Around ten thousand workers and their family members marched through the streets of Ahmedabad on 22nd April, 2010 defying the threat of the Government to invoke ESMA against the striking transport workers of the Ahmadabad Municipal Corporation. The strikers were demanding the implementation of the sixth pay commission’s recommendations which were adopted by the Government and the Corporation for its own employees.
The Gujarat Mazdoor Sabha which was representing the workmen had repeatedly requested the authorities to regularize the services of the temporary drivers and conductors but instead of doing so, the Corporation had adopted an even more exploitative tactics of employing contract conductors for short term periods. Such workmen were paid just Rs. 199/- per day without any guarantee of 26 days of work per month. The uncertainty of another day’s employment led to the spontaneous strike by the contract conductors.
After six days of stoppage of work from 21st April to 26th April, the Management of the Corporation settled the issue after failing to scare the workers with the threat of arrest under ESMA. The daily wage of the temporary drivers and conductors was increased to Rs. 275/- per day instead of Rs. 199/- whereas the wage of the contract conductors was raised to Rs. 225/- per day. All workmen who had been removed or stopped from joining their duties because of their leading role in conducting the strike were taken back on job. A militant action of the workmen finally led to a decent rise of salary with the court cases still being heard for the relief of permanency.
