Protest by Center of Indian Trade Unions at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi. , Photo credit: The Hindu
RRecently, I was invited by a central trade union organization to a press conference of its national leadership. The union was launching an agitation against the privatization of Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs). Since the Sangh has taken a pro-government stand on some issues, I thought the convention would help me file some politically important news reports. One of the national secretaries of the union was to address the conference.
I reached five minutes before time. Nothing happened for a while. Union workers came up to me in turn to apologize for the delay. Even after half an hour I was the only reporter there. The organizers made frantic calls and finally managed to get a YouTuber to participate. The national secretary announced the protest programmes: dharnas were to be held at all district headquarters after a march to Parliament. I asked him a few questions about the protest, but I did not ask him what the Sangh would do with the 50 packets of Bangla Sweets snacks and two large flasks of tea and coffee that it had arranged for journalists and photographers. Later, I covered the march to Parliament, which was attended by around 25,000 employees, mostly from public sector undertakings, including defense establishments.
This was not new. I have been covering trade unions for a long time. Regardless of the political affiliation of the unions, the presence of journalists at union events has always been low. Veteran trade union leader MK Pandey once told a group of journalists in an informal briefing that he was dependent on western media publications like BBC. Guardian To find out how many workers in India participated in the strike called by the platform of trade unions against the policies of the UPA government.
The 12 central trade union organizations of the country have a membership of more than six crore workers. The membership of these associations and affiliated associations is verified by the State Governments from time to time. The verification process of the central government has not happened for some time. Unlike political parties, which allow membership even through missed calls, the membership of each of these unions is audited. Trade unions file their returns with the Registrar of Trade Unions. It is mandatory to file the receipt of membership along with the return. Lakhs of people are associated with these unions, but the coverage they and their issues get is negligible.
Across political divide, trade unions have been raising issues of livelihood of workers, farmers and unemployed youth. Their demands are echoed in the Parliament and their stand is valued and appreciated in the meetings of the International Labor Organization (ILO). At a recent ILO meeting in Singapore, I saw how world governments, employers and trade unions listened eagerly to representatives of Indian workers. But the activities and demands of trade unions are not covered extensively by the media in India.
Senior trade union leader Amarjeet Kaur, who has spent nearly five decades in the trade union movement, says that many media houses have forgotten the basic principle of objectivity when it comes to workers’ issues. “This tendency to ignore trade unions and workers gained momentum after the introduction of neoliberalism. Trade unions have always been portrayed as anti-development. Most of the media houses are biased towards employers and policy makers. The workers are suffering, but the media finds it easy to ignore it,” she says. “Thanks to coverage by the BBC, AFP and others, we know about the strike by nurses in Britain and workers in France. But how many of us know about the coal miners’ protest in Jharkhand?”
Generally the same happens with farmer organizations. The protests against the three farm laws got wide media coverage only because they were relentless and kept gaining momentum, forcing people to take notice. Perhaps some sections of the media are waiting for such widespread resistance from the trade unions as well.
jigeesh.am@thehindu.co.in