Strikes and work stoppages are the order of the day. On all sides we
see factories, offices, colleges and universities intermittently closed.
protest processions, slogan-shouting, dharnas and gheraos and tents
pitched up with large union banners and some time hunger-strikers. There
are fasts unto death to have the demands conceded, though onlookers cast
doubt on the genuineness of fasts; in any case, no hunger-striker has the intention of dying; it is a pressure tactics. Workers of water works struck
work and Pakistan’s capital went thirsty; electricity workers go on strike
in support of their ‘genuine’ demands and cities are plunged in to darkne
and wheels of industry stop impeding production. Hospital employe
resort to strikes in support of their cause, and the sick and the dying suffer
grievously, though they have nothing to do with master and serva
dispute. In the factories, trade unions order strikes to extort mone
payments and privileges for their members. It seems that every section
wants to earn more by the weapon of strike. No one wants to be kept o
of the strike news. Buses go off the roads and thousands of passengers are
stranded.
anty
For this chaotic state of affairs, the government and administrations
too are to blame. Workers have known from long and repeated experience
that every demand, however, exaggerated or unreasonable, is surely
accepted if pressed with a prolonged strike, violence and hooliganism; also
no request, however, legitimate or just may be, is accepted without
hesitation. Even employees who in their hearts feel that their strike is
morally wrong join it. For it will mean increased salary or more cash and
more perks, Who would be a fool to miss such gains, only for the sake of
a moral principle?
The strikers want safety first. Strike means holiday at will, with full
pay and allowances. If strikers burn buses, stop trains, assault the black
sheep and hold the community to ransom, no action must be taken against
them, for these are trade union activities. If the police. intervenes to
enforce law and order, there will be a loud clamour against brutal’ lathi
charge by the police and the demand for a judicial enquiry by a High
Court judge. If law, breakers are arrested for committing a crime, the first
condition is that they must be released immediately and unconditionally.
Trade unionists claim to be above the law of the land. Law applies only to
the dumb, driven millions.
During the dictatorship, there were no strikes, for then going on a
strike was risky; strikers lost their money, they lost their jobs and some
were imprisoned. The strike leaders became sycophants of the
government. Worker’s bonus was withdrawn, their over time was
cancelled, some of their undeserved privileges were scrapped, yet APCA
and other trade unionists made no protest. Strike with perfect safety is
their method. A few minor strikes were there, but there were no headlines
in press, no advertisements about dem plastered on walls and, roads, noisy, processions or demonstrations (they are a fun!) so such strikes died
snow-balling effect attracting more and more workers’ unions and the loud
a natural death for want of publicity. In ordinary times, strikes have a
support of the opposition parties and their leaders.
In 1971, a country-wide railway strike was announced. It was to
involve most of the railway workers: All trains would come to a halt;
there would be no coal for power plants, no food for scarcity areas and the
dismissed and their ring-leaders imprisoned. The whole public supported
life line of the nation was to be choked. Thousands of railwaymen were
the government action, none supported the cause of the strikers.
Take the case of colleges and universities. Some of them remain
strike-bound for weeks and months, even years. The Punjab University
examinations were held in 1978. No student wants to lose his year for
strikes over non-issues, no parent wants to lose his son’s precious year and
his own money spent on fees and hostel expenses, because of these strikes.
But the strike leaders are well-trained. Five toughs picketing the gate of a
college can make the strike complete. The black sheep are assaulted,
although, 95% of students do not want long strikes and loss of a precious
year, but they are helpless in the grip of the strike monster. Only the
strike leaders can call off the strike and they have other axes to grind,
though they may shout about student’s interests and student’s cause.
Common people feel that organised sections with their militant trade
unions are robbing the community and getting more than their share of the
national cake, at the expense of the have-nots. It is trade unionism by
blackmail; they demand price for their unity and solidarity and their
nuisance value to bring the life of the people to grinding halt. They seem
to say-either accept their terms (reasonable or unreasonable), or we will
stop your trains or water supply or food movement and what not. Once the
President of APCA said “Even the lowest paid worker and government
servant is a privileged citizen in a country, where the majority lives below
the poverty line. Is it not morally wrong to confer on these relatively
privileged classes additional benefits morally because they are organised
and vociferous? Can we ignore the larger majority because they are un-
organised and inarticulate?” Even over-paid departments like the bankmen
or Federal and Provincial employees frequently go on strike.
Should strikes. be banned? In communist countries strikes are
banned, since they injure the fatherland by stopping production;–and In the early days of industrialisation, capitalists exploited labour,
underpaid them and dismissed them at their will and whim. To answer this
challenge, strikes and trade unionism were born. Today they have become
a big vested interest, fighting against the whole community for their class
gain. Public opinion does not support aggressive trade unionism and public
opinion is the last court of appeal to decide in the end. Big empires and
proud dictators have fallen, when public opinion turned against them.
When workers go on strike, some time proprietors declare a lock.
out, so that the workers get no salary. Once there was a strike by the
employees of a factory. The management declared a lock-out, that
continued for 2 – 3 months. The workers wanted to get back to work, but
there was a lock-out. The factory owners too were losing a substantial
amounts daily. Strikes and lock-outs are both unwise. They should not be
resorted to except as a last resort. Today they are the first resort. Also
compulsory arbitration tribunals must ensure that justice is done to
workers and employees.