Report by a correspondent of the Mazdoor Ekta Committee
The Mazdoor Ekta Committee organized a meeting in Jasola, South Delhi, on 20 September 2026. Workers from the garment and electrical sectors, mass communication and educational institutions, domestic workers, ASHA and Anganwadi workers as well as youth participated in the event.
The moderator welcomed everyone. He highlighted the fact that under the current capitalist system, workers employed in companies, factories, offices, shops, and malls are often forced to work for wages below the statutory minimum. Furthermore, “scheme workers” engaged in various government programs run by central or state authorities receive an honorarium of merely ₹7,000–8,000. To protest this exploitation of labour, the Mazdoor Ekta Committee has been conducting a campaign across various industrial areas of Delhi under the banner “A Living Wage Ensuring a Dignified Life is Our Right!” The seminar is part of this ongoing campaign.
The main presentation by the Mazdoor Ekta Committee emphasized that it is the worker who generates the nation’s wealth through their labour power. However, workers receive just that portion of the value created by them as wages, which is necessary for them to keep alive and return to work the next day. Consequently, despite working extremely hard, they remain trapped in a quagmire of destitution and malnutrition throughout their lives.
The statutory minimum wage announced by the government in Delhi is so low that workers are unable to provide for the consumption of nutritious food such as milk, curd, eggs, green vegetables, and pulses for their families. Nor can they afford to live in decent housing equipped with basic amenities. Consequently, if they receive even less than the declared minimum wage, their purchasing power for essential life necessities is further diminished.
The presentation explained that the ruling capitalist class and their governments attempt to fracture working-class unity by assigning workers various labels—such as “officer,” “partner,” or “scheme worker”—specifically to prevent them from uniting and raising their voices for their collective rights.
Many domestic workers, ASHA workers, and private school teachers shared their experiences regarding issues such as the denial of minimum wages, the compulsion to work on temporary contracts, and the lack of leave and other social benefits.
Concluding the program, Comrade Santosh Kumar, on behalf of the Mazdoor Ekta Committee, called for carrying forward the campaign under the slogan “A Wage Enabling a Dignified Life is Our Right!”
The meeting concluded with an invitation the attendees to participate in another meeting organized by the Mazdoor Ekta Committee in the Okhla Industrial Area on 3 October 2026 at 5:30 PM with the same theme “A Wage Enabling a Dignified Life is Our Right!”