People's Democracy

'Resolve Our Demands'

FMRAI Stages Demonstration In Delhi

ABOUT 3000 medical and sales representatives from all the states of the country staged a march in New Delhi and held a demonstration on September 17 seeking resolution of their trade union demands. They represented to the union minister of labour in this regard.

In absence of any statutory working rules for the sales promotion employees, the employers are making their own unjust rules thereby imposing increasing work load and humiliating working conditions on the medial and sales representatives. The national tripartite committee meeting called by the labour ministry during 1980-84 recommended specific coverage of the sales promotion employees under standing order act and the second labour commissioner also recommended for coverage of the sales promotion employees under all labour laws. On central government’s suggestion, FMRAI submitted a note for amendment of sales promotion employees (condition of service) Act and to incorporate statutory working rules under the Act, which included 7 hours work a day, grievance statement procedures, disciplinary procedures, job responsibility, job specification etc. The central government has not yet agreed to amend the act as was demanded.

The other demand was enforcement of section (2)(i) of Industrial Disputes Act, 1982 defining ‘sales promotion’ as an industry. In absence of such enforcement the employers are trying to make sales promotion as exclusive responsibility of sales promotion employees and for that thousands of them are getting victimised.

FMRAI has altogether presented five demands to the labour minister, including the above mentioned two demands. The medical and sales representatives from the organised sector companies participated in the rally and the dharna. The programme was addressed by M K Pandhe, president, CITU, R Vishawanthan, president FMRAI, D P Dubey, general secretary FMRAI, Kanai Banerjee, CITU, Mohan Lal, general secretary, CITU-Delhi, M L Malkotia, BEFI and Anil Bhatnagar, Insurance union.

In the absence of labour minister, a delegation consisting of R Vishwanathan, president, L N Chakarborty, Amitabh Guha, joint general secretaries, Sudhir Kumar, vice-president, H Syal, secretary met the labour secretary who positively responded and assured to give a feed back at the earliest.