Public RelationsBengal industry feels the heat as trade unionism grows, again
Among many fallouts of the general elections in West Bengal in 2009, the resurgence of trade unionism, in particular, has significantly affected industry in the state during the last year.
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The wage-related lock down at Haldia Petrochemicals Ltd (HPL) is a case in point. In November 2009, work on the Rs 1,230-crore expansion project at West Bengal"s showcase industrial unit came to a grinding halt after a Centre of Indian Trade Union (CITU)-backed union called an indefinite strike over wage revision of contractual workers.
But it is not the Left unions that have been calling all the shots lately. Bolstered by a substantial margin at the hustings, the Oppositions" Indian National Trinamool Trade Union Congress (INTTUC) has made its presence felt in the last year; it has, reportedly, backed the formation of 500 new unions in the state. “We have been able to break the illusion that workers had of the Left unions, which is based on populist slogans. There is an element of helplessness amongst the workers, as well as a desire for change. We have been able to capitalise on this. We aren"t sure about how successful we have been, but we are listening and will fight for their demands,” INTTUC leader Sovon Deb Chattopadhyay said.
Chattopadhyay was reluctant to admit that the swift rise of his union had led to an inherent conflict across industrialised Bengal which, so far, primarily had to only contend with CITU. But there had been a few confrontations.
For instance, at Haldia Petrochemicals. CITU, on its part, maintained that its position in the organised sector had not been eroded in the last year. “It has been a positive year in terms of our movements and campaigns.
Organisationally, our membership has increased but there is the phenomenon of intimidation that is taking place across the state. INTTUC wants to ensure that workers affiliated to their party get jobs, at the same time taking jobs away from CITU members,” CITU state secretary Kali Ghosh said.
Calling on the industry to adopt a neutral position on party-affiliated unions, Ghosh said that employers must play an “independent role” and that the INTTUC was a mere “paper organisation”. Both labour unions, however, were seemingly eager to assure enterprises that discord between the two rival camps would not hamper industrial growth in the state.
“Trade unions must have a constructive attitude, in order to keep factories open and find a solution. We want to give a full assurance that we don"t want to destroy industry for the sake of unionism,” said Chattopadhyay.
Ghosh, too, said that CITU did not “want to get into provocation”. It is another matter that events in the last year have contradicted much of the rhetoric.