1 00:00:01,600 --> 00:00:09,400 The first time, after I came from the village, I found the environment here strange. 2 00:00:09,500 --> 00:00:15,500 FInding a job is difficult; I come here to work for 7-8 months and then go back and come again. 3 00:00:15,600 --> 00:00:23,300 It is quite normal to work in factories for 12 - 16 hours per day. 4 00:00:23,400 --> 00:00:29,200 What is strange about the environment in the city? 5 00:00:29,300 --> 00:00:35,400 The ways of living and eating. There is no time to eat or sleep. 6 00:00:35,500 --> 00:00:38,900 You get up to go to work, have a shower to go to work, eat to go to work. 7 00:00:39,000 --> 00:00:42,400 Nothing is left for one's own life. 8 00:00:42,500 --> 00:00:48,600 How did you get the room you live in? How did you get your first job? 9 00:00:48,700 --> 00:00:51,500 Did you get any help or through relatives or contacts? 10 00:00:51,600 --> 00:00:59,400 I had a relative - my father`s uncle's son. I came with him. 11 00:00:59,500 --> 00:01:02,900 He taught me the work for 7-8 months. 12 00:01:03,000 --> 00:01:06,200 I lived with him for 3-4 years, after which I started to live separately. 13 00:01:06,300 --> 00:01:09,800 Since then I have been in this place. 14 00:01:09,900 --> 00:01:11,900 Was the first job in a factory? 15 00:01:12,000 --> 00:01:17,500 yes. It was an export company. I learnt the work there. 16 00:01:17,600 --> 00:01:18,900 You learnt sewing work? 17 00:01:19,000 --> 00:01:22,000 I had learnt sewing work for 2 years in the village. 18 00:01:22,100 --> 00:01:24,400 Then I had to learn it here again. 19 00:01:24,500 --> 00:01:27,600 You started to learn sewing when you were 14 years old. 20 00:01:27,700 --> 00:01:33,800 No, when I was 12 when I started. 21 00:01:33,900 --> 00:01:39,600 I was 14 and a half years old when I came here. 22 00:01:41,700 --> 00:01:53,200 In the factory the first 2-3 months are a probation period, so you had to work very hard? 23 00:01:53,300 --> 00:01:56,200 How many hours did you work? 24 00:01:56,300 --> 00:01:59,500 For 6 months I worked continuously from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 a.m. 25 00:01:59,600 --> 00:02:01,700 There was no holiday? 26 00:02:01,800 --> 00:02:03,400 No, there was no holiday. 27 00:02:03,500 --> 00:02:06,200 Because of that I had health problems - breathing problems. 28 00:02:06,300 --> 00:02:14,200 I had to be treated for 1 year. I spent more than I earned on my treatment. 29 00:02:14,300 --> 00:02:16,900 Now I am alright. 30 00:02:17,000 --> 00:02:23,400 Now you are okay? After 6 months, did you further work in this factory? 31 00:02:23,500 --> 00:02:27,800 After 6 months I worked in another factory J P Export until I was 15. 32 00:02:27,900 --> 00:02:37,500 Then I was 15. Then I worked for 2 years in Liliput Kidswear. 33 00:02:37,600 --> 00:02:43,900 Now, since 1 year, I have been working at Unistyle Image. 34 00:02:44,000 --> 00:02:46,100 I was never made permanent - it has been just like this. 35 00:02:54,000 --> 00:02:57,100 How many factories have you worked in altogether? 36 00:02:57,200 --> 00:03:01,500 7-8 altogether. 37 00:03:05,600 --> 00:03:07,100 How old are you? 38 00:03:07,200 --> 00:03:08,900 I am 22. 39 00:03:09,000 --> 00:03:22,200 So in these 7 years, did your earnings rise? 40 00:03:22,300 --> 00:03:23,800 No. 41 00:03:23,900 --> 00:03:26,500 How much do you normally earn in a month? 42 00:03:26,600 --> 00:03:29,900 Rs 5,000 - 6,000. 43 00:03:30,000 --> 00:03:32,100 And has this remained the same for the last 6 years? 