Report by the correspondent of Mazdoor Ekta Committee
Mazdoor Ekta Committee organized a meeting on the subject – Struggle for a dignified living wage – on 27 October 2024. Activists of workers’ organizations and trade unions from different states of the country participated in the meeting as also many teachers, advocates, workers, women, students and youth. Activists from America, Canada, England, Australia and other countries also participated in it.
Mr. Santosh Kumar of Mazdoor Ekta Committee, Mr. Subhash Bhatnagar – President of Nirman Mazdoor Panchayat Sangam, Mr. Girish – Joint Secretary of Kamgar Ekta Committee, Mr. Krishna Bhoyar – National Secretary of All India Federation of Electricity Employees and Dr. Sanjay Kumar Thakur – Secretary of Bara Hindu Rao Hospital Employees Union were the key speakers in the meeting.
The meeting was conducted by Mr. Birju Nayak.
On behalf of Mazdoor Ekta Committee, Shri Santosh Kumar said in his speech that the workers of the country have been repeatedly demanding that the state ensure a living wage for all workers. Workers are fighting for such a salary so that they can live a dignified life with their families. Workers are fighting for social security, health care and pension, so that they can get some security in case of job loss, illness, disability or old age. The government has been ignoring this demand of workers for years.
Drawing attention to the minimum wage of Rs 20,358 per month announced by the Central Government for unskilled workers in September this year, he explained using the example of the essential expenses of a working class family of four members that it is very difficult to live on this salary in any city. There is a huge deficit in covering children’s education, health care of family members etc. due to which most of the workers are constantly in debt. He also clarified that ensuring a living wage is one of the Directive Principles of the Constitution of India, hence fulfilling this has never been binding on any government and in the last 76 years, a dignified living wage has not been ensured.
Elucidating the basis of fixing the minimum wage, Shri Santosh said that the government calculates the minimum wage on the basis of the minimum wage at which the worker can come to work the next day and produce for the capitalists.
Except for the workers employed in permanent jobs in the institutions of the Central Government or State Governments, no minimum wage applies to 90 percent of the workers in the country, Shri Santosh explained this very clearly. He gave examples of contract workers working in government institutions, factory workers in private and informal sectors, construction workers, Anganwadi workers, Asha workers, Bhojan Matas, gig workers, farm workers, MNREGA workers, teachers, doctors and nurses in private institutions, etc. Workers are victims of intense exploitation in all these sectors. Young workers are being exploited to the extreme through apprenticeship and internship schemes, without any guarantee of employment. Women workers are forced to work for lower wages than male workers.
The ruling capitalist class has deliberately ensured that every State Government has the freedom to fix the minimum wage in its State. The excuse used by every State Government in favour of maintaining the minimum wage is that if the minimum wage is increased, the State will not develop because capital will migrate to other states. Using the same logic, the Central Government says that attracting foreign capital to India is essential for the economic development of the country, so our workers should accept the conditions of overexploitation and be ready to work for the minimum wage.
Shri Santosh emphasised that the demand for a dignified living wage for workers of all sectors is a completely legitimate demand. An increase in the minimum wage also increases the average wage of the entire working class. On the other hand, a decrease in the minimum wage reduces the average wage of the entire working class.
Finally, he said that the working class must carry forward the struggle for a living wage with the objective of ending this capitalist system. We must establish the rule of workers and peasants in place of the rule of the capitalists. The major means of production and exchange must be taken from the hands of the capitalists and brought under the control of society. Only a state of workers and peasants will be able to ensure the fulfilment of the growing material and cultural needs of all members of society.
Giving examples of fixed term contracts and various types of contract labour, Shri Krishna Bhoyar explained that workers are being overexploited by the capitalists. With the rapid privatisation of government institutions and services, more and more workers are being deprived of the minimum wage. He stressed the need for workers from all sectors to unite and fight for a respectable living wage.
Dr Sanjay Kumar Thakur gave examples of increasing use of contracting system in government offices, government hospitals and educational institutions, due to which most of the workers are contracted on minimum wages on paper but, in reality, they get paid only 50 or 60 percent of it. From his experience as a doctor, he said that due to not getting a living wage, workers and their families become victims of malnutrition. All unions and workers should fight for their livelihood.
Shri Girish, Joint Secretary of Kamgar Ekta Committee, said that presently, in the 21st century, not only roti, kapda, makaan (food, clothing, shelter) but also education, health, electricity, water, transport have all become part of the basic needs of life for every worker. A dignified living wage should meet all these needs. He described the exploitation and long working hours of workers in different sectors – railway pilots, pilots, factory workers, etc. – and said that due to these, workers fall prey to various diseases and die at an early age. Refuting the argument of the spokespersons of the ruling capitalist class – that if all workers are given minimum wages, the government will not have money to spend on public welfare – he explained that the ruling capitalist class, led by domestic and foreign monopoly capitalists, is completely parasitic and this exploitation of workers is the source of their immense wealth. On the other hand, workers and farmers are the creators of the entire wealth of the country, therefore a dignified wage is our right. To achieve this right, we will have to remove the ruling capitalist class from state power and establish the rule of workers and farmers in its place.
Mr. Subhash Bhatnagar explained with many examples that the capitalist pays the worker only that much wage so that he can somehow survive and come to work the next day. In most factories, the declared wage is shown as the minimum wage but in reality, the contractors snatch a large part of it from the workers. A dignified living wage is our right and all the workers will have to struggle unitedly for this, he said.
After this, many participants of the meeting expressed their views on this important issue. Mr. Dalvinder and Mr. Salvinder from the Indian Workers Association (Great Britain) spoke about the ongoing struggle for living wages in many countries of the world and described it as an important aspect of the workers’ struggle against capitalist exploitation. Militant teacher Prof. Manbhanjan called for exposing the false promises of capitalist parties and changing the capitalist regime. Khushi Ram, a brave leader of the struggle, since 2004, against the imprisonment on false charges and torture of Maruti workers, spoke of this struggle. Mr. Hanuman Prasad Sharma, Vice President of Lok Raj Sangathan, called for strengthening the unity of workers and farmers and carrying forward the struggle for living wages. A young woman worker, while describing her working conditions, stressed the need to ensure safety for workers, especially women workers, at the workplace.
In conclusion, Shri Birju Nayak called for strengthening the unity of workers, farmers and all toiling masses. He concluded the meeting saying that the struggle for a dignified living wage must be carried forward with the objective of ending the system of capitalist exploitation and establishing worker-peasant rule in its place.