Unions strike hard for just wages, owners unmoved

Dark side of the glittering Chimakurthi Granite Industry

The galaxy granite imported from Chimakurthi in Prakasam district glows under the chandeliers of villas in Europe and China. But the men who dig the earth to give a lavish look to the posh houses and star hotels are denied just wages by the people who make their pockets fat with the sweat of the workers.

The Chimakurthi Galaxy Granite Owners Association has 60 companies and persons as members who own nearly 200 mines in the region. They export blocks of galaxy granite to China and European countries. Nearly 10,000 people make living directly from granite and allied industries in and around Chimakurthi and nearly 6000 of them are workers of these 60 companies.

The work is risky and even a minor mistake can prove fatal to the worker. The dust from the drilling causes lungs diseases and reduces lifespan. There is no hospital or group health insurance policy for the workers. But, M A Azeem, the secretary of the Chimakurthi Galaxy Granite Owners Association said, “We provide all protective gear to the workers.

As the complaints of lung diseases have increased, we are encouraging wet drilling. Though there is no insurance policy cover for the workers, we are paying their medical bills and giving a paid leave, if they intimate us before joining the hospital, as per rules.” Vijay Kumar, a jockey operator in Madhucon granites said, “We should get helmets and goggles when joining the company, uniform every year and industrial shoes every six months.

In our company we did not received uniform for the past four years. The shoes, which should protect the legs from boulders and give grip in slippery surface, are not replaced even for a year. When shoes are given to workers, they are are of inferior quality and do not meet industrial standards.”

A Venkateswarlu of the same company said, “The companies do not offer health services to the workers. Though they say that they will pay the bill, no hospital in the State accepts us due to the late process of payment and procedures involved in it. All claims of the workers are rejected by the companies saying that they did not inform them before joining the hospitals.”

The granite companies also employs unskilled or semi skilled workers on daily wage basis. Most of them are from Odisha, Chattisgarh, Telangana and Tamil Nadu and bonded labor to mastries (daily wage labour contractors) who provide accommodation and food to them. They work in the quarries to drill the granite blocks and other physical hard work. But they are forced to sleep in congested rooms -10 to 15 members per room.

They are said to be given a daily wage of Rs 292, but Rs 80 would be given to mastry who provides food and shelter. Those who work as jockeys to drill granite would be paid Rs 7 per feet.. A three member jockey team would do 150 to 200 feet per day. The mastry gets Rs. 1 per foot. All contract semi skilled labour are given boiled rice, potatoes and mixed vegetable curry along with a watery sambar.

Siromani Babu, a native of Odisha said, “We could not save much to send to our family. Though we work for years, we do not get ESI, PF or any other benefit. The mastry collects the daily wages from the company and pays us once a month after deducting Rs 2300 from it as charges for food and accommodation.”

Malaria is rampant in Chimakurthi area as per records of the AP government health department. The water logged quarries become home for mosquitoes. The association claims that it is filling all the water pits with earth. Subrahmanyam of Pallava granites said, “Almost every senior worker in the granite quarries is affected by malaria once or twice.

The high power medicines we take regularly has made us immune to mosquito bites now, but the new comers, who come with the mastries are most prone to the disease and at least one in a batch can be seen suffering from fever regularly. And those who didn’t go to work due to ill health will not receive wages and are forced in to debt with the mastry for providing the facilities and make them bonded labour.”

There are 169 galaxy granite, 31 black granite and 44 colour granite mines in the district and together produce 4 lakh cubic meters of granite per year and paid Rs 124 crore in 2013-14 and Rs 132crore in 2014-15 as royalty to the government. In the year 2015-16, the government has set Rs 166 crore as target.

Though royalty figures shows that the income from the industry is increasing every year, the companies claim that they are losing about 30 per cent business and are unable to hike salaries to the workers as per the agreement with the union. For the period of 2012-15, the owners association is in agreement with the workers union to give increment of 20 per cent every year.

But now, the association is rejecting the increment for 30 per cent demand, but offering only 5 per cent. Azeem said, “As granite from other countries is coming for a cheap rate to the merchants of China, we are losing demand for the past few years. In the same time, the cost of production is increasing as we need to go deep for digging.

Also there are only a few companies who are making considerable profit with all the expenses. So, we suggested the union to consider for slab based increase in salary to the employees, but they did not accept. Had they agreed, we may have increased salary to junior level employees than the seniors, who earn more but do the same work.

Later, we proposed 5 per cent minimum increment and suggested them to pursue the individual companies for further increment. Those companies, who are making a profit may consider the workers request and may increase the salary on its discretion.” Chandrasekahar Reddy of Anand Granites said, “Nearly half of the companies witnessed shift of managements from father to son and like that and they are in the hands of youth.

When their elders run the companies, they knew how much the workers struggled to give profits to the company. The new managements do not want to give the demanded increment but enjoy the hundreds of crore, the companies received in the earlier years. Another reason is the companies are using machinery to increase production now and going deep every month.

Though the production cost is increasing, they are making higher profit in terms of sales compared to previous years with the same number of employees. They don’t want to agree that. No company has paid more than the 20 per cent when they are making profits. Now they are asking us to reduce the increment claiming increase in production cost. House rents have increased 10 fold in the past five years, but our salary has not even doubled. Wages are not just. This is just injustice.”

Srinivas, an electrician in a granite company added, “We used to discuss our issues with the owners directly. But now they have called the police to terrify us. The discussions, which used to be held in the open space under trees are now confined to AC rooms in a hotel and limited to 10 members from the union. The companies shifted some workers from their home to the quarries with the help of police and they are forced to work for more than two shifts daily.

They have not retured home even after three days. The government is with the owners as most of them are in politics and no one is caring for the rights and welfare of the workers.” The secretary of the owners association condemned that they are using the police to force workers. He said, “We agree that there are politicians among owners, but they have nothing to do with police intervention.

The workers union tried to stop some workers who are willing to work in the quarry. Then the police intervened and gave protection to the workers who came forward voluntarily. It is the decision of workers to work for more time by staying in the quarry and we have nothing to do with it.”

The workers in the Galaxy granite industries are on strike since July 16 demanding salary hike on par with price rise. Chikati Srinivas Rao, general secretary of the CITU Prakasam district said, “Though the owners make crores of rupees profit, they do not want to hike workers salaries. They say that the workers are getting more increment, but no one is getting more than Rs 20000 per month.

In the discussion, we reduced our demand from 40 per cent to 30, then to 27, 25 and then 22. But the management just increased by 1 per cent to 6 per cent. They once again put off the discussion, but we are firm and cannot accept anything less than 22 per cent. If they do not agree, we will continue our strike.”

By:Naresh Nandam