopted by 'I-my' is shown to be virtue incarnate. And the things that are associated with or attached to the other ('you-yours') are denigrated. Fault upon fault in every 'I-my'. Virtue upon virtue in every 'you-yours'.
Open or hidden helplessness is the essence, and harshness-bitterness is the character of 'my-my, yours-yours' discourses.
Such discussions only work to further increase the already existing misery.
As a general matter, all sorts of discussions take place.
In these, thine-mine expressions also dwell, which seem important to us.
THINE-MINE MEANS OURS
Despite the dominance of the present system, it is a fact that compassion towards one another, sharing one another's happiness and sadness, helping one another is very widespread.
Our activities of love, respect, mutual help are of innumerable types and are endless. Thine-mine interactions seem to be part of an innate and natural human process.
It is true that our humane thoughts and practices which have been draped in holy and religious garb since time immemorial are visibly shrinking.
Our merging interactions, our close coordinations based on affection, regard, and mutual help, throughout the world, are moving forward to pose a challenge to the present system based on competition and denigration.
We are afraid to talk about our problems-troubles-difficulties even with our co-workers, neighbors, and friends.
In the prevailing atmosphere, telling others about one's hardships-sufferings appears to bear the danger of being made fun of, being looked down upon, and being taken advantage of which would only increase one's difficulties-sufferings.
Making fun of poverty, weakness, and mistakes is prevalent.
Given the dominance of this perverted morality, we keep withdrawing into ourselves and our difficulties-hardships-sufferings continue to increase.
In the present system, each person is becoming increasingly insignificant. It is becoming meaningless whether or not a person exists or does not exist.
It is the effect of the present and the expression of this dark misery of human existence that many of our discussions take place in the combative arena of 'my-my, yours-yours':
I am this (praiseworthy) and you are that (derogatory), my father is like this and your daughter is like that, my heroine is this and your party is that; my caste is like this and your region is like that; my religion is this and your country is that...
In order to bolster oneself and downgrade the other, all that is taken up-attributed to-adopted by 'I-my' is shown to be virtue incarnate. And the things that are associated with or attached to the other ('you-yours') are denigrated. Fault upon fault in every 'I-my'. Virtue upon virtue in every 'you-yours'.
Open or hidden helplessness is the essence, and harshness-bitterness is the character of 'my-my, yours-yours' discourses.
Such discussions only work to further increase the already existing misery.
As a general matter, all sorts of discussions take place.
In these, thine-mine expressions also dwell, which seem important to us.
THINE-MINE MEANS OURS
Despite the dominance of the present system, it is a fact that compassion towards one another, sharing one another's happiness and sadness, helping one another is very widespread.
Our activities of love, respect, mutual help are of innumerable types and are endless. Thine-mine interactions seem to be part of an innate and natural human process.
It is true that our humane thoughts and practices which have been draped in holy and religious garb since time immemorial are visibly shrinking.
But what is more important is that faced with the ruthless awesomeness of the present, thine-mine interactions are making the whole earth their area of activity for the sharing of thy-my sorrow and pain (dukh-dard).
Our merging interactions, our close coordinations based on affection, regard, and mutual help, throughout the world, are moving forward to pose a challenge to the present system based on competition and denigration.
Thursday, July 28, 2011
WHAT ALL DO WE DO...?
I've been working since 1999. At this time, I am a casual (contract or temporary) worker in Lakhani shoes factory. I stay in a shanty on rent at 250 rupees. There is no electricty. And fearing raids of officials, the neighbors don't provide us with a connection, so we have to make due with a lamp. My duty is in general shift.
I get up at 5:30 a.m. I have to go out to defecate in a very dirty place. Then I get in line for water. My friend is also a casual worker and now after the break sells vegetables on the street. Just after getting up, he runs to the vegetable market. After collecting water, I prepare food for both of us. To prepare roti and vegetables for two on the kerosene stove, it takes an hour. After preparing the food, I take a bath and then I eat. I leave for duty at 8 a.m. on the bicycle.
Attendance is marked first at the factory gate and then in the department. Work begins at 8:30 a.m. There is no break for tea but at 9:30 tea comes from the canteen and one has to buy it with one's money and drink it while continuing to wok. It is very laborious work. You have to be at it all the time. Count, pack in boxes, load the vehicle... The supervisor continuously scolds and abuses us. In Lakhani shoes, there is not even time to drink water or go to the bathroom. One has to hide and go.
