Labour unions use collective bargaining to represent the interests of workers. They strive to increase worker welfare by demanding equitable benefits, fair wages and working conditions. The existence of unions gives workers a voice, in circumstances where their rights are stifled for capitalist interests.
Unions act as a mechanism of surveillance, regulating the introduction of company policies that can otherwise harm blue-collar workers.
It also protects them in cases where workers do not have the financial resources to take on large conglomerates and MNCs (multi-national companies) in order to protect themselves from exploitation.
Unions give workers leverage and allow for negotiations. In addition, strong unions even represent worker interest in national policy debates.
However the system of capitalism, that thrives on the exploitation of workers who derive value only due to their labour-power, has led to widespread economic inequality.
Anti-Labour Laws Have Been Introduced In India
Companies aim to maximise shareholder value and in doing so severely compromise worker benefits. Labourers add economic value to commodities, but in reducing labour itself to a commodity, not only are labourers unfairly compensated, but the concept of worker rights are also negated.
Further, the introduction of certain labour laws like the Industrial Relations Code (2020), in India, has made it tougher for workers to go on strike, requiring a 60-day notice amongst other conditions. The existence of unions in capitalist economies then acts as a mechanism to balance worker welfare and the profit-motive.
Recently however, there has been a marked increase in the efforts of blue-collar workers to unionise. During the Covid-19 pandemic, blue-collar workers were consistently at risk, working in unsafe conditions with immense risk of exposure to the virus.
Such negligence on the part of employers acted as a catalyst for the unionisation movement and the fight to protect workers rights. In April 2022, the successful vote for unionisation in an Amazon—the second largest employer in the US—warehouse in Staten Island, was one of the most consequential of union victories, in recent history.
Following this success, there has been an increasing pro-union attitude amongst workers and attempts to fight for better employee conditions across the world.
The Story Behind The Fight to Unionise
In March 2020, Christian Smalls (now one of the heads of the Amazon labour union or ALU) led a walkout over the lack of Covid-19 safety norms in the JFK8 Amazon warehouse. Following the walkout, Smalls was fired. Smalls started organising a union post his firing, his story acquiring popularity amongst the workers.
Workers supporting the union were calling for the fulfilment of basic demands such as paid time off for injured workers, longer breaks, better safety policies and an increased hourly wage. The ALU’s win in JFK8 was historic, setting a precedent for future unionisation attempts.
In addition, the ALU was a relatively small labour union, with limited financial backing making their victory inspiring and leading to an increased momentum in unionisation attempts.
Amazon India workers organised a 24-hour nationwide strike as well demanding for better benefits and protesting decreased wages owing to the pandemic. Further, gig workers in India, specifically delivery workers for food-service apps like Swiggy, faced over a 50% wage-cut during the pandemic.
Swiggy delivery workers organised a strike protesting the company’s policies that not only made it harder for them to make their deliveries, but also forced them to accept a pay cut.
Rather than acknowledging their unfair practices towards their workers, Swiggy paid for a third-party labour provider at much higher rates, until it was no longer feasible for the workers to continue the strike.
Swiggy also uses a legal loophole to deprive delivery workers of basic rights, by calling them ‘partners’ instead of employees of the company. Thus, there is a need for stricter legislation to ensure worker welfare.
What Is The Gig Economy And Who Are Gig Workers?
The term ‘gig workers’ refers to part-time or contract workers. The concept of gig employees has become exceedingly popular in companies such as Ola, Uber, Swiggy and Zomato. Gig workers, however, are not adequately protected by Indian laws, leaving them extremely vulnerable.
These companies have exploited gig workers through the introduction of policies that compromise on their safety, often creating a harmful working environment and leading to an immense decrease in wages.
While the Code on Social Security (2020), recognises these workers as eligible for social security benefits, it fails to designate and include them within the category of employees of an organisation, making it possible for organisations to find legal loopholes to further their interests while compromising worker welfare.
A survey conducted in 2021, titled the ‘Fairwork India Ratings 2021’ examined the working conditions of gig workers in platforms across India. This survey revealed that Ola and Uber were the worst in terms of working conditions for workers.
In March 2022, Zomato delivery workers organised a strike in Thiruvananthapuram demanding better wages, decreased working hours and protesting the ‘gigs’ system which forces delivery workers to work full-time without any benefits, even though they come under the ambit of part-time workers.
The Indian Federation for App-Based Transport (IFAT) recently filed a public interest litigation (PIL) in the Supreme Court asking for the inclusion of gig workers (of Ola, Uber, Swiggy and Zomato) in the category of unorganised workers.
This categorisation would safeguard gig workers to a certain extent, by making the employer liable for the well-being and wages of these workers. This would also hinder companies from exploiting legal loopholes by referring to such workers as ‘partners’. The court issued a notice to the central government with regards to the PIL.
There has been a growing support and demand for worker unions, with the pandemic acting as a catalyst, owing to the increasingly exploitative tendencies of companies. Our organisation, Behind the Scenes, aims to promote dignity of labour and speak out against such concealed exploitation.
It is important for us to realise the basic human rights of blue-collar workers to not be overworked and underpaid, to live a life of liberty and to also have financial stability through fair terms of employment, wage rates and tenure.