ITI workers on hunger strike seeking reinstatement

Bengaluru: Around 80 workers in the employment of India's first public sector undertaking in the country, ITI Ltd. at Bengaluru, were refused employment by the management, despite having worked for between 5 to 30 years, for the sole reason that they formed a Union and demanded their rights. Since then the workers have been carrying out a day and night protest outside the factory gates demanding that they be given their jobs back.

From 31 January, 2022, ITI workers who were thrown out for forming a Union are starting a hunger fast demanding that the Management of ITI Ltd. comply with the instruction of the Regional Labour Commissioner and take them back to work. It will be their 62 day of struggle.

ITI Limited falls under the Department of Telecommunication, Ministry of Communication, Government of India. These workers have been involved in the production, research and development and installation of various devices in these projects and have been sent for on-site defence assignments to even the borders of the country. Workers were also involved in the projection of 3,000 ventilators last year during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic and the production of face shields. Despite long years of service, the workers are illegally guised as "contract workers" and denied basic rights. Majority of them are Dalit, and a large number are women. On 14 December 2021, the Regional Labour Commissioner has instructed the management of ITI Ltd. to take all the 80 workers back. However, they have failed to comply with the same since the management cannot digest the fact that the workers have organized themselves and availed legal recourse for their regularization and humane working conditions. Despite being on protest for 62 days, the Management of ITI Ltd.

has failed to take any steps and is continuing such unfair labour practices. In fact, the ITI management now intends to recruit new workers in place of the retrenched workers.

As such, the workers will now start a Hunger Fast against the illegal actions of ITI Ltd. and demand that they immediately comply with the instructions of the Regional Labour Commissioner dated 14 December 2021 and take all the 80 workers back.