Explain the need of unionism in it sector.
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Does India's booming information technology and information technology-enabled services (IT/ITES) industry, which employs almost one million professionals, require a trade union to fight for its rights?
The Leftist trade unions insist that it is high time the massive industry, which contributes more than 4.5 per cent to the country's national economic output, had a trade union to protect their jobs.
The Indian ITES-BPO (business process outsourcing) industry aggregated revenues to the tune of $5.2 billion in 2004-05.
The proposal to forge a union for IT workers has now come from the Centre for Indian Trade Unions (CITU) -- the trade union wing of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) -- the largest Left party in the country.
So why do white-collar IT professionals need a trade union?
"A union for IT workers is the urgent need of the hour. I would call the IT professionals 'the labourers of the information age.' They toil long hours; they work at night; and some of them still get meager salaries. So a labour union for them would help fight for their rights," CITU president M K Pandhe told rediff.com.
According to Pandhe, the main reason why CITU has mooted the idea is because the IT industry is not governed by any labour laws. "The IT industry continues to chart remarkable double-digit growth. But isn't it ridiculous that the IT workers are working hard without the backup of any labour laws?" he asks.
"Workers in the IT and ITES industry work for 10 to 14 hours daily. There are no fixed timings for them. The moment the IT professionals get together to discuss their problems at work, the management victimizes them and they are shown the door," Pandhe pointed out.
To begin with, CITU, in collaboration with other Left-unions -- like the All India Trade Union Congress, want the Union government to enact a law separately to deal with the labour issues of the IT industry.
"Yes, there is an urgent need for a labour law exclusively for the IT industry. It is the one sector that is booming across India, and we need to frame a legislation for IT workers. We are going to take up the issue with the Manmohan Singh government soon," said Community Party of India national secretary D Raja.
How are the Left trade unions going ahead to form the unions for IT workers?
"It is not going to be easy. Already, we have begun the process to hold consultations with many senior IT employees in places like Kolkata, Bangalore, Chennai and Trivandrum (Thiruvananthapuram). We do hope to establish a proper union soon," Pandhe pointed out.
Left leaders say there is also already tremendous backing from the Union of Network International, a global alliance of 900 trade unions, to forge an IT industry workers union in India.
The Leftist trade unions insist that it is high time the massive industry, which contributes more than 4.5 per cent to the country's national economic output, had a trade union to protect their jobs.
The Indian ITES-BPO (business process outsourcing) industry aggregated revenues to the tune of $5.2 billion in 2004-05.
The proposal to forge a union for IT workers has now come from the Centre for Indian Trade Unions (CITU) -- the trade union wing of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) -- the largest Left party in the country.
So why do white-collar IT professionals need a trade union?
"A union for IT workers is the urgent need of the hour. I would call the IT professionals 'the labourers of the information age.' They toil long hours; they work at night; and some of them still get meager salaries. So a labour union for them would help fight for their rights," CITU president M K Pandhe told rediff.com.
According to Pandhe, the main reason why CITU has mooted the idea is because the IT industry is not governed by any labour laws. "The IT industry continues to chart remarkable double-digit growth. But isn't it ridiculous that the IT workers are working hard without the backup of any labour laws?" he asks.
"Workers in the IT and ITES industry work for 10 to 14 hours daily. There are no fixed timings for them. The moment the IT professionals get together to discuss their problems at work, the management victimizes them and they are shown the door," Pandhe pointed out.
To begin with, CITU, in collaboration with other Left-unions -- like the All India Trade Union Congress, want the Union government to enact a law separately to deal with the labour issues of the IT industry.
"Yes, there is an urgent need for a labour law exclusively for the IT industry. It is the one sector that is booming across India, and we need to frame a legislation for IT workers. We are going to take up the issue with the Manmohan Singh government soon," said Community Party of India national secretary D Raja.
How are the Left trade unions going ahead to form the unions for IT workers?
"It is not going to be easy. Already, we have begun the process to hold consultations with many senior IT employees in places like Kolkata, Bangalore, Chennai and Trivandrum (Thiruvananthapuram). We do hope to establish a proper union soon," Pandhe pointed out.
Left leaders say there is also already tremendous backing from the Union of Network International, a global alliance of 900 trade unions, to forge an IT industry workers union in India.
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