Kejriwal takes up the issue of contract workers rights

Sheila Dikshit's aide sends legal notice to activist for 'defaming' the Delhi chief minister

Moving away from the issue of corruption, anti-graft activist Arvind Kejriwal on Monday took up the issue of contract workers’ labour rights. He said power companies in Delhi flouted labour laws and that there was rampant violation of the Minimum Wages Act and Factories Act.

Kejriwal alleged these companies turn a blind eye at the exploitation by contractors, who deny workers their minimum wages, leave and accident compensation. He also accused Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit of protecting the interests of these companies by not enforcing the labour laws. He alleged the chief minister was hand in glove with the power companies. The context was a dharna organised by some of the 30,000-odd contract workers of the power companies in Delhi — BSES Yamuna Power, BSES Rajdhani Power, Tata Power Distribution Co, Delhi Transco, Indr-aprastha Power Generation Co and Pragati Power Corporation Limited — under their union DESU Mazdoor Sangh.

The union is affiliated to the Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh, close to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). This factor did not seem to bother Kejriwal, as he held the Delhi government as well as the BJP equally responsible for the poor conditions of the contract workers here. Kejriwal asked the 300-odd workers sitting on dharna about their wages. Not a single worker earned more than Rs 8,000 a month. Many said they earned Rs 2,700 or Rs 3,500. Currently, the minimum wages in Delhi are Rs 9,000. It was Rs 8,500 till last month.

“So, who is violating the law, and who is shielding the law breakers?” asked Kejriwal, adding the Delhi chief minister had sent him a defamation notice. “I would tell her that I would continue to defame her and her party till they mend their ways,” he said.

Meanwhile, Delhi chief minister’s political advisor Pawan Khera, has slapped a legal notice for “defaming” Dikshit by making “baseless” allegations and using “foul and filthy” language against her.

“What will the chief minister do about this? Since she does not bother about workers at the mercy of unlicenced contractors, she might as well go to the companies for votes,” he said, as workers loudly cheered him.

Kejriwal called upon all contract workers of the country to unite to fight against the system, which allows contractors and companies to collude and deny their rights.

He pointed out that labour departments, state governments and companies don’t act even when they know fully well that labour laws are flouted.

When Kejriwal started speaking individually to each worker present in the dharna to ask them about their wages and if they get any benefits, one worker came up to him and began speaking in gestures. The worker was Kanwar Singh, who was sacked after he had lost his speech in an accident at the power plant.

Singh was sacked mainly because the contractor did not want to pay him any compensation, said co worker Lakshmichand.

Other workers from BSES-owned by Reliance Power also came forward narrating their tales of denial of compensation, despite suffering from accidents.

Balbir Singh, who heads the DESU Mazdoor Sangh, claimed that BMS is a non-political trade union and the BJP does not take interest in the issues of the union. “I went to BJP leaders V K Malhotra and Jagdish Mukhi, but instead of helping us, they talked in favour of the private companies,” said Singh. “We don’t care if BJP does not like our protests,” said Singh, who is now moving the High Court.

The union has been demanding repatriation of 187 contract workers, who were fired by BSES Rajdhani Pvt Ltd and BSES Yamuna Power Ltd, both owned by Reliance Power. The union has also demanded that bonuses be paid to workers, who neither got the minimum wages, nor their dues in provident fund or health facilities such as the Employees State Insurance (ESI) scheme, for which money was taken from them every month.

Other than DESU Mazdoor Sangh, some other unions are also representing workers of power companies.