44 00:03:32,200 --> 00:03:34,300 Yes, it has remained the same. 45 00:03:34,400 --> 00:03:40,100 The government has been raising the daily wage, but the wages you earn from piece rate have been coming down. 46 00:03:40,200 --> 00:03:45,100 And I have so far worked on piece rate. 47 00:03:45,200 --> 00:03:54,800 7 years ago, the Delhi rate for 8 hour week was Rs, 3,200; now it is Rs.4,550. 48 00:03:55,000 --> 00:04:00,200 Have you seen any changes in the industry? 49 00:04:00,300 --> 00:04:09,900 For example we can say that 20 years ago, all workers were permanent. 50 00:04:10,000 --> 00:04:12,900 Perhaps 10 years ago about half were subcontract workers. 51 00:04:13,000 --> 00:04:15,500 Now perhaps 80% of the workers are subcontracted. 52 00:04:15,600 --> 00:04:17,900 Yes, it is completely subcontract work. 53 00:04:18,000 --> 00:04:22,800 But compared to earlier times, the earnings have gone down. 54 00:04:22,900 --> 00:04:27,400 It was something else before and now it is something else. 55 00:04:27,500 --> 00:04:31,300 And besides that? Are there new machines? 56 00:04:31,400 --> 00:04:39,800 Previously, the machines were run with the feet. 57 00:04:39,900 --> 00:04:53,600 Now there is a computer machine in which we do not need to cut the thread. 58 00:04:53,700 --> 00:04:56,300 Is it for sewing? 59 00:04:56,400 --> 00:04:59,700 Yes. The computer machine is safer and faster. 60 00:04:59,800 --> 00:05:04,500 Whereas with the previous machines we could make 7 pieces, with the new machines we can make 10. 61 00:05:04,600 --> 00:05:09,300 We can make 3 pieces more. Where you got Rs 12, you can now get Rs. 36. 62 00:05:09,400 --> 00:05:16,000 What other problems are there in the factory besides working for 16 hours? 63 00:05:16,100 --> 00:05:21,100 The problem is to have to sit 16 hours in one place. 64 00:05:21,200 --> 00:05:26,500 It is a difficult situation but we are forced to sit there because the company puts pressure on us. 65 00:05:26,600 --> 00:05:33,800 If we don't do it, we will have to leave the company. So we do it in order to be able to live. 66 00:05:33,900 --> 00:05:39,200 Is the atmosphere between the workers fine? 67 00:05:39,300 --> 00:05:45,600 Ya, it?s okay, but sometimes there are tensions. 68 00:05:47,700 --> 00:05:49,900 What's the problem? 69 00:05:50,000 --> 00:05:53,500 About somebody has more work and another has less. 70 00:05:53,600 --> 00:05:56,800 It is piece rate so if someone gets 10 pieces while another one gets 20, 71 00:05:56,900 --> 00:06:00,900 and so the workers will talk why someone got more pieces. 72 00:06:01,000 --> 00:06:05,000 So the workers get angry when some of the people make more pieces? 73 00:06:05,100 --> 00:06:06,800 Yes. 74 00:06:06,900 --> 00:06:08,400 Why does this make them angry? 75 00:06:08,500 --> 00:06:19,900 Because another worker gets more cutting and will therefore have work for another day while we have nothing to do. 76 00:06:20,000 --> 00:06:31,000 What do the workers do to improve the situation in the factory? 77 00:06:31,100 --> 00:06:37,800 To improve their lives, the workers believe in one thing only - that what is written in their fate - just that will happen. 78 00:06:37,900 --> 00:06:39,800 This is their only target. 79 00:06:39,900 --> 00:06:46,800 If they are fated to do 12 hours work, then it is useless or beyond their thinking to ask what they can do about it. 80 00:06:46,900 --> 00:06:51,000 Life has not improved, rather it has become hell. 81 00:06:51,100 --> 00:07:01,500 And it is deteriorating because work is decreasing- There is one company that is being closed down and everything is being sold. 82 00:07:01,600 --> 00:07:07,400 In the next 3-4, work will decrease and the situation will become very bad. 83 00:07:07,500 --> 00:07:11,600 We will move from company to company. 