20 June, 2011An International Metalworkers' Federation's organizing project in India results in 15,000 workers in the steel industry joining a union.
INDIA: The project advisory committee (PAC) of the IMF/ILO-TCO/SASK India organizing steel project held its second meeting on June 15 to 18, 2011. The PAC heard how closer cooperation between the Indian National Metalworkers Federation (INMF) and the Steel Metal and Engineering Workers' Federation of India (SMEFI) provided a foundation to recruit over 15,000 workers in the steel industry. The project has an overall target of 20,000 new members by 2012.
The project focuses on three states; Orissa, Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh. It has led to new levels of cooperation among the Federations, including non-competition in organizing, joint activities and joint campaigns. There have been tensions between INMF and SMEFI, but the project has enabled the unions to work together strategically at the local, regional and national level. One example is a planned protest over the failure and delays in local Government in registering newly organized workplaces. Also, the INMF and SMEFI have succeded in having the Joint National Steel Committee demand a minimum wage for precarious workers in the industry.
Regular local meetings between the two Federations have allowed them to share organizing targets and to ensure that resources are not wasted in competition for recognition in the same workplaces. These regular exchanges have now fostered a positive dialogue beyond the project, leading to activities such as joint protest actions.
Rob Johnston, IMF Executive Director, commented at the meeting, "We hope that the benefits of a new level of cooperation will be felt across all of India. It was also important to hear how the two federations are accepting responsibility for additional activities themselves and thus build in sustainability."
Another positive development has been the ability of the Federations to organize within the private sector. Over 11,000 new private sector members are now paying union dues as a result of the project. The newly organized workers include non-manual and women workers in the steel industry.
Berivan Ongorur of IMF affiliate Unionen added, "We are happy with the results of the project so far and especially the fact that this includes the private sector and non-manual workers."
The next step is to begin training organizers in an additional three states; Andra Pradesh, Maharastra, and Punjab Mandi Govindgarh, eventually for a second phase of implementation in the project.
Sanjay Vandhakar of SMEFI added, "It is vitally important for both federations that we build on the success of the project so far by extending its values into these three additional states, all very important to our strategy. We need to maintain the momentum we have built-up."
The next PAC will be held in April 2012 where a strategy for the three additional states will be developed.