Assam: Over 40,000 tea workers strike work, demand wage revision
30 September 2020: Tea plantation workers in Assam went on struck work for 1-day demanding daily wage of Rs.350. The strike follows recent protests including a human chain and bicycle rally amid growing unrest over
wages – which range from Rs.145 to 167 in different parts of Assam. The government had set up a committee in 2018 to examine the issue but there has been no progress in the last 2 years.
Workers and Farmers unions join forces to oppose anti-worker and anti-farmer laws
23 September 2020: The Joint Trade Union platform consisting of 10 central trade union organisations and a coalition of over 265 farmers’ organisations joined forces to register their protest against the newly promulgated labour codes and farm bills which lead to watering down of labour welfare legislation and open gates for the privatisation and contract system in farming.
Uttar Pradesh: Swiggy workers strike work against arbitrary wage deductions
18 September 2020: Workers of food and courier delivery company Swiggy went struck work for one day over a range of arbitrary wage cuts put in place by the company. Workers barely earn Rs.17,000 after putting in over 12 hours of work which came down to Rs.6,000 after the wage cuts were put in place on 9 August 2020 which brought down the per order earning of workers from Rs.35 down to Rs.15 and scrapped a target-based fixed monthly incentive of roughly Rs.3,000 for full-time workers and Rs.2,000 for part-time delivery workers.
Maharashtra: Security workers protest after university illegally terminates services of 170 workers
18 September 2020: Over 170 security guards staged a protest against illegal and arbitrary removal of security personnel by Vishweshwariyya National Institute of Technology, Nagpur (VNIT) administration. Security guards were employed on contract though SIS, a security provider company in the year 2014.
BPCL workers launch 48-hour strike against management’s delay in finalising long term wage settlement
7 September 2020: Over 4,500 workers affiliated to 13 trade unions across the Mumbai and Kochi plants of Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL) joined forces for a 48-hour strike starting 7 September 2020 against management’s long term wage proposal which paves the way for expedited privatisation of the publicly owned oil company. There have been 4 rounds of negotiations between the management and workers’ representatives which have been inconclusive so far.
Tamil Nadu: Domestic workers demand assistance from state government as lockdown woes continue
2 September 2020: Domestic workers held a protest under the aegis of the Penn Thozilalar Sangam demanding that the state government provide assistance for the loss of income due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent lockdown. Domestic workers are still out of work as public transport facilities have been discontinued and housing societies have barred domestic workers from entering the premises. Prolonged lockdown has forced the workers to poverty and starvation.