15 days here and then move. 84 00:07:11,700 --> 00:07:26,100 We will manage to earn our bread but where we used to get Rs. 5,000 - 6,000 we will get Rs. 4,000. 85 00:07:26,200 --> 00:07:39,900 Do your friends have a vision or an idea about what they can do, 86 00:07:40,000 --> 00:08:02,300 perhaps they can make a union or quietly reduce the workload? 87 00:08:02,400 --> 00:08:05,700 The workers feel angry, but there are supervisors standing there all the time. 88 00:08:05,800 --> 00:08:10,100 And they have no shortage of workers. If one leaves, there are 10 to take his place. 89 00:08:10,200 --> 00:08:15,400 If you do not meet the target, they will remove you and somebody else will take your place. 90 00:08:15,500 --> 00:08:20,900 And the workers are always changing - nobody is permanent. 91 00:08:21,000 --> 00:08:29,400 Today you come back from work, but there is no guarantee that tomorrow you will have the same work. 92 00:08:29,500 --> 00:08:33,200 So it is pointless to have a vision about the future. 93 00:08:33,300 --> 00:08:40,600 The way it is working is fine and when it comes to an end, then it is the end. So this is the thing. 94 00:08:40,700 --> 00:08:47,300 So in a year, how many days do you work and how many days do you spend in the village? 95 00:08:47,400 --> 00:08:54,200 In a year we work for at least 10-11 months and spend one month in the village. 96 00:08:54,300 --> 00:09:01,400 And that too - we go for a week or 15 days every 3-4 months. We go for one week and then come back. 97 00:09:01,500 --> 00:09:07,000 It is not convenient. There are some people who go back to the village after 5 years 98 00:09:07,100 --> 00:09:13,400 because nothing changes there - it remains the same. So people go home according to their need. 99 00:09:13,500 --> 00:09:16,800 Those people who have a relation to the village, because of parents, 100 00:09:16,900 --> 00:09:20,000 they stay in the village for 2-4 months. They work only for 6 months. 101 00:09:20,100 --> 00:09:23,600 Those who do not have money they go to the village after 9-10 months or 4-5 years. 102 00:09:23,700 --> 00:09:27,600 Somebody who comes from Bihar, it is difficult for them to go back every 3 months. 103 00:09:27,700 --> 00:09:30,600 He earns Rs. 3,000 and can save Rs. 1,000 or Rs. 2,000. 104 00:09:30,700 --> 00:09:36,100 The train fare costs Rs. 1,000 or Rs. 2,000. So he won't go. 105 00:09:36,200 --> 00:09:44,800 My village is somewhat close. It costs only Rs. 150, so I go often. 106 00:09:44,900 --> 00:09:50,900 But for those whom it costs Rs. 500 - Rs. 600 and it takes 36 hours, they do not do this so often. 107 00:09:51,000 --> 00:10:01,600 If you leave this job, how much time will it take you to find another job? 108 00:10:01,700 --> 00:10:04,800 Another job is difficult because you have to learn the job 109 00:10:04,900 --> 00:10:14,100 and you get the helper's rate of Rs. 2,500 or Rs. 3,000, although the rate is Rs. 4,000. 110 00:10:14,200 --> 00:10:21,200 So a person who is earning Rs. 5,000 why should he work for Rs. 3,000. 111 00:10:21,300 --> 00:10:23,900 So he will never leave and he will not find better work anywhere. 