Reference no: EM133094365
Caselet Irikkal Samaram: Kerala Textile Shop Women Workers' Struggle for their Right to Sit
The Onam festival was in full swing. In a textile shop in Kozhikode (the State of Kerala, India), Anitha, a sales assistant, was busy catering to the ever-growing customers. Her feet were hurting. She had not sat or even taken a toilet break the entire day. Maybe Almighty listened to her silent plight. The customers before her got busy discussing the fabrics and patterns between themselves. Anitha snatched the moment to lean against a wall, giving rest to her tired self. Not for long, though. Within minutes a floor manager accosted her and reprimanded her for idling away. To add insult to the injury, her monthly pay was deducted by '100/-
In another incident, Cybil Wilson (not the real name), who had given a decade of her life to a sari shop in Trivandrum, frequently complained of pain and swelling in her legs. Her employer prohibited her and her colleagues from sitting down at all during a 12-14 hour shift. "We can't use the lifts either. All customers pay on the ground floor for their purchases, and we have to accompany them; so we are up and down the stairs all day. A few times, when we did use the lift, customers complained about having to share it with us," said Wilson.
Moreover, these women were careful not to intake much water, for they were not free to go to the toilets at will. Even many establishments had done little to provide independent toilets for their women staff. Frequented by men, the women stayed away from using them. Consequently, many suffered from urinary infections as well as kidney problems. Yet the employers, as well as the Government, looked the other way.
Helplessness Abound
The working conditions for the women employees in these textile shops were harsh. The employers forbade their staff from sitting during the work hours. Leaning against the wall was also frowned upon and invited a pay cut. The lunchtime was limited to thirty minutes with washroom breaks limited to twice a day. Even conversation between colleagues was disallowed and could attract a pay cut if noticed. Worse, the employees are continuously monitored using CCTV cameras.
Surprisingly, with Kerala boasting of a vibrant trade union culture, all the above problems still prevented these saleswomen from organizing. Maybe they were scared since many shop owners take actions against employees who reach out to a workers' union. Also, the owners would ask them not to return to work if they demanded a toilet. Added to this, the mainstream trade unions were indifferent to the concerns of these women.
One must recall here that unlike a male worker, the woman worker's day does not end upon returning home. Several tasks, including cooking, await her attention. The long never-ending days, primarily spent on one's feet and without much opportunity to visit a loo, ensured that many women suffered from varicose veins as well as joint pains. They were desperately looking for a Messiah.
The Unlikely Messiah
Viji Palithodi used to work as a tailor in a shop at S. M. Street in Kozhikode. Curious by nature, she was stunned one day upon witnessing a long queue of women workers of the Street waiting to urinate. She recalled, "There was a toilet in my building. But I came to know that there are many shops which do not have toilets. The women in the queue were crying while explaining their plight".
Since her childhood, Viji had become sensitized to the harsh realities of life, especially about the unequal treatment meted out to women. She described, "Both my parents were working. My dad was a bus driver, and my mother worked as a maid. However, women laborers were not even accepted as human beings. They would be beaten up. They had to be alert 24 hours - to work, to look after the house and the family. I watched my dad hit my mom, and she never took rest." She also recalled that her "father's money would go for parties and enjoyment, which the women of the house could not even think of."
While Viji was wondering if such injustices could be defeated, the well-known activist K. Ajitha arrived as a ray of hope for her. Working with Ajitha's 'Anweshi,' a women's group, Viji, steadily developed as a firebrand leader. She deeply identified with the problems of the laborers and strived to provide a solution. According to Ajitha, "Viji herself is a laborer, hence can understand the problems well. She loves to work amongst the people in the field rather than making speeches and writings."
With such deeply entrenched feelings against injustice, it was but natural for Viji to take up the plight of the women of S. M. Street. In the year 2009, she founded 'Penkootu' (women's nest), which launched the 'Moothrapura Samaram' (protest for toilet). It was a long battle that even stretched to the court. However, the women stood their ground, ultimately tasting sweet success. Their protest resulted in the installation of e-toilets in the State, which is a common sight nowadays.
Post this victory, the women workers began to approach her with their problems. One such issue was concerned with the saleswomen who were denied sitting facilities while they worked. Her 'Penkootu' initiated the 'Irikkal Samaram' (sitting protest), in which the women protested by sitting with chairs on their heads. The unique struggle continued for many years, aided in between by the formation of the Asanghatitha Meghala Thozhilali Union (AMTU) in 2014, a registered union led by Viji for unorganized workers. One of the most significant events of the struggle is the 100 days strike in the year 2015 that was led by six women workers in Thrissur against their employer - the Kalyan Sarees. These six women, with no prior experience of such activism, captured the imagination of the State. They refused every suggestion for a compromise. The strike eventually brought about a hike in salary from '7000 to '7200 (as per the Minimum Wages Act). Stools were provided, thus meeting one of the demands of the women, although they were still disallowed to sit. The lunch space on the fifth floor was cleaned, and the management began maintaining a register of employees. Salary slips were provided, and documents were provided for the wage deducted from salary for the provident fund and the welfare fund. Later, the management also revised the working hours of the women from 10 am to 7 pm with breaks in between. The Government finally took note of the series of demands and protests by amending the Kerala Shops and Commercial Establishment Act in July 2018. Specifically, Section 21B of the law states: "In every shop and establishment, suitable arrangements for sitting shall be provided for all employees so as to avoid 'on their toes' situation throughout the duty time, so that they may take advantage of any opportