Tamil Nadu: Movement Demanding Social Security in Employment Launched in Chennai

Chennai: As many as 25 organisations, including Left and progressive organisations and trade unions, launched a platform – Movement for Employment with Social Security or MESS – here on Tuesday. The even saw the participation of around 3,000 people,

The organisations demanded that employment with social security should be made a basic principle of the Union and state governments. They also demanded that Rs 26,000/month be mandated as minimum wage in Tamil Nadu, and the state should pass an order accordingly.

“Five features: food, work, education, pension and healthcare, together ensure social security; mere employment is not sufficient,” said Bheem Rao, head of the conference reception committee.

MGR Nagar Market Road in Chennai packed with audiences from across Tamil Nadu.

“(Prime Minister) Modi said he will provide two crore jobs if voted to power, but instead setting fire to places and beating up people is the kind of work that is being promoted,” he said, referring to increasing communal violence under Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) rule.

On job insecurity, P Shanmugam, state coordinator of MESS, said, “When a permanent position goes vacant, it is no longer replaced with another permanent worker. It is filled in the name of the contract, temporary, guest, etc, with very little pay. There is no security for anyone’s job. There is no ‘equal pay for equal work’. And, exploitation is out of control.”

“In the coming days, we will unitedly take up the issue of unemployment and also the issues of those employed,” stated Shanmugam.

The Sabdam cultural group performed a play portraying the plight of the unemployed in India.

At the event, Kerala state finance minister K N Balagopal said, “Technology is kicking everybody out of work. We already have driverless cars and will soon have teacherless schools and professorless universities. Artificial intelligence is grown so much that even novels and stories are created by AI (Artificial Intelligence),” he said.

He said, “We are not against technology, but when production and profits are increasing with technological growth, that should be distributed evenly.”

Balagopal cited that 1% of people own 40% of the wealth in India, whereas 50% own only 3%, and 30% are under the poverty line.

Kerala Minister KN Balagopal said technology is reducing workload, but exploitation is rampant. 

S Valentina, state president of the All-India Democratic Women’s Association (AIDWA), said, “The Modi-led Union government spent Rs 4,300 crore on advertisements, Rs 4,200 on the Kumbh Mela, Rs 3,600 crore on the Shivaji statue, Rs 2,989 crore for the Sardar Patel statue and much more. If these funds were used to fill up vacancies in government, thousands of youngsters would have gained from it.”

She added that “The Modi government has waived off lakhs of crores to big corporations. So, we have no option but to fight this anti-people trend.”

AIDWA leader Valentina said micro-finance institutions were fleecing poor and underemployed women.

At the event, A Soundararajan, state president of the Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU), said, “Social security includes job appointment, permanent work, proper pay and some legal protection. All this is not there for 80% of workers in companies and industries. None of this is applicable for unorganised sector workers, which constituted more than 70 crore workers in India.”

On the need for unions, he said, “The most important part of social security is the right to form trade unions. Only then can workers speak about their rights and demand appropriate wages for their labour. It is through the union that social security can be established.”

Talking about exploitation in the newer kind of jobs, he said, “Outside every eatery, there are Swiggy and Zomato delivery persons. They hold MA, ME and MBA degrees. But they do gig work because of rampant unemployment. But the Tamil Nadu government refuses to consider them workers because they are “delivery partners” and do not have the right to form a union. Someone is evidently making profits from their labour, but the state refuses to accept this.”

The MESS event started at 4 pm went on till 8:30.

“Why are so many investors seeking out Tamil Nadu? Is it because they care for the unemployed youth of this state? No. It is because people are fools, halfwits and buffoons who can be plundered, and if the people resist, the state will control them,” he added.

On exploitation of women, the CITU leader said, “Women are paid a meagre Rs 3,000/month and exploited through Makkalai Thedi Maruththuvam (healthcare at your doorstep) scheme. The government itself is looting. The state, which has to ensure social security, is denying it to the workers.”

Citing the example of Kerala, he said, “Kerala has ensured a minimum wage of Rs 600 per day, and this is possible because of the strong trade unions and Left movement there,” adding that because of this it is a much sought-after place for migrant workers.

Six resolutions were passed at the conference. MESS Resolved to fight for the guarantee of employment and, if unemployed, a monthly stipend of Rs 5,000 for a period of two years.

They also demanded that the state and Central government stop selling public sector companies and fulfil vacant posts on the basis of reservation policy. The Tami Nadu government should stop converting the permanent nature of work in municipalities and other local bodies, such as sanitary work, into temporary work, and the Dravida Munnetra Kazagham (DMK) government must fulfil its election promise of filling vacancies in the state, they added.

Union of IT and ITES Employees (UNITE) sought a dignified work-life balance.

Employment opportunities for women in urban and rural areas have drastically dropped since the COVID-19 pandemic, and women are most affected due to unemployment. MESS resolved to fight against this.

The nature of jobs is volatile in IT (Information Technology) and ITES (Information Technology Enabled Services) companies. A resolution was passed to fight for jobs and social security in these sectors.

Government posts should be filled with people familiar with the regional language, and Hindi domination must stop, resolved MESS.