Karnataka State IT/ITeS Employees Union #KITU demands immediate withdrawal of criminal charges against 7000 employees of iPhone manufacturing plant, run by Taiwan-based tech giant Wistron Corporation at Narsapura (around 60 km from Bengaluru in Kolar district of Karnataka).
KITU office bearers participated in a protest demonstration organised by #CITU along with other progressive organisations like #AIKS, #SFI, #DYFI and #AIDWA, in front of collector’s office, Kolar (Karnataka) condemning the widespread arrests and police repression on workers.
The labour unrest occurred in the Wistron company on 12thDecember is solely due to the criminal violations of labour laws by the company management. The Management not given proper salaries for the last few months though workers forced to work more than 12 hours a day. The company employs nearly 10,000 contract workers and not even ready to give them minimum wage. While an engineering graduate was promised Rs 21,000 per month, his/her salary had reduced to Rs 16,000 and, subsequently, to Rs 12,000 in the recent months. Non-engineering graduates’ monthly salary had reduced to Rs 8,000.
The inspection report by the Karnataka government’s Department of Factories, Boilers, Industrial Safety & Health, dated December 13, 2020 (a day after the incident), the team which went there to assess the damage and find the cause of the labour unrest, found large-scale labour violations in the Apple iPhone manufacturing plant. The practices in place with regard to payment of wages and overtime work, are not in line with the provisions of law, said the report, adding that, there is a wide gap between the practices in the factory to the statutory stipulations under the law pertaining to the period of work.
The report points out that the Wistron scaled up the licensed manpower capacity at its Narasapura plant from 5,000 to 10,500 in a short time without permission. The change in working hours of the factory from 8 hours shift to 12 hours shift on continuous basis has not been brought to the knowledge of the Labour department. The factory has adopted 2 shift of 12 hours per day system from 4th October 2020, with three breaks of half an hour each in each shift.
The three-member inspection team that visited the plant earlier found, after verification with supervisors of contract agencies, a difference in the amount paid to contract workers, which had been pointed out to the Human Resource department as well as contractors. The HR team had assured that the same would be rectified and the difference payment would be paid along with the next month salary. However, this difference was not paid along with the salary for the month of November 2020.
In fact, the salary of the housekeeping contract workers are not paid till date, and they are required to work for 12 hours a day for six days a week, and are being paid the same salary which they were being paid when they were working for 8 hours a day.
Also, there is violation of the norms under the Factories Act. The necessary exemptions under the Factories Act 1948 have not been taken to carry out overtime work from the workers and hence the working hours of the factory from 6am to 6pm and from 6pm to 6am is in violation of the provisions of Section 51 and 54 of the Factories Act, 1948. Violations of norms were also noted with regard to engaging women workers to do overtime work as there is no provision under the law to engage women on overtime work.
Even after the inspection found large scale labour violations there has been no FIR against the company management, instead police has filed an FIR against 7,000 contract workers. It is strange that the Karnataka Chief Minister is condemning the workers and supporting the company when ‘The Apple Corp.’ itself has found its supplier company had violated norms.
Karnataka State IT/ITeS Employees Union (KITU) condemns the approach of Karnataka Government turning a blind eye towards labour law violations and demands stricter actions against the company management and contract agencies for criminal violation of la
KITU office bearers participated in a protest demonstration organised by #CITU along with other progressive organisations like #AIKS, #SFI, #DYFI and #AIDWA, in front of collector’s office, Kolar (Karnataka) condemning the widespread arrests and police repression on workers.
The labour unrest occurred in the Wistron company on 12thDecember is solely due to the criminal violations of labour laws by the company management. The Management not given proper salaries for the last few months though workers forced to work more than 12 hours a day. The company employs nearly 10,000 contract workers and not even ready to give them minimum wage. While an engineering graduate was promised Rs 21,000 per month, his/her salary had reduced to Rs 16,000 and, subsequently, to Rs 12,000 in the recent months. Non-engineering graduates’ monthly salary had reduced to Rs 8,000.
The inspection report by the Karnataka government’s Department of Factories, Boilers, Industrial Safety & Health, dated December 13, 2020 (a day after the incident), the team which went there to assess the damage and find the cause of the labour unrest, found large-scale labour violations in the Apple iPhone manufacturing plant. The practices in place with regard to payment of wages and overtime work, are not in line with the provisions of law, said the report, adding that, there is a wide gap between the practices in the factory to the statutory stipulations under the law pertaining to the period of work.
The report points out that the Wistron scaled up the licensed manpower capacity at its Narasapura plant from 5,000 to 10,500 in a short time without permission. The change in working hours of the factory from 8 hours shift to 12 hours shift on continuous basis has not been brought to the knowledge of the Labour department. The factory has adopted 2 shift of 12 hours per day system from 4th October 2020, with three breaks of half an hour each in each shift.
The three-member inspection team that visited the plant earlier found, after verification with supervisors of contract agencies, a difference in the amount paid to contract workers, which had been pointed out to the Human Resource department as well as contractors. The HR team had assured that the same would be rectified and the difference payment would be paid along with the next month salary. However, this difference was not paid along with the salary for the month of November 2020.
In fact, the salary of the housekeeping contract workers are not paid till date, and they are required to work for 12 hours a day for six days a week, and are being paid the same salary which they were being paid when they were working for 8 hours a day.
Also, there is violation of the norms under the Factories Act. The necessary exemptions under the Factories Act 1948 have not been taken to carry out overtime work from the workers and hence the working hours of the factory from 6am to 6pm and from 6pm to 6am is in violation of the provisions of Section 51 and 54 of the Factories Act, 1948. Violations of norms were also noted with regard to engaging women workers to do overtime work as there is no provision under the law to engage women on overtime work.
Even after the inspection found large scale labour violations there has been no FIR against the company management, instead police has filed an FIR against 7,000 contract workers. It is strange that the Karnataka Chief Minister is condemning the workers and supporting the company when ‘The Apple Corp.’ itself has found its supplier company had violated norms.
Karnataka State IT/ITeS Employees Union (KITU) condemns the approach of Karnataka Government turning a blind eye towards labour law violations and demands stricter actions against the company management and contract agencies for criminal violation of la