Of foot soldiers, and sweatshops

Two weeks ago, contract workers employed with a foreign electronics giant which has a factory in Sriperumbudur, Tamil Nadu, had gone on a week-long strike, demanding better working and living conditions. The company, which is known to be the largest assembler of iPhones, was caught in the eye of a storm after a few workers there contracted food poisoning from the meals served at the company’s facilities, following which they were hospitalised. It might be recalled that over a decade ago in 2006, the same company had come under fire for a spate of suicides resultant from low pay that had been reported in the Chinese industrial city of Shenzhen. The situation had gotten so bad that the management was compelled to install safety nets around the perimeter of the factory buildings in order to stop employees attempting to kill themselves by jumping off the factories. The recent development has taken place at a time when some of the behemoths of the internet economy have been called out in different geographies for the manner in which these firms have favoured profits over people. Two months ago, employees from as many as 20 nations who worked with an e-commerce leader had called for a strike on Black Friday to demand better working conditions. The demands put forth by the strikers include things that many white collar employees take for granted in their own workspaces — like the timely payment of wages, reasonable work schedules that incorporate avenues for relaxation and recreation as well as a systematic provision to avail of leaves and public holidays. While many stakeholders have argued that such complaints involving corporates are few and far between, the reports have certainly left consumers with a bad taste in the mouth. And in many ways, it’s also indicative of how much of a priority are employees for such companies. Even right here in T Nagar, the retail hub of Tamil Nadu, not too long ago, the plight of workers was no worse than that of staffers employed in thousands of sweatshops in third world economies. Last September, the Tamil Nadu government had tabled a bill in the legislative assembly that had mandated commercial establishments to provide seating arrangement for its employees. The Bill was aimed at amending the Tamil Nadu Shops and Establishments Act 1947, to protect the interests of staffers in jewellery and textile showrooms who were compelled to stand throughout the duration of their 8-10 hour shifts, which was cause for many adverse health conditions. The TN govt’s decision had come after Kerala had also enacted similar laws after workers in such sectors in the neighbouring state had expressed their anguish on the absence of such fundamental rights at the workplace. Such instances of mistreatment of employees might not be the last of such cases that we hear. But this latest incident involving the electronics major should serve as a cautionary tale for India Inc. At a time, when the Centre is going vocal for local, and stressing on the need for Make in India, it must not ignore the interests of the humble foot soldiers working on the frontlines of turning India into an industrial and entrepreneurial hotspot.