Uttar Pradesh: BSNL fires over 3000 Contract Workers demanding Unpaid Wages
18 January 2019: The Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) has retrenched over 3000 contract workers in the eastern Uttar Pradesh region for demanding payment of wages due to them for over a year. The workers are paid a wage between ₹1500-₹2000 per month, much lower than the statutory minimum wages for unskilled work in the state, which stands at ₹7675 per month.
Apex Court order on 13-point roster reduces SC/ST teaching posts at Universities
22 January 2019: The Supreme Court of India upholding an April 2017 order of the Allahabad High Court, directed universities and higher education institutions to calculate reservation in university faculty positions on a department-wise basis, instead of taking the whole university as a unit. This formula significantly reduces the number of posts reserved for Scheduled Castes (SCs), Scheduled Tribes (STs) and Other Backward Castes (OBCs) in teaching positions.
Over 5000 people marched from Ramleela Maidan to the Parliament under the banner of Delhi University Teachers’ Association demanding restoration of the 200-point roster, regularisation of AD-HOC and temporary teachers in the university and a resolution on the issue of reservation through a bill.
Meanwhile, the Academic Council of Delhi University passed an ordinance on 17 January 2019 approving the hiring of contractual teachers on fixed salaries.
Police unleashes violence on workers who participated in All India General Strike
8 January 2019: Over 2000 workers from the factories of Daikin, Honda, Toyota Ghosai, Shyon Ultraware, Nidec and others from the Japanese Zone of Neemrana Industrial Area, Rajasthan participated in the All India General Strike called by the National Convention of Workers on 8 and 9 January 2019. However, when the Daikin workers arrived at their factory gate to hoist their union flag, police along with management-hired goons lathi-charged the peaceful assembly of workers, shooting at them with rubber bullets and tear gas canisters that left 40 workers grievously injured. The police also filed FIR against 17 named and 700 unnamed people for inciting violence, rioting and unlawful assembly.
Furthermore, 14 workers who were not named in the FIR were arbitrarily arrested around midnight and later released on bail by the Behror Sessions Court.