With industry in doldrums, what?s the relevance?

MAY DAY has lost its relevance for this famous industrial city. Most mills and factories here have closed down and the workforce has gone into oblivion. Besides, workers unions too have become weak to protect workers against the attack on their fundamental rights under the garb of globalisation.

MAY DAY has lost its relevance for this famous industrial city. Most mills and factories here have closed down and the workforce has gone into oblivion. Besides, workers unions too have become weak to protect workers against the attack on their fundamental rights under the garb of globalisation.

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Kanpur City has the largest number of labour community in the State. Major trade unions having affiliation with different political streams like Hind Mazdoor Shabha (HMS), Bhartiya Mazdoor Sangh( BMS) and Communist Party’s trade union along with their affiliated workers union of more than 40 industries used to mark the May Day celebrations in a grand way.

Either the chief minister or a union minister or central leaders used to address the workers rally in the city. This was a firm belief that as long as head of the ruling party would come to attend the May Day function, their interests would be protected. However, this tradition continued only till Indira Gandhi remained the prime minister. And finally, about five years back, it stopped altogether during the rule of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), said sources.

The five giant mills of the National Textile Corporation (NTC) having world fame products and about 20,000 work force closed down in the city following continuing losses due to mismanagement.

Similarly, other mills of the city were also shut down by the government like Elgin Mill (I), Elgin Mill (I), Cawnpore Textile and Tannery and Footwear Corporation, all subsidiaries of the British India Corporation (BIC). The reason for their closure was same as that of the NTC mills.

Besides, few other major industries of the city from private and government sector had to face the same fate and were shut down, putting the labour community of the city in deep pain.

The recent notice issued by the Board of Financial and Industrial Reconstruction (BIFR) on April 19, the hearing of the revival petition submitted by British India Corporation (BIC) is being observed as a great threat by the labour community of the city on the eve of May Day. In this, BIFR has raised the issue of closure of BIC by asking, “why it should not be closed”.

This has created panic in the labour community of the district, especially among the BIC workers.