People's Democracy
(Weekly Organ of the Communist Party of India (Marxist)
No. 46
November 13, 2011
|
Vol. XXXV
No. 46 November 13, 2011 |
REDDY
LAB WORKERS
STRUGGLE IN AP
Over 100 Workers Injured in
Brutal Crackdown by Police
THE manufacturing
unit of pharma
giant, Dr Reddy’s Laboratory at Pydi Bheemavaram in
Srikakulam district of
Andhra Pradesh, became a war zone on November 4 as the
police brutally cracked
down on workers who have been on strike for the last 87 days
demanding better
wages and work conditions. In their eagerness to please the
management of the
company, the police resorted to a massive lathi charge and
firing of tear gas shells
resulting in injuries to over 100 workers, some of whom were
severely injured.
Three constables and a television reporter were also injured
in the melee.
The management of
this “reputed”
company has been consistently violating the labour laws.
Over 650 workers in
this unit are working on “contract” basis for the last 16
years and they are
paid a lowly wage of Rs 5500 per month while the law
stipulates payment of
equal wage for equal work. These workers have been demanding
payment on par
with regular workers i.e. Rs 12,000 per month. The
management makes them work
for extra hours without paying any extra wages. After an
initial phase of
struggle in February of this year, under the leadership of
CITU, the management
agreed to rectify the situation but took no action. Like
Suzuki management, it
resorted to punitive measures against trade union organisers
among the workers.
It abruptly transferred 12 leaders to its
In such a
situation, the contract
workers began a strike on August 12 demanding the management
to honour the
agreement reached earlier. The adamant management preferred
to stop production
at the unit rather than concede the demands of the workers.
As part of this
struggle, the CITU called for an industrial bandh on
November 4 in solidarity
with the struggling workers of Reddy Laboratory. Workers of
24 factories from
the surrounding areas participated in the bandh. Around 4000
workers of another
major pharma industry, Aurobindo, including its 1000
permanent workers
participated in the strike. Over all, around 10,000 workers
marched to the
Reddy Laboratory unit and held a sit-in demanding the
management to hold talks
with the workers and settle their demands.
The huge posse of
police at the
factory gate brutally lathicharged the peacefully protesting
workers without
any prior warning. The workers who resisted this were
showered with tear gas.
10 workers lost consciousness, in this firing of the tear
gas rounds and over
100 injured in the second round of lathicharge. MVS Sharma,
MLC; Chowdary
Tejeswara Rao, Srikakulam district secretary of CPI(M);
Tammineni Sitaram of
TDP; Prakash of the New Democracy; PAruna of CITU
participated in this protest
in solidarity with the workers. Panchadi Papa Rao of CPI(M),
Vempatapu
Lakshmana Rao and Tadivalasa Srinivasarao, both workers,
were amongst those who
were seriously injured.
A day before the
besieging of the
factory, union leaders and district administration officials
held a meting with
the management of the factory. The hostile attitude of the
management resulted
in the failure of the talks.
DISTRICT COLLECTOR
INTERVENES
The serious
situation at the Reddy
Laboratories forced the district collector to intervene and
direct the management
to hold talks with the agitating workers. The talks began on
the night of
November 4 and are still continuing at the time of writing
this. The leaders of
the opposition, who went to the factory in solidarity with
the workers,
explained the serious situation to the district collector
and the SP.
Meanwhile, CITU
state president
(