112 00:10:24,000 --> 00:10:26,400 Because all work is the same. 113 00:10:26,500 --> 00:10:30,400 When you see another person doing it, you think it is nice work 114 00:10:30,500 --> 00:10:36,900 but as soon as you get in, you find out that it is rubbish work. 115 00:10:37,000 --> 00:10:42,500 So you get Rs. 5,000. What are your outgoings? What rent do you pay? 116 00:10:42,600 --> 00:10:44,800 Rs. 850. 117 00:10:44,900 --> 00:10:47,200 But you live together with someone? 118 00:10:47,300 --> 00:10:52,400 We are three, so my rent costs are Rs. 300. 119 00:10:52,500 --> 00:10:59,400 What do you need for living costs? 120 00:10:59,500 --> 00:11:02,700 For food I manage in Rs. 2,000 - Rs, 2,200. 121 00:11:02,800 --> 00:11:10,200 If you smoke and drink, those expenses can be increased as much as you want. 122 00:11:10,300 --> 00:11:15,000 But I live simply so I manage within Rs. 2000. 123 00:11:15,100 --> 00:11:19,000 Apart from this, for medicine? 124 00:11:19,100 --> 00:11:21,500 If we fall ill, there is no telling how much money we will need. 125 00:11:21,600 --> 00:11:25,900 One does not know what the doctors will charge. 126 00:11:26,000 --> 00:11:29,700 But how much money can you approximately save in a month? 127 00:11:29,800 --> 00:11:36,200 About Rs. 3,000. If someone earns Rs. 6,000, he can save Rs. 3,500. 128 00:11:36,300 --> 00:11:46,400 If someone earns Rs. 4,000, they can save Rs. 2,000. 129 00:11:46,500 --> 00:11:50,000 Do you send money to the village? 130 00:11:50,100 --> 00:11:55,800 Yes, I have to send some. 131 00:11:55,900 --> 00:12:05,500 So was there any moment in the factory when you felt there was some strength in the workers 132 00:12:05,600 --> 00:12:13,600 or have you only felt that we are weak? 133 00:12:29,700 --> 00:12:34,300 The workers here keep going on in these conditions. 134 00:12:34,400 --> 00:12:39,300 If there is little space to breathe, he wants to cope there. 135 00:12:39,400 --> 00:12:43,200 So there is no hope because we do not know what will happen tomorrow. 136 00:12:43,300 --> 00:12:53,700 Here people think that they can get solutions by fighting and beating others. 137 00:12:53,800 --> 00:13:06,300 Do the workers some time in Unistyle, for example, say that piece rate is very low and we would like to have more? 138 00:13:06,400 --> 00:13:11,500 In 7 years, this is the only factory I have been to where workers stop working, 139 00:13:11,600 --> 00:13:20,900 because they offer to pay Rs. 10 per piece and we say this is too little and they say they will not increase it. 140 00:13:21,000 --> 00:13:23,900 So we stop work. Then through negotiations, they increase it by Rs. 1 or Rs. 2 or Rs. 4. 141 00:13:24,000 --> 00:13:29,600 When we see that this will give us Rs. 200 - Rs. 250 more, we start working again. 142 00:13:29,700 --> 00:13:33,400 Recently they offered Rs. 28 for a piece. 143 00:13:33,500 --> 00:13:41,800 We stopped working so he increased it to Rs. 32, then offered Rs. 35. 144 00:13:41,900 --> 00:13:45,600 We still did not work so he eventually offered Rs.37. 145 00:13:45,700 --> 00:13:48,200 How many people were involved in this? 146 00:13:48,300 --> 00:13:53,300 In this, there are 50 people who do the sewing. They were all involved. 147 00:13:53,400 --> 00:13:55,200 How many people work in the factory? 148 00:13:55,300 --> 00:14:08,600 About 100 of which 50 are machinists, 20 ladies who cut thread, 15-20 in ironing, and helpers. 149 00:14:08,700 --> 00:14:11,500 But these people continued to work? 150 00:14:11,600 --> 00:14:14,200 Yes, the craftsmen fought for their rate. 151 00:14:14,300 --> 00:14:19,900 People who have a permanent employment there, it had nothing to do with them. 152 00:14:20,000 --> 00:14:21,900 although they get low salaries. They get Rs. 2,400 - Rs. 2,500 for eight hours, and other staff. 