SOROOR AHMED delves deep into how the corporate sector exploits the workforce, even the educated ones, and reveals how recession has come as a big boon for the money-minters.
The neo-capitalism has rendered a large section of skilled and talented Indians insensitive as well as senseless. It is not only that they are unable to see what is happening to the society around them, but they have been enslaved so strongly that they are unable to feel their own mental and physical torture – rather they have been forced to enjoy such sufferings.
While the 19th century unskilled workers of the post-Industrial Revolution Europe, though largely unlettered, were reasonable and wise enough to protest and rebel against the repressive employers, the so-called educated people of the 21st century India have lost all the senses to even feel that they are being exploited. Or if some of them are aware of their predicament, they are unable to speak out against it as they fear that they would be left lone and forlorn.
If the 19th century Europe threw up several leaders, ideologues and philosophers, who fought for the rights of the workers, in today’s India there appears to be no one around to champion the cause of the working class. If there is sheer exploitation in the unorganised sector, things are no different in the organised sector. Gone are the days when only landless farm labourers and domestic-helps were kept as bonded labourers. Today even the techies and managers working in the big firms, national or multi-national, are treated as bonded labours. If you dare to leave the job without the consent of the boss, be prepared to lose salary and other amount. And the moment you are not liked – howsoever talented you are – you would be thrown out like anything.
Against the general perception, those working at the middle and lower-level are grossly underpaid. In India gone are the days of 40 hours work in a week – in France it is less than that. In Indian private sector 55 to 60 hours work is almost compulsory, be it the fourth grade employee working at mere Rs 2,000 a month or the senior executive drawing hundred times more. While in the West there is generally five-day week, in India it is six or six-and-a-half day week. If in other countries workers are paid overtime allowance, in the post-liberalisation India there is nothing like extra money for extra work. The Indian industrial houses welcomed privatisation for these very reasons.
Now the hapless employees cannot even take the shelter of court, organise protest or go on strike. The court ruling is most likely to go against them. Who in India is not aware that the minimum daily wage in different states is something between Rs 90 and 100. But just make a survey of the private security guards dutifully manning the gates of industries, media houses, private companies, call centres, bungalows, offices, apartments, etc., and one can find out their plight. They are not paid even Rs 2,500 a month, that is, less than Rs 80 a day. You may not believe, but the truth is that some of them are educated youth. The fact is that they just do not need to move court for the proper salary, the judiciary should take suo moto action against those violating minimum wage. But such thing is not happening in India after 1991.
The media-barons, the self-appointed champions of free expression, equality and justice, are the worst violators. Against the rule of six hours of duty in the day and five-and-a-half hours of duty in the night, journalists are now supposed to work for at least 12 hours non-stop six days a week. In some regional television channels and editions of newspapers sub-editors and reporters, most of the time former, are not supposed to take weekly offs for weeks together because of the shortage of hands. They would always employ less than the required strength to save money.
The high-salary story is just a myth in such establishments. This is drawn by a few in the top echelons of the reputed establishment. To get their works done efficiently the owners employ a handful of high-paid editors and executives, who in all practical purposes are their agents.
Very often one sees an anchor sitting in television studio reading out news bulletins from morning to night for days together. These journalists are supposed to highlight all sorts of problems under the sky, but not their own. Their capitalist masters fully exploit their yearning for name, fame and social recognition. Since you are earning all these, why earn more money is the motto. Those working behind the scene are even the worst lot as they do not even earn social recognition. The salary of many of these journalists is not even in five digits. In contrast five digit salary is the lowest for the central government employees after the implementation of the Sixth Pay Commission.
Apparently the call-centre executives are the other so-called high paid exploited lot. They had to work throughout the night for years together as they had to set their mental clock in accordance with that in the United States, Europe or Australia. A Rs 20,000 to 30,000 salary, or even less, for permanent night duty apparently sounds much but the truth is that it takes a heavy toll on the health of those working. These guys are happy that they talk to the Americans and Englishmen daily. It is this zeal of theirs that the employers encash.
The excuse of recession came as a big boon to many greedy money-minters in the world of capitalism. They are now mopping up huge profit by cutting down the salary or trimming the work-force. Those left in the establishment are now forced to work more on much less pay. For example, a reputed Delhi-based magazine reduced the salary of many of its journalists and non-journalist employees. This forced some of them to quit after a few months. And, when they finally resigned, the company held up the salary of a couple of months. This is just an instance, and the corporate sector is filled with such stories.
The modern capitalists, especially of India, are aware of the mistakes committed by their forefathers in the 19th century when the Industrial Revolution just set in. They are armed with men and women having MBA degrees from the USA or UK, who help them nip in the bud any labour unrest. They are well aware of the historic struggle of labourers in Europe and the United States. In around 150 years time they have mastered the art of dealing with such a situation. They have influenced politics, judiciary, bureaucracy, etc. These capitalists talk most about the development of the country. Slogans like work is worship is being propagated by them for their interest. Their sole aim in fact is to earn more and more money.
The capitalists have learnt the fine art of exploitation by coining pleasant sounding names for the same old professions.
The darban of yesteryears is now the uniformed private security guard of today, even though their salary may be less than the former. Similarly the peon of the past is the office assistant of today. They may be properly dressed, but much poorly paid.
The capitalists or their stooge would talk of equality of two genders and give more jobs to girls or women – even if they are less competent – to prove their commitment to this cause. The truth is that they recruit them as it is easy to handle them on less pay. They would not agitate or launch stir against the management. Their masters would flatter them by fantastic maxims such as women make the best managers. The truth is that managerial skill has nothing to do with gender.
These capitalists or their agents would talk loudest about the modern outlook and freedom to dress anything. The truth is that they are conservative number one. They only want to sexually exploit the fairer gender and at the same time keep the men-folk in their establishment involved in the bevy of girls and do not raise voice against the genuine demands.
Unlike their forefathers the modern big businessmen and women have perfected the art of dividing the educated work-force. With the help of their agents, the senior executives – whom they surely pay handsomely for all the heinous work on their behalf – they earn much more than their counterparts in 19th century.
Sixty-two years after freedom and almost one year after recession – it started on September 14 last after the collapse of four US banks – the number of fettered Indians has only increased.