People's Democracy

(Weekly Organ of the Communist Party of India (Marxist)

Vol. XXX

No. 03

January 15, 2006

Workers Struggle In Divya Pharmacy Set To Intensify

THE CITU has demanded immediate reinstatement of the 113 workers thrown out by the management of Divya Pharmacy and lifting of false cases foisted on 46 employees. The pharmacy is run by Divya Yog Mandir Trust of Swami Ramdev.

Addressing a press conference on this issue at CITU headquarters, BTR Bhavan, on January 7, the CITU secretaries, Dipankar Mukherjee, Kanai Banarjee and Ardhendu Dakshi, alongwith CPI(M) Polit Bureau member and MP, Brinda Karat made it clear that if this is not done so the struggle against the management will be intensified in the coming days. They strongly condemned the diversionary tactics of the management in order to take the focus away from the main issue of violation of labour laws.

Dipankar Mukherjee highlighted how despite a tripartite agreement reached between the workers, the management and the state government on the issue of removal of 114 workers, nothing has been happening because of the tremendous political clout of Swami Ramdev with the government. He cited the chief minister N D Tiwari's washing off his hands on this issue as an instance. He strongly demanded prosecution of the management for not implementing the tripartite agreement.

Brinda Karat asserted that the struggle of the workers, which has been going on for the last nine months will continue and be intensified further till the workers are reinstated. "We don't want the main issue to be diverted or sabotaged the way it is being sought to by the management. It is not a fight against any particular individual but a fight for labour rights and transparency", she said.

On the use of human bones and animal matter in the medicines sold by the pharmacy, Karat reiterated that the union health ministry has confirmed the presence of the material in the samples she submitted. The workers who actually handled this material in the making of these medicines gave these samples to her when she went to address them during their struggle. She said the questions of transparency were involved in this and it is imperative that truth comes out.

Later, three workers of the pharmacy, Sushma Mishra, Chandra Pal and Ratan Pal Singh, who have been removed by the management, gave testimonies of the kind of conditions they were working in and how they themselves handled this material of human bones and animal matter.

Following is the text of the statement released at the press conference:

THE CITU deplores the dilatory and diversionary tactics of Divya Yok Mandir Trust to deflect the attention of the people from gross violation of laws of the land by the Trust management.

The Divya Pharmacy, run by the Divya Yog Mandir Trust, has employed more than 400 workers, many of them women to produce Ayurvedic herbal medicines (as claimed by the management), in contravention of the laws of the land the management denied the workers formal appointment letter, minimum wage, coverage under PF and ESI scheme. The workers lodged a dispute under ID Act to the Deputy Labour Commissioner, government of Uttaranchal. As a result the DLC, Haridwar, called the parties in a tripartite meeting on 21st May, 2005 to settle the industrial disputes. In that meeting the management committed themselves to pay minimum wages to the workmen as per the government notification and the workers agreed to restore normalcy from 22nd May 2005. The trust management agreed not to take any disciplinary action against the workers.

In spite of the agreement the management refused to allow the workers back to work and instead, they implicated 46 employees in different fictitious police cases. Till now 113 workers have been denied their job. In the wake of this development the union made representations to the President of India, Government of Uttaranchal, and chairman, Human Rights Commission generals secretary CITU, also wrote letter to the chief minister and labour minister of Uttaranchal. On 30.7.05, Shri Hira Singh Bist, labour minister Uttaranchal, directed the district magistrate of Haridwar to get the agreement implement and condemned the backtracking by the Divya Yog Mandir Trust.

The CITU denounces the vindictive attitude of the management of the Divya Pharmacy and demands that the agreement singed on 21st May 2005 must be fully implemented as ordered by state labour minister.

There were also several complaints from the workers about handling of animal matters, which was hurting the sensitivity of some workers. The local media also highlighted the issue. Sealed samples of medicines purchased from Divya Pharmacy by workers were sent to the ministry of health for examination of animal matters. The ministry has confirmed that there has been prime facie violation of licensing and labeling provision of the Indian Drugs & Cosmetic Act. 1940.

The CITU demands that the trust management instead of making personal attacks and political statements should follow the laws of the land. Both the Uttaranchal and central government must intervene so that there is no violation of the labour laws as well as the drugs and cosmetics Act 1940.

(INN)