There is some relief during lunchtime. We eat together and talk. We want to leave this job but where can we go? Ideas keep churning in each one's mind. On the days I don't have time to make lunch, I eat in the canteen. They only serve rice and lentil beans in the canteen and they give an half plate for 4 rupees, but it does not fill my stomach. I have to spend 8 rupees. I am not able to send money home, nor am I able to live properly.
After lunch we have to work continuously for five and half hours, and there is no tea coming around. It seems as though we have been tied up. There is no overtime work for me. On the release at 5 p.m., I come straight to my room and make tea. Afte tea, I sit here and there for some time. I collect water at 6:30 p.m. and clean the utensils. I prepare food at 7 p.m. My friend returns at 9 p.m. and then we make dinner. Sometimes, I watch t.v. We wash the dishes and sleep by 10:30 p.m.
Around 19 Year Old Worker
After my 12th grade exams,I started working in a factory. I absolutely don't feel like getting up in the morning. My mother and father get up at 5 a.m. and start making vegetables and rotis. Even after repeated calls, I do not get up at 6:15 and then my mother's bickering begins. No matter how much I dislike it, I have to get up. Then I rush and get ready for work.
My mother says nasty things to me while giving me breakfast. Hurriedly, I eat and pack my lunch and by 7:15, I leave the house. I have to walk for ten minutes to get an auto. In one auto, we ten girls go to the factory. When the auto driver is late, he speeds a lot and we feel afraid. In these three years, I have seen many accidents. An auto flipping over caused serious injuries to my sister's girlfriend. During winters, one feels very cold in the auto. And during the summer, hot winds and in the rainy season, it's also problematic to be in the auto.
Our duty starts at 8:15 a.m. and the attendance is marked in the department. Before beginning work, we have to put on ghost-like uniforms. The supervisors scold us a lot and use dirty language while demanding production. Many girls start crying. They force us to increase production and then scold the boys into increasing production because of our production. Some girls out of fear of not meeting the production demands and some due to greed of incentive are at work all the time. They don't even have lunch and instead eat while returning home in the auto. There is immense pressure on us at the factory for fast and faster work...
Talking in the factory is prohibited. Under our breath, we abuse and curse the officers a lot. Our hands suffer a lot. Every day at least 5-6 times, needles prick my fingers. Sometimes, a lot of blood comes out, but the company keeps hammering away at us to produce, produce. There is no break in the factory except for lunch. Neither in the morning, nor in the evening does tea come to around. We have to ask and make an entry even for a water break. We girls have to work half an hour over time every day but the situation is worse with the boys. The boys have to work for 12 hours every day. Even on Sundays, we have to work. They scold us for taking Sunday off. And there is a bonus though, for full attendance in the month.
Having left home at 7:15 a.m., I return at 6:30 p.m. I am very hungry by then and the first thing I do is eat. I take out my frustration on my younger brother. I have to prepare dinner- mother also works. I wash the dishes and then watch t.v. It is 11 p.m. by the time I go to sleep.
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
SAGE NARAD DECLARED A TERRORIST
People were busy skimming pages filled with news of scandals. By being careless in their crookedness, high officials and top leaders had created dangers for the system. High officials and top leaders' discussion was centered around the learned judges of the Supreme Court scolding of their brethren. Here we are reflecting on the capacity of these spicy preparations to spoil the digestion of workers. We were evaluating how much we had been misled and the meaninglessness of it all, when a gentleman in shirt and tie entered the Mazdoor Library...
We were astonished and didn't even know where to offer him a seat when cries of "God!" "God!" further surprised us. While respectfully offering a seat to the celestial traveller, we were obviously curious about his changed attire. When we saw the sage light a cigarette, we were even more surprised. While blowing smoke-rings, he smiled and said, "Son, this is not about my attire. Very, very important issues are ready to burst out from within me. I have come to talk to you, leaving an important meeting midway. I have to say a lot- don't disturb in between with tea."
"When the President of this country, then the Prime Minister of that country, then the union of governments, U.N.O., declared terrorism as the major problem of the world, Indra, the head of gods, was disturbed and sent Narad to earth to find out about the situation."
The voice of the sage continued without any hindrance, "Initially, the terror of bombs in buses-trains-planes, the firing in crowded markets, abduction, dacoity, murder, heaps of bodies in riots terrorized me. In the shadow of such hovering insecurity, what could I discover and what could I report back to the head of gods, Indra?" This sage who has been travelling from time immemorial had never been so worried. "When I presented my credentials to the President of Italy, at that time, due to the fear of terrorism, every pore of my body was sweating. Greedily glancing at my shaved head, the bald President ran his hand over his head and without any worries, sucking at his cigar, offered a cigar to me. Seeing the expression of the President of Italy, my fear lessened. I also lighted the cigar, but before taking a puff, I asked him impatiently why he was not afraid of terrorism. That small man in that massive palace in Rome smiled for some time and then started talking to me like he was explaining the matter to a child."
