MID DAY MEAL WORKERS DEMAND DECENT WORK AND PROTEST AGAINST PRIVATISATION

A R Sindhu

“ Doesn’t the government have any responsibility to see how we survive? I have to bring the firewood and fetch the water for cooking. I have to walk kilometers for that. Some times I have to bring the masala and the oil for cooking too. The school headmaster and the teachers demand that I clean the school premises and class rooms even though it is not my job. We have to bear all kinds of abuses. When we ask for our monthly payment, always we are told the money has not reached. We get a paltry amount of three hundred rupees. Even that we get after 5-10 months. When the amount comes, the ‘babu’ deducts his commission and the ‘panch’ his. Since one year we have been hearing that our wage has been increased to one thousand rupees per month. But it did not reach us till date. When the union took this up to the block and district authorities, they say that there is no budget. We feed the children. We cook, we serve and clean the premises. Why the government is not thinking about us? Why is it not seeing that no family can survive in Rs.1000 a month? Now we have our union. We will fight under the CITU leadership and we are confident that we will achieve our rights.” -These words by Lalvati from UP reflect the grievances of the 22 lakh Mid Day meal workers engaged under the National Programme of Mid Day Meal in Schools.

Over 4300 Mid Day Meal Workers from 11 states – Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Maharshtra, Orissa, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand and UP gathered on Parliament Street in New Delhi to protest against their pathetic working conditions and the government’s move to privatize the scheme.

Formed in February 2009, the All India Coordination Committee of Mid Day Meal Workers (CITU) has been demanding regularisation, minimum wages and social security for the Mid Day Meal Workers.

The coordination committee has also been fighting against privatisation of the scheme, and in the name of Public Private Partnership handing over it to the corporates and to NGOs. Different state committees have held state level rallies in July and August 2010 on these demands.

This being the first all India rally after the formation of the coordination committee, the participation was more than expectations. More than a thousand Mid Day Meal workers reached Delhi on 24th November. The unexpected rain played havoc and the camp set up for their stay at Kotla Road was soaked. Bearing the cold, patiently helping the organizers in managing the situation, putting out dry carpets and tarpaulins, the gathering, mainly from Orissa, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh challenged the weather.

On 25th November those who had assembled the previous day took a colourful procession to Parliament Street. From Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, UP, Rajasthan workers, a majority of whom are women, poured in, in the morning, forcing the police to assemble in large numbers. Twenty workers from Manipur and forty from Assam could reach only by 6 pm on that day since their train was late by 24 hours.

A presidium consisting of Umarani(AP), Bimla Thakuria (Assam), Sharbati (Haryana), Jagat Ram (HP), Mamata Mehanna (Orissa), Lalvati (UP), and Thankam (Kerlala) was formed.

A K Padmanabhan, President, CITU inaugurated the March. In an inspiring speech in Hindi, he called upon the Mid Day Meal Workers to fight against their exploitation and carry on the struggles for their just demands of minimum wages and social security.

Sitaram Yechury, MP and leader of CPI (M) Parliamentary Party said that the government is fully involved in corruption and loot of public money and has no time to hear the just demands of the workers. He assured all support to their struggle. Brinda Karat, MP and member Polit bureau CPI(M), said that we must jointly fight the exploitation by the government in the name of ‘voluntary work’. Basudev Acharya M P, CPI(M) leader in Lok Sabha, addressed the gathering. A Sampath, Ramachandra Dom and PK Biju, all MPs of the CPI(M), addressed the gathering.

Tapan Sen, MP, General Secretary, CITU called upon the workers to join en masse in the March to Parliament by the Central Trade Unions on 23rd February 2011. Dipankar Mukherjee and Hemalata, Secretaries and Ranjana Nirula Treasurer CITU, addressed the rally. Ashalata from AIDWA and Vijender Sharma from National Forum in Defense of Education expressed their solidarity with the struggle. A R Sindhu, Convenor of the Coordination Committee of Mid Day Meal workers, placed the charter of demands.

CITU leaders from different states also were present. Representatives of Mid Day Meal Workers, Susheela (UP), Mamata Mehanna(Orissa), Jaibhagawan (Haryana), Sudesh Kumari (HP), Hazarilal Sharma (Rajasthan), Saraswati Amma (Kerala) and Vijay Gabane (Maharashtra), addressed the gathering.

A delegation led by Tapan Sen, MP and AR Sindhu, Convenor, consisting of S Varalakshmi (Karnataka), Mamoni Dutta (Assam), Saroj (Haryana) Radha Sarnagi (Orissa) and Chabi Ram (HP) met the Union Minister for State Smt. Purandeswari. She passed the buck by saying the entire responsibility for implementing the scheme is with the state governments.

When the delegation stressed on the demands and quoted from the Planning Commission evaluation report and recommendations, she agreed to consider the demands. She also assured that the honorarium of one thousand rupees will be paid without any deduction to the workers in all states. Regarding the burning issues of privatisation and retrenchment there was no assurance, but she repeated that the entire responsibility lies with the state governments.

The Mid Day Meal Workers waited patiently for the return of the delegation, from 9 am in the morning till 3.30 pm. A R Sindhu explained to the gathering the meeting with the Minister. A decision was taken to observe 24th March 2011 as Protest Day against the callous attitude of the central government and different state governments.

State level rallies will be held in front of the state assemblies on that day. It was also decided to join in large numbers in the March to Parliament by the central trade Unions on 23rd February 2011.

The first All India Protest action by the Mid Day Meal Workers created confidence among them. This rally of one of the most downtrodden sections of the society concluded with their pledge to strengthen the union and intensify their struggles.

Source: www.citucentre.org/