AICCTU organized a protest on 20 May in front of the Delhi Chief Minister against the increasing number of industrial accidents in Delhi including the Mundka fire tragedy. AICCTU led workers from various areas of Delhi in a march that culminated in a protest meeting at the barricades near the CM Camp office. AISA also participated in the protest. Earlier, on 17 May AICCTU and other trade union organizations had protested in front of Labour Minister Manish Sisodia's residence against the Mundka fire incident.
Mundka Fire Tragedy Not An Accident but Government-Protected Massacre
Incidents of workers being burnt alive have been happening consistently at various areas in Delhi, including Bawana, Narela, Piragarhi, Karol Bagh, Sultanpuri, Jhilmil, Anaj Mandi and now Mundka. The reason for all the incidents is the criminal nexus between the Delhi government's Labour Dept, MCD, local police-administration and other government agencies. The government has given free licence to factory owners to earn profits by hook or crook. Despite so many workers being killed neither the Kejriwal government nor the Modi government is willing to bother about the workers. Addressing the meeting, AICCTU State President Santosh Rai said that despite several dharna protests the government is not at all serious about safety of workers at the workplace. The Delhi CM makes false promises and PM Modi is busy with foreign trips. Both governments are silent on workers' wages, livelihood and safety.
Workers are being killed in factories, sewers, construction sites and homes: state and central governments maintain deafening silence.
Workers are dying in Delhi's sewers, factories, construction sites and homes. Recently a case of domestic violence against a domestic worker came to light in Rajauri gardens. If the central and state governments cannot ensure workers' safety, what can be a bigger tragedy?
Parliament and Assembly both silent on killing of workers: Owners' Ease of Doing Business gives them free licence.
After the protest AICCTU submitted a memorandum to the Delhi CM office with the demand for Rs 50 lakhs compensation to the families of each of the dead workers and a government job for a dependent. The demand for proper verification of numbers of the dead and injures was also raised, in view of the possibility of the number of dead far exceeding 27. AICCTU State Secretary Shweta said that the workers of Delhi have no alternative but to choose between the flames of hunger and the flames of factory fires. The issues of workers are not being raised either in Parliament or in the Assembly. Such accidents will only increase with the labour code laws being brought by the Modi government. AICCTU will continue to raise the issue of workers' safety prominently and will also organize a joint campaign on this issue in Delhi's industrial areas.
