A Convention of the Unorganised Workers and Contract Workers organised by the Maharashtra Rajya Sarvashramik Mahasangh held in Pune on 25^th April, 2009 at the Ganesh Kala Krida Rangmanch was a Grand Success. Over 3,000 workers from unorganised Sector attended the Convention. They came from as far away as Vidarbha, Khandesh, Marathwada, Mumbai, Ahmednagar, Kolhapur and Konkan apart from the City and Suburbs and the District of Pune itself. Retired justice of the Supreme Court Justice Shri.P.B.Sawant inaugurated the Convention.

In his remarks, Justice Shri Sawant said that it is the working people, who create wealth but it is usurped by the rich, leaving the millions of toiling people without even basic wherewithal of life like a shelter, food, water, health, through gainful employment. He observed that this has happened because instead of the Secular, Socialist, Democratic republic promised in the Constitution on which they take oath of Office, the rules of this Party or that, this front or that have established an order for the interests of capitalist, big traders, rich farmers, builders and the like of who have amassed unimaginable private wealth. He also in this respect referred to the wealth secretly kept in Swiss Banks and other tax havens, when the millions are going without the basic necessities of life. He advised the assembled workers that while fighting for their immediate demands, also work hard to build a truly socialist economic social order in the Country in which the working people would be masters of their own destiny, as envisioned by those who gave their all for freedom of this Country. Com. Medha Thatte then gave a brief speech, outlining the objectives of the Convention. She said we are opposed to the false debate about the Organised Sector workers being responsible for the fate of the unorganised. She asserted that it is the organised and unorganised workers, who have organised this Convention. It is the pro-rich policies of the Government that has created the totally adverse situation of the unorganised. Just as today’s organised workers were once unorganised and got organised through a long process of struggle, the unorganised have now been trying to get organised. The organised workers have also been helping the unorganised to get organised, as their brothers and sisters. In this Convention, we are demanding that what the Dr. Sengupta Commission recommended as also what the standing Committee of Parliament recommended must be given unreservedly to the unorganised workers by setting aside at least 6% of GDP and through a proper and reliable delivery system. Organised Workers would fully support this demand and also help the unorganised workers through promoting full time activists from amongst them and in every other way. Many donations have already been given to us to start this process on a long term basis. This Convention is a new starting point for this effort.

Com. R.N.Thakur, Leader of the Landless Labourers and Construction Workers from Patna, Bihar, then narrated the horrible conditions of the Dalit workers in Bihar. He told how a young Dalit Boy who came to work, wearing chappals was severly beaten for wearing them in the presence of the upper caste owners. He also narrated how the young men from dominant communities would invade the slums of the Dalit Workers and take away young girls and rape them at will. He said those conditions have been changed after years of relentless struggles, in which he was jailed for seven years. But today nobody dares to treat the Dalit like that any more. He also narrated the four points he scored in the Indian Labour Conference recently held in Delhi, such as prohibiting contract workers being used against permanent vacancies etc. His presentation evoked tremendous response from the workers and audience who repeatedly clapped during his speech.