"The President of Italy said, 'God, you are one whom we worship but you are very naieve. To rule over people with your methods of incantation-bribery-threat-and guilt are so simple in contrast to today's needs. If not an hundred, then at least 90 will understand it in a blink and it will all become an harmful joke.After repeating the conversations of the President of Italy, Sage Narad took a deep breath and after remaining silent for some time said, "The President had made clear the issue of making terrorism the paramount problem and propagating it. But still there are many notes which I put before the heads of the Italian government's secret organizations. The head of secret services accepted not only helping and coordinating with terrorist groups in other countries, but also establishing and directing terrorist organizations against one another in the governments of different countries. The government of India's secret service, RAW, does this in Pakistan, Sri Lanka, China. Pakistan's ISI does this in India and Afghanistan. While America's CIA continues to do these bad deeds throughout the world, when the Soviet Union still existed, the KGB carried out these actions. What can we say of Israel's Mossad? Even the Italian government's secret organizations are one with the Palestinian PFLP. There are problems from terrorism organized and created by government against one another. But for some time now, this has become the routine activity of governments.
The history of the governments of Rome is very old. To keep people harnessed to work and to maintain control, scholars-intellectuals have written many volumes and translated such books... To rise on the ladder of governance, to become officer-leader and climb higher, the books of Machiavelli and devious Chanakya are as basic as the A, B, C's. Who can compete with the politicians of Italy in conspiracy and murder?!
Despite being very important, all these are old tales, but still, to fulfill the purpose for which you have come from heaven, it is necessary to inform you about them. Despite long experiences of ruling, we still had to choose officers-leaders through extremely tough competitions for the higher posts in government. Murder and deviousness was required for those of higher posts.
Then about 30 years ago, conditions started getting out of hand. People were not coming under our control. Keeping ordinary people under control through leaders-parties-organizations was failing. Instead of opposing this or that leader, or party, people in increasing numbers were becoming anti-government. In history, for the first time, ordinary people in increasing numbers were holding the government responsible for their every problem. Ordinary people started seeing the solution of their problem in doing away with governments. Why should anyone rule over anyone? Such questions, ideas, and practices putting the basis of rule and system of rule in danger were not only troubling us in Italy, but shaking governments throughout the world.
At that time, I was the Personal Assistant to the President. The duty to be with the President, like his shadow, provided me with rare experiences. Conversations with Presidents and Prime Ministers of various countries, discussions with one intellectual giant after the other, deep discussions in meetings with top officers of secret organizations...At each place, the problem of reestablishing control over ordinary people used to hover over us like a ghost. From that deep churning, emerged this all-curing terrorism which you've come to learn about....
Amongst politicians, scholars, and secret service chiefs of all countries, there was a common agreement that as far as they could see, there were problems upon problems in controlling ordinary people and they would only increase. Danger to the very existence of governments had arisen. In this situation, it had become of paramount importance that the gov't should appear before ordinary people as a savior where in the name of tackling terrible evil, ordinary people's anti-government attitude could be transformed into a pro-government one.
To terrorize ordinary people and keep them terrorized, there was a necessity for an extremely depraved, cruel, dangerous and unknown, invisible, devious, and powerful enemy from whom only government could protect ordinary people. Therefore, we created that enemy. We are rearing it. That enemy is terrorism!
Did you understand anything, God's emissary? I am proud of this fact that in Italy, we began its use before other governments. A secret organization of the government of Italy on December 12, 1969 blasted a bomb in the crowd in Piazza Fontana murdering 16 people. This act inaugurated the terrorism that has often caused ordinary people to support the government to save them from this terrible danger. Getting to know the reality of the slaughter at the post of Prime Minister, Aldo Moro and for months through radio-t.v.-newspaper-magazine brought them into order. Then to thrust the knife deeply, Aldo Moro was murdered.
There are problems, there are massive-insoluble problems, and they are increasing. But still, this all-cure of terrorism has given immense relief not only to the government of Italy, but to governments throughout the world.
Because of this, we have been able to acquire support for such laws where people can be imprisoned for years without trial. By characterizing an individual as a terrorist, anyone can be killed. The head of our 17 secret organizations will acquaint you with the details.'"
