A Whiff of Fresh Air

The Supreme Court’s criticism that the courts are apathetic to the plight of workers being sacked under the cover of globalisation is commendable.  The observation by Justice G.S. Singhvi, “…if a man is deprived of his livelihood, he is deprived of all his fundamental and constitutional rights…” comes as a whiff of fresh air.  Ever since, policies of economic liberalisation are launched, outsourcing and ‘hire and fire’ have become the order of the day – and the employees and workers had to live with a constant fear of job insecurity.  The courts too, more often than not, have delivered judgements as though suggesting that the workers should adapt to the post-globalisation situation. Unfortunately, the Supreme Court too is not an exception to this trend.  When the Tamil Nadu government dismissed over two lakh employees at one stroke in the year 2002, the Supreme Court had observed that there was no fundamental, equitable or moral right available to the employees to go on strike.