West Bengal: Hosiery Worker Unions to Jointly Launch Stir for Minimum Wages, Other Benefits

Kolkata: Arun Chatterjee, 53, an experienced worker in the hosiery sector is in dire straits. He used to work in a hosiery unit that supplied knitted vests to the Amul Group. One morning, when he reached his workplace, he was told that his company had stopped operation from its present premises. When a shocked Chatterjee asked his owner about this, he was told that his job was no longer there. When he asked for compensation, he was told that all these were matters of the past. His job with the company ceased to exist.

“Even after 40 years of experience in the sector, we did not have the right to minimum wages at Rs 9,795 a month or Rs 377 per day. Even those who are being paid, the minimum wages are so low that they are unable to meet household needs,” Chatterjee told NewsClick .

Over one lakh workers in the hosiery goods manufacturing sector in West Bengal are in a very difficult situation, and are now planning to join hands to launch an agitation.

About 65 % of total workers are involved in the stitching units where even these low minimum wages are not guaranteed. It is only in units where the workers are organised under the banner of the West Bengal Hosiery Shramik Union (WBHSU) that minimum wages are being paid.

To bypass minimum wages and payment of retirement benefits, such as provident fund and gratuity, each hosiery unit employs only 10 or 12 workers, less than the required number of 20 workers needed to make the provision of labour laws mandatory.

In these units, there is no system of maintaining an attendance log (haziri khata ) in the premises, said Chatterjee, adding that after almost four decades of work he was facing job loss without any benefits or compensation as he is among several practically mu bolla (word of mouth ) workers, with no record of employment.

At present, workers in West Bengal’s hosiery sector are not even being paid minimum wages as work is being done on piece rate on contract basis. The owners of such units have opened big manufacturing complexes in many parts of the state where workers do not have any trade union rights, he said, adding that these include a huge number of female workers who are devoid of any benefits, not even holidays.

Chatterjee said the working conditions were not that bad before 2011 when the state labour department used to play a proactive role in taking care of workers’ interests. Labour laws are now being openly violated in the hosiery industry and there is not even one instance of penalising violators after 2011, i.e. after Trinamool Congress came to power in the state.

The system of work in the industry entails the main producer of the hosiery goods giving out contracts to small owners to do the work on piece rates. Each small unit employs people on contract to get the job done. The main owner pays the small unit owners who, in turn, pay the workers.

According to some hosiery workers and WBHSU, there are eight well-known brands that carry on the production process by employing contractual workers, and in spite of the directive of the Central and state governments, they did not pay wages during the lockdown period.

To get excise benefits, big hosiery companies, such as Lux, Rupa, Dollar, Raju, and Bangalaxmi, carry on their production by employing umpteen small-scale units in the city. The idea is to maximise profits by exploiting workers, said Chatterjee.

In fact, whenever raw material prices are increased, these companies increase the prices of their products but do not give any raise to workers, he alleged. Before 2011, during the rule of the Left Front government, the minimum wage rate was fixed after consulting all stakeholders, said Chatterjee, but after that there has not been any significant rise in wage rates, even as rising inflation is hitting everyone.

Balai Ghosh, 54, a bleaching and dyeing section worker, was more candid. “After doing the hazardous work in the bleaching and dyeing section, we are not paid any medical allowance and many of us suffer from asthma after continuous inhaling of chlorine,” he said.

Ghosh alleged that owners ofmany bleaching and dyeing units cut the PFamount from workers’ wages but do not deposit it with the PF authority. Many workers have complained of being cheated, he alleged. He said he was fortunate as he was single and could somehow manage with a meagre income.

Mrinal Roychoudhury, general secretary of WBHSU, told NewsClick that they had set up a Joint Action Committee of Hosiery Workers (six unions had joined hands) and will begin a joint agitation on a set of demands from July. Under the action plan, rallies will be held in several places in the city and suburbs. Later, they plan to widen and intensify their struggle.

During the COVID period, the profit of the main producers had risen manifold , Roychowdhury said, adding that in 2019-2020 , Lux's profit stood at Rs 177.20 crore , Rupa at Rs 80 crore, Dollar at Rs 59 45 crore. In 2020 -2021, profits increased further with Lux at Rs 269.30 crore , Rupa Rs 180.90 crore and Dollar Rs 87.24crore .

In contrast, the workers are living below the poverty line, he said. Also, now production norms are being increased without any additional pay, which is leading to more exploitation of workers who are being paid less than the minimum wage.

The union said it had taken up these demands with the state labour department and recently submitted a memorandum to the Labour Minister Becharam Manna. However, the labour department is not playing any proactive role, he alleged.