153 00:14:22,000 --> 00:14:25,000 Was it impossible to involve these people? 154 00:14:25,100 --> 00:14:27,800 They are mostly subcontractor's workers. 155 00:14:27,900 --> 00:14:32,200 And they also tell us, "You are craftsmen. If you leave here, you will get another job. 156 00:14:32,300 --> 00:14:36,500 We will have difficulties in finding a job. We are fine the way we are." 157 00:14:36,600 --> 00:14:41,800 So they did not join your stoppage. 158 00:14:41,900 --> 00:14:47,000 What was the atmosphere between these 50 people ? 159 00:14:47,100 --> 00:14:53,100 Did they not fear that if they did not work, they might get thrown out. 160 00:14:53,200 --> 00:15:00,900 Our work is so insecure that we, who work in piece rate, we don't know when they will throw us out. 161 00:15:01,000 --> 00:15:04,100 Some people did fear that they might lose their jobs. 162 00:15:04,200 --> 00:15:08,400 But we work on piece rate so that if there is no work tomorrow they will get rid of us anyway. 163 00:15:08,500 --> 00:15:13,500 That is why when he refused to give us the rate we asked for, we asked him to settle our accounts. 164 00:15:13,600 --> 00:15:18,000 As he was preparing to release us, the man in charge of production came 165 00:15:18,100 --> 00:15:23,000 and said he would give Rs. 37. So the work started again. 166 00:15:23,100 --> 00:15:32,400 How did you make a decision between 50 people? Did you have a leader? 167 00:15:32,500 --> 00:15:35,400 No, there was no leader. There were 50 craftsmen. 168 00:15:35,500 --> 00:15:40,300 When it was lunchtime at 3 o'clock, all the craftsmen went outside and talked with one another 169 00:15:40,400 --> 00:15:45,100 that the rate was low and it should be raised otherwise we should stop working at 3:30. 170 00:15:45,200 --> 00:15:47,600 So everybody went inside and stopped working. 171 00:15:47,700 --> 00:15:55,500 When the supervisor asked us to work, we said "First increase the rate". There was no need for a leader. 172 00:15:55,600 --> 00:16:05,500 Was there an agreement after this? Did the management talk to everybody? 173 00:16:05,600 --> 00:16:07,700 No, the management says they do not have anything to do with us. 174 00:16:07,800 --> 00:16:10,400 The owners have nothing to do with us. 175 00:16:10,500 --> 00:16:15,400 We are subcontract workers so the subcontractor comes and talks to us. 176 00:16:15,500 --> 00:16:16,900 Talks to all 50 of you? 177 00:16:17,000 --> 00:16:20,400 Yes, there are two subcontractors. They talk to the management. 178 00:16:20,500 --> 00:16:24,300 The management never talks to us, whether we work or not. 179 00:16:24,400 --> 00:16:34,900 He talks to the subcontractor and the subcontractor tells us to work and we work according to him. 180 00:16:35,000 --> 00:16:55,100 What was the improvement you got after stopping to work? 181 00:16:55,200 --> 00:17:12,100 Rs. 100 forever 12 hours. 182 00:17:12,200 --> 00:17:16,500 So you got an advantage of Rs. 100 for stopping work? 183 00:17:16,600 --> 00:17:23,300 Is the rate still the same? The management does not try to bring it down? 184 00:17:23,400 --> 00:17:28,500 No. Once the rate is agreed it stays the same for that production. 185 00:17:28,600 --> 00:17:32,200 Because the orders are for 2,000 - 4,000 pieces. 186 00:17:32,300 --> 00:17:39,500 What is being made now, there are 12,000 pieces and for these pieces the rate we have agreed that will apply. 