People's Democracy

 ‘Save Beedi Workers And Industry’

Delegation Meets Prime Minister

 P R Krishnan

THE enactment and vigorous implementation of the ‘Cigarettes and other Tobacco products (Prohibition of Advertisement and Regulation of Trade and Commerce, Production, Supply and Distribution) Act 2003’ from May 2004 is affecting the livelihood of the nearly 1 crore  people dependent on beedi industry. Therefore the need to separate the beedi manufacturing from that of cigarettes industry and protect the tobacco growers, beedi workers and beedi industry from the miseries of unemployment is urgent.

Out of the nearly one crore people involved in the industry, around 60 lakh are directly employed in the rolling of beedies activity. The rest are tendu leaves cultivators, mostly Adivasis in backward regions and forest areas of the country. Maharashtra is home to around 2.5 to 3 lakh of this workforce. Solapur district alone employs nearly 65,000 workers in different activities of beedi industry. This is a home-based industry and 95 per cent of the workers are women. This is a century old industrial activity. The entire process of beedi manufacturing is by human hands and no mechanical operation is involved. As such the nicotine and tar contents are much less in beedies. This is because the beedi products are 100 per cent natural.

Despite this the Act has clubbed the cigarette industry and beedi industry together. And the harsh measures in the Act have already resulted in about 20 per cent decline in the turnover of beedies and tobacco sales. A large number of the beedi workers have lost work and the number of such people in Solapur alone is nearly ten thousand. Perpetuation of large scale joblessness in this industry and consequent hardships and sufferings to lakhs of poor families will be the result if the law is not amended to give protection to the beedi workers and beedi industry.

DELEGATION MEETS PM

A delegation of employers and workers of the beedi industry from Maharashtra met the prime minister Dr Manmohan Singh at his office in New Delhi on August 26, 2004 and submitted a memorandum detailing their grievances and seeking remedy. The CPI(M) Polit Bureau member Sitaram Yechury, who facilitated this meeting with the prime minister, led the delegation. It comprised of representatives from Beedi Kamgar Hakka Saurakshan Samyukta Samiti. The samiti was an action committee jointly constituted in the Solapur joint convention of beedi workers and beedi industrialists to spearhead the agitation on the problems being faced by them after the enactment of this Act. A statewide agitation on this issue is being conducted in Maharashtra from August 4 onwards.

WRONG INTERPRETATION

No doubt, the law enacted by parliament is in compliance of the resolution passed by the 39th World Health Assembly in its Fourteenth Plenary meeting held on May 15, 1986. It is also true that the 43rd World Health Assembly in its Fourteenth Plenary session held on May 17, 1990 has reiterated the concern and urged upon member states to bring forward the necessary legislations to prevent the hazards of tobacco smoking. It is also true that in the statement of Objects and Reasons of this law, it is pointed out that tobacco is regarded as one of the public health hazards causing an estimated 8 lakh deaths annually in the country. It is also highlighted in the preamble to this law that treatment of tobacco related diseases and loss of productivity caused therein cost the nation approximately Rs 13,500 crore annually, which is more than the amount of revenue accruing from the employment generated by the tobacco industry. And it is in that context, the government claims, this law was enacted in conformity with Article 47 of the Indian Constitution.

However, the trade unions of beedi workers and the beedi employers strongly differ on this interpretation. According to their study, it is not the beedi industry but the MNC-controlled cigarettes industry which is directly responsible for such an alarming situation. The MNC tobacco companies, hand in glove with bureaucrats, neglected to enforce safeguards in their cigarettes manufacturing units in the developing countries. There is therefore no justification to blame the beedi industry and the beedi workers for such a situation.

The delegation therefore stressed the need to separate the Beedi manufacturing from that of cigarettes industry and protect the tobacco growers the Beedi workers and beedi industry from the clutches of this law to safeguard the interest and livelihood the one crore work force from the miseries of unemployment.

Apart from Sitaram Yechury, the delegation comprised of CITU leader Narsaya Adam Master who is the convenor of the Beedi Kamgar Hakka Saurakshan Samyukta Samiti. Others in the delegation were Ranjanish Desai, president of All India Beedi Employers Association, Sudhir Seth Sabale, president of Maharashtra Beedi Udyog Sangh, Nithinbhai Desai vice president of All India Beedi Employers Association, M H Shaikh, general secretary of Lalbhauta Beedi Kamgar Union, Balaji Maheshan, manager of Beedi Gharkul Society, Narayan Jadhav, vice president, Lalbhauta Beedi Kamgar Union and Advocate Bijay Marathe, legal advisor to Solapur Beedi Udyog Sangh.

The prime minister Dr Manmohan Singh has assured the delegation that the issues raised in the memorandum will receive his government’s consideration.