Indian Women Take On a Multinational and Win
Women's Power— 20 October 2015
This
is the story of an extraordinary uprising, a movement of 6,000 barely
educated women labourers who took on one of the most powerful companies
in the world.
Justin Rowlatt writes on BBC, October 19, 2015.
The women have taken on not only the company that employs them but also the trade unions supposed to represent them. (Image copyright Getty Images)
In
a country plagued by sexism they challenged the male-dominated world of
trade unions and politics, refusing to allow men to take over their
campaign.
And what’s more, they won.
You
may well have enjoyed the fruits of their labour. The women are tea
pickers from the beautiful south Indian state of Kerala. They work for a
huge plantation company, Kanan Devan Hills Plantations, which is
part-owned and largely controlled by the Indian multinational, Tata, the
owner of Tetley Tea.
The spark that ignited the protest was a decision to cut the bonus paid to tea pickers, but its roots go much deeper than that.
Going solo
Tea
workers in India are not well treated. When I investigated the industry
in Assam last month I found living and working conditions so bad, and
wages so low, that tea workers and their families were left malnourished
and vulnerable to fatal illnesses.
It seems conditions in Kerala are not much different.
Part
of the women’s complaint is that they live in one-bed huts without
toilets and other basic amenities and, while they earn significantly
more than the tea workers in Assam, they say the 230 rupees (£2.3;
$3.50) they are paid for a day’s work is half what a daily wage labourer
in Kerala would get.
“We pick the tea and carry the bags on our shoulders, you carry off the money bags.”
(Image copyright AFP)
But
when, in early September, the women in Kerala demanded the bonus be
reinstated – along with a hike in daily wages and better living
conditions – it was not just a challenge to the company that employs
them, but also to the trade unions that are supposed to represent
them.The women workers say the male trade union leaders are in cahoots
with the company management, denying women their entitlements while
ensuring they get the plum jobs themselves.
When
tea prices collapsed a few years back, and some estate owners abandoned
their plantations, the women argued that trade union leaders always
managed to keep their jobs. They also say that the trade unions haven’t
done enough to stop their men from drinking away their earnings without
regard for their children’s education or the medical needs of their
families. And they showed that they could launch an effective protest
without the help of the trade unions.
‘Women’s Unity’
When
6,000 women occupied the main road to the headquarters of the
plantation company it was organised by the women themselves, most of
whom have no history of union agitation. They called themselves
“Pempilai Orumai”, or women’s unity. In effect the women laid siege to
the Munnar, one of Kerala’s most popular tourist destinations. Trade and
tourism were brought to a near standstill.
Many
slogans were directed squarely at the union leaders. “We pick the tea
and carry the bags on our shoulders, you carry off the money bags,” read
one. “We live in tin sheds, you enjoy bungalows,” said another.
A group of semi-literate women had taken on the most powerful interests in the state and won. (Image copyright AFP)
When
male trade union leaders tried to join the protest they were chased
away. The women attacked one former trade union leader with their
sandals. He had to be rescued by the police.
In
another incident they tore down the flag poles outside the trade union
offices. They also saw off local politicians who wanted to be seen
offering their support. The women insisted they would continue the
protest until their demands were met.
At
first the plantation company was defiant but, after nine days of
protest and marathon negotiations overseen by the chief minister of the
state, it gave in.
It was a stunning victory: a group of semi-literate women had taken on the most powerful interests in the state and won.
The
women had represented the workforce at the talks and forced management
to accept their demand to bring back the 20% bonus. Meanwhile the male
trade union leaders had to swallow their pride and sign the deal the
women had negotiated.
Nothing to Lose
The
issue of the pay rise was to be negotiated separately and, when the
women’s demand for an increase in wages wasn’t met, the unions launched
an indefinite campaign to raise rates from 232 rupees to 500 rupees a
day. In part this was an attempt to seize the initiative back, following
the success of the women’s campaign.
“We won’t allow anyone to exploit us. Enough is enough.” (Image copyright AFP)
The women have refused to be part of the union effort and launched their own independent demand for higher wages.
Earlier
this month some male union activists are alleged to have attacked the
women’s demonstration by throwing rocks. Six people suffered minor
injuries. But the women are determined to continue. “We have nothing to
lose”, Lissy Sunny, one of the leaders of Pempilai Orumai, told the
Indian news website Catch.
“Hunger and suffering are part of our lives. We don’t care even if we starve to death.
“But we won’t allow anyone to exploit us. Enough is enough.”
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