187 00:17:39,600 --> 00:17:54,000 What do you think the workers can do to improve the situation? 188 00:17:54,100 --> 00:18:00,700 The labour power, when the workers want it, everything is possible, 189 00:18:00,800 --> 00:18:03,000 but they have constraints - there is a wife and kids. 190 00:18:03,100 --> 00:18:09,500 I don't know what the thing is but they would prefer to have very little, but do not like to go hungry. 191 00:18:09,600 --> 00:18:14,900 When we stopped working for 4 days our wages were increased. 192 00:18:15,000 --> 00:18:20,700 If everybody became like this, conditions can become better. 193 00:18:20,800 --> 00:18:26,900 But if the workers have a tiny breathing space, they try to manage within that. 194 00:18:27,000 --> 00:18:30,000 So how can you talk to them, they are not even prepared to think like that. 195 00:18:30,100 --> 00:18:37,400 And one cannot hope that there will ever be a revolution. 196 00:18:46,500 --> 00:18:51,800 But they harass the young workers more? 197 00:18:51,900 --> 00:19:01,700 Naturally, because somebody who is old - 45 years, they can't do much work so why should anyone harass them? 198 00:19:01,800 --> 00:19:08,700 And the older you get, the less capable you are of working. 199 00:19:08,800 --> 00:19:12,100 Now, when I am 40, I will not be able to see the sewing, I will be practically blind. 200 00:19:12,200 --> 00:19:15,600 Because the threads are fine - it is detailed work. 201 00:19:15,700 --> 00:19:30,500 So I have to think what I will do after this. We'll see. Some people go back to the village and do farming. 202 00:19:30,600 --> 00:19:57,300 But if 50 people can increase their wages by Rs. 100 by stopping work for two days, this is not so difficult. 203 00:19:57,400 --> 00:20:02,300 So why don't more people go on strike? 204 00:20:02,400 --> 00:20:07,800 Because there is a government minimum wage rate and they are giving that. 205 00:20:07,900 --> 00:20:11,300 But the biggest problem is that there is a vast supply of workers. 206 00:20:11,400 --> 00:20:14,800 There is no dearth of labour whereas there is shortage of workers. 207 00:20:14,900 --> 00:20:21,600 So it is difficult to think how to do this. With us it was that we were making the full piece. 208 00:20:21,700 --> 00:20:28,600 In other places it is done in a production chain so you cannot do it. 209 00:20:28,700 --> 00:20:33,600 With the full piece you can stop work. 210 00:20:33,700 --> 00:20:36,700 So these 50 people are very skilled? 211 00:20:36,800 --> 00:20:45,000 Yes, the make the full garment. In many such factories, which work on piece rate, this kind of thing goes on constantly. 212 00:20:45,100 --> 00:20:51,600 There is always disagreement over rate and they increase the wages by Rs.2 - Rs.4. And the workers manage to get something. 213 00:20:51,700 --> 00:20:54,100 But the trouble with piece rate is, today there is work and tomorrow not 214 00:24:08,200 --> 00:24:11,100 whereas those who are on salary, they get it regularly. 215 00:24:11,200 --> 00:24:15,400 But it evens out. The salaried workers earn Rs. 5,000 and we earn Rs. 5,000. 216 00:24:15,500 --> 00:24:23,400 But in piece rate there is tension and there are targets. 217 00:24:26,500 --> 00:24:29,400 Would you like to say anything else? 218 00:24:47,500 --> 00:24:55,500 What should I say? If the worker unity happens we will see. 219 00:24:55,600 --> 00:25:01,300 This is a very old tradition and it will take time to get rid of it. 220 00:25:01,400 --> 00:25:12,300 Or it is the task of the political leaders - they can decide whether we get benefits or get shot.