DANCE TO THE SIREN

(New Series No. 286, April 2012)

In Faridabad Sector 24, Plant 265, in the factory of Lakhani Vardaan Group, at the beginning of the shift at 8 a.m., the siren sounds. For the worker's lunch, the siren rings at 12, 12:30, 1:30, 2 'o clock. One day the siren sounded at 2:30 p.m. What happened? What happened? The supervisor and manager told everyone to go to the HR Department. The supervisor, manager, and the workers gathered together. Discussion amongst 1,500 to 2,000 boys and girls. Uproar, noise. Speech of the General Manager. Trouble with the microphone. Because of the noise, it was difficult to listen carefully. A speech about saving oneself from the fire.

After showing the cylinder, the fire officer asked, "Do you know what type of gas is in this?" No worker responded. The officer said, "There is Co2 gas in this. Whether the fire breaks out because because of electricity, or whether it breaks out because of petrol or thinner, this can put out the fire. Whether the fire is in clothes or in rubber, this can put it out. How do you work this cylinder?...If the siren ever sounds in the factory, then immediately stop your work, run towards the open area and gather together." The meeting lasted an hour.

The next day around 10 o'clock the siren sounded abruptly. It seemed like a fire has broken out. Stopping all work, the workers fled outside. Male and female workers gathered by the HR Department. They looked around. There was no smoke in sight...And the workers started to yell loudly, "Give us our wages! Give us our wages!"

Upon the sounding of the siren, the Supervisor, Manager, and the General Manager also came outside. GM called Security. Security arrived. The HR folks said to the workers, "A fire has not broken out anywhere. Return to your work."

The officer who gave out wages, and who is usually arrogant, spoke with fear, "Go-go, leave-leave. There is no fire here."

The voices of male and female workers, "Give us our wages! Give us our wages!"

The General Manager went to the HR Department and said, "The money will come. You will get it by evening. Go do your work. The siren is broken. There is no fire anywhere."

Wages were not given by that evening. The next day workers stopped working from 12 p.m and did not work until 4:30 p.m. that day. Wages were still not given. The next day workers stopped working from 10 a.m. and did not work until 4:30 that day. Wages were not still given. On the fourth day, the management distributed wages early in the morning.

In Lakhani Vardaan Group factory workers work for 37 to 40 days and still do not receive their wages for the previous 30 days. The siren incident occurred around December 2011.

In Plant 265, Sector 24, February wages were supposed to be given on 18 March, but workers had not received anything by the 22nd. On the 22nd and the 23rd, they slowed down production and on the 24th they stopped working altogether. They stopped work on the 26th and 27th. On 28th morning, Management distributed wages. In this factory, Puma, Kejuan, Pais shoes-sandals are made.

When management did not give wages on Holi and instead gave advances, then 300 workers in the mixing department of Lakhani Rubber Group (Plant 131, Sector 24) stopped working. On March 7, February wages were given. Wages in other departments in the factory were still being withheld.