The chiefs of secret services in Italy said that these attempts to weaken other governments in competition as a bonus keeps the secret agents of all governments alert and on their toes. By putting the blame for problems on another government citizens', anger against "their" government is diverted. In India earlier, the CIA was seen as responsible for every problem. Now it is Pakistan's ISI. Secret service chiefs' matter-of-fact routine expressions in this context answer many questions without even being asked. I returned to the strange issue of government's organizing and directing terrorism against their own citizens.
The secret services chief of the government of Italy said that initially their agents used to keep time-bombs in a bus, train, or crowded place. Blast details-murders and headlines in newspapers-radio-t.v. of course spread terror. An atmosphere of alertness and strictness is created. But the blasts used to be anonymous and things would end in that. This was due to our lack of experience.
Soon secret services created such names whose pamphlets would be left at the site of a blast or responsbility would be taken by making phone calls to newspapers. Before terrorist organizations became concrete, the propaganda received and obtained through newspapers-magazines-and radio t.v. of course, performed the earlier tasks. Due to propaganda, many naieve militants were attracted towards those organizations and we enrolled them. Terrorist organizations are ladder-like secret organizations in which decisions are taken at the top and implemented by those at the bottom. Those at the top know those below, but those at the bottom do not know those at the top. In this situation, to get deeds done as per one's desire is a very enjoyable game. What all names we have had to think up for terrorist organizations- Red Terror, Red Brigade, Revolutionary Hammed, Muhajid Muhammed, Trishul Sena, Angels of Terror, Black Tiger, Red Lion..."
After speaking, Sage Narad became quiet. We were about to interrupt him for tea when he began speaking again. "In the expositions of the President and chiefs of secret organizations had been dominant. At this, I asked about those groups which emerged on their own and take great pains to solve social problems through terror. At my suggestion that these people are not the agents of secret organizations, all the chiefs laughed and started speaking to me as through I was a child. It is true that because of social problems, small, secret terrorist organizations form by themselves. But for security from government's secret organizations, they are forced to give their secret organization ladder-like form. Those at the top take decision and those at the bottom carry them out. In these also, those at the top know those at the bottom, but those are below do not know those who are above. Military discipline and indispensability of secrecy for security is embalmed with principle in such a way that those at the top are safe and independent and those at the bottom have to mortgage their conscience and are ever ready to carry out orders. To infiltrate into such organizations is a task for us secret agents. Given the means and the freedom to act that secret organization have been allowed, it is very easy us to infiltrate into any such organization. Infiltration on the basis of information from the inside, selective arrests and eliminations through 'encounters.' Our agents reached positions of those directing these organizations. By changing your attire a bit, we can provide you the experience of a chief of terrorist organization right now. Saying this, they put me in this dress. And do you know what they said? They said that we are declaring you a terrorist which will bring you in the line of the safest persons on the earth."
After saying all this, Sage Narad fell silent. The reality of terrorism organized and operated by governments as a policy began to dance in front of us. The deeds of secret organizations of governments in South American countries; bomb blasts in England; gas attack in Japan; terrorism and terror in Sri Lanka for 25 years; bomb blasts in Israel; firing in Egypt; burning Karachi in Pakistan; Hindu-Muslim riots from time-to-time in India; during 1967, murders of traffic policemen in Kolkatta; ULFA, Bodo, Naga, Kuki violence in Northeast. In Punjab, bombs in buses, selective killings of people, Black Cats, Barebody Gangs, murders of family members of policemen; in Kashmir, the abduction of Home minister Saiyyed, bomb at the Governor's venue, bomb blasts of buses in Jammu, indiscriminate firing by unkonwn people in selected villages, new terrorist organizations formed each day. In Delhi, bomb blasts in buses, trains, crowded markets...Amongst these, most of them are the deeds of secret organizations. And to give more reality to terrorism, to put it beyond doubt, and at the same time, to solve issues between ruling cliques, the murders of Kennedy, Mujeeb, Aldo Moro, Sadat, Indira, Zia ul Haq, Premdas, Rajiv Gandhi, Rubin...
Thinking about all this, to deal with the terrorism policy of governments and its implementation by bomb blasts, firing abductions, dacoity, and murders by secret services, we were about to ask Sage Narad for his views about secret versus open, when the sage suddenly got up and promising to meet soon again, left the Mazdoor Library...
(We have taken information from Gyan Franco Segunderi's book On Terrorism and the State)
Sunday, June 5, 2011
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