Press Release – Brilliant victory of the hot rolling steel workers on hunger strike: the owners give written promise to implement the agreement in toto

Delhi, 7 July. The struggle of the hot rolling steel workers completed one month today and it was also the third day of their relay hunger strike. It was today itself that the workers secured their third victory. As you know, after 22-day long strike of the hot rolling steel workers, the owners were forced to compromise on June 27 and June 28 when they gave in writing to abide by all the labour laws. But they backtracked from the agreement the next day. Consequently the workers’ movement continued. The workers used to go to the factory gates daily till 4 July. When the owners did not open the factories for implementing the agreement, the workers even went on to occupy the factory gates. Meanwhile the police arrested the members of ‘Garam Rolla Mazdoor Ekta Samiti’ and ‘Bigul Mazdoor Dasta’ twice and the owners even launched an attack through the hired goons, but despite all this the workers got their comrades released and gave fitting reply to the goons as well. The workers commenced their relay hunger strike from 5 July at Raja Park in Wazirpur. The mobilisation of workers was swelling with each passing day and the owners were incapable to run the factories. Today the owners had to respond to the ‘show cause notice’ issued by the labour department. A delegation of ‘Garam Rolla Mazdoor Ekta Samiti’ led by Shivani, Sunny and Raghuraj had also reached the labour department. During the talks, the advocates from the owners side gave in writing that from now on the workers will not be forced to work for 12 hours a day and all the owners will respect the agreement. After this the delegation of the ‘Garam Rolla Mazdoor Ekta Samiti’ returned and broke the hunger strike of the comrades sitting on hunger strike and announced the victory.

Shivani, the legal consultant of the ‘Garam Rolla Mazdoor Ekta Samiti’ and a member of ‘Bigul Mazdoor Dasta’ told that factory committees of workers have been formed in all the factories and their heads are appointed today for ensuring the implementation of the agreement. These factory committees in the leadership of their head will decide that the workers will go to work at 9 am and return at 6 pm. These 9 hours include 30 minutes lunch break and two tea break of 15 minutes each and the workers will get 30 minute relief after every 30 minute. Shivani told that the workers do not have faith on the owners’ written assurance and hence tomorrow (8 July) the labour inspector and factory inspector will be present in the Wazirpur industrial area in the morning. These inspector will also be present in the evening at 6 pm. In case the workers are forced to stay in the factory beyond the working hours, the factory committees of workers will immediately make a call to police at phone no 100 and also to labour inspector, factory inspector, and Shivani, Sunny or Raghuraj, the members of the leading committee. The workers have been given the phone numbers of Deputy Labour Commissioner and Joint Labour Commissioner. If any of the factory owners refuses to implement the agreement, immediate action will be taken against him.

Sunny, a member of the Committee told that the agreement will be fully implemented in the coming days. The workers are not prepared to step back in any circumstance. The workers of the cold rolling steel plants also participated in this fight with full enthusiasm along with their brethren of hot rolling steel plants. It is during this strike itself that the workers of cold rolling plants also decided to form their committee and the members of the ‘Garam Rolla Mazdoor Ekta Samiti’ are helping them in this regard. The workers of the cold rolling steel plant who visited today’s meeting decided that they will ensure that the agreement of the hot rolling steel plants gets implemented in their factories as well.

The Wazirpur workers’ movement secured several achievements in this one month. Firstly this movement threw away the renegades and agents of ‘Inqlabi Mazdoor Kendra’ from the movement. The workers threw these renegades away from Wazirpur first on 20 June and then on 29 June. Despite this these renegades continued to spread misinformation about this movement in such a silly manner that one can only laugh at them. These renegades first claimed that the workers are exhausted and and are waiting for a shameful agreement; then they termed the 27 June and 28 June agreement as “shameful agreement”; when a copy of this agreement was posted on the blog of Garam Rolla Mazdoor Ekta Samiti, they changed their tone and started calling this agreement as “illusory”. Despite all this, the workers continued their struggle and by gaining one victory after another they have given a tight slap to these renegades.

The starting of the community kitchen was the second biggest achievement for this movement. Besides the workers also performed a brilliant experiment of occupying the factory gates. The movement valiantly countered the police repression and attack by goons and in one such incident hundreds of worker lied down in front of the police van to stop it from going ahead to arrest the leaders. We will provide a detailed evaluation of this movement further on this blog.

Today’s victory is not the end of this movement. Firstly it will be ensured that today’s agreement gets implemented in toto and subsequently fight for implementing other labour laws such as safety provisions etc. will be carried on. Also, a union of hot rolling and cold rolling steel workers will be formed whose proposed name is ‘Wazirpur Karkhana Mazdoor Union’. The process of registration of this union will be initiated in the month of July itself.

Long live struggle!

Long live workers’ unity!

Long live revolution!