This is the unpleasant upshot of the breakdown of talks to resolve the standoff over the demand for wage revision. While the workers are demanding a Rs 500 minimum wage hike, the Association of Planters of Kerala are expressing their inability to concede the demand on the ground that the sector would come to a standstill if they were to oblige the workers.

That the talks failed is no surprise. In fact, it would have been a wonder if the talks had succeeded in breaking the impasse. The negotiations were foredoomed to failure. It was clear on the day Kerala Labour Minister, Shibu Baby John came out with a shockingly insensitive statement that the plantation sector would collapse if the workers’ demand for a Rs 500 wage hike were to be conceded! Of course, the Minister backtracked in the teeth of trenchant criticism. But the damage had been done as John’s friendly stance emboldened the plantation owners to harden their stand on the wage revision.

The negotiations on Tuesday saw both sides driving a hard bargain. The owners tried hard to link wage revision to productivity. But it foundered on the rock of trade unions’ stiff resistance.

That the owners were in no mood to hike the wages was an open secret. But the most disturbing aspect of the negotiations was the shocking apathy of the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) Government to the plantation workers’ plight and tribulations.

It was a pathetic sight to see the Labour Minister – he should be called the Management Minister, said indignant workers representatives wringing his hands in ‘utter helplessness’! All that we can do is refer the issue to the Minimum Wages Advisory Council, John claimed, triggering an angry outburst from the TU leaders and workers.

The trade union leaders dismiss this claim with the contempt it deserves. There is a lot the government can do, but it is deliberately not doing so, for obvious reasons, contend the TU leaders. They point out that not a single statement has come from the government side in favolur of the agitation of workers. The Government’s effort throughout has been to instill the fear of closure of the plantations if they refuse to soften their stance on the issue of wage revision.

The Government’s partisan role drew a sharp comment from the TU leaders that if the plantation owners are unable to operate the plantations, the government should allow the workers to take over the plantations and run them.

As if all this was not enough, Chief Minister Oommen Chandy has compounded the government’s offence by staying away from the crucial Tuesday meeting. The CM had assured the representatives of women who successfully brought the Munnal plantation to a standstill with their nine-day strike, that there would be a decision at the Tuesday meeting. Not only was there no decision. To add insult to injury, the CM boycotted the meeting on the ground of another pressing engagement! No wonder, the Munnar women workers are extremely angry with the Chief Minister over what some of them called his betrayal. And they are in a mood to intensify the strike on their own.

But that decision – to go it alone - is not only unwise but potentially dangerous for a variety of reasons. For instance, the government has ruled out direct talks with them on the plea that it can talk only to recognized trade unions. That being the case, the first thing the Munnar women should do is to form a trade union and get it recognized so that the government talks to them.

But even more important is the paramount need to act in coordination with the mainstream trade unions. Failure to do so would be to play into the hands of recalcitrant managements. Also, it is patently unfair to make sweeping accusations against established TUs. The bitter Munnar workers have a valid grievance against the trade unions. Their grouse is that the established trade unions have let them down in the past and sided with the managements by accepting offers from the latter. It may have happened in some cases. But to tar all the TUs with the brush of collusion with the managements, is unwarranted and not based on facts. The unflinching support of the TUs is an essential prerequisite for the ultimate success of the plantation workers’ agitation. And the workers are simply in no position to achieve their goal by antagonizing and alienating the trade unions and by ploughing a lonely furrow. The earlier the angry women workers realize this, the better.

Meanwhile, the agitating workers have received a shot in the arm with Leader of the Opposition, V. S. Achuthanandan declaring his readiness to go to Munnar again. That is the only good news for workers. It may be mentioned that the striking Munnar women allowed only VS to sit amongst them last time. The workers literally drove away other politicians belonging to parties, including the Congress and the CPI(M). No wonder, the agitating workers have pinned their hopes on the CPI(M) patriarch to pull their chestnuts out of fire. And the peerless champion of the downtrodden and the poor that he is, VS has signalled his intent to do everything in power to ensure justice to the agitation workers. (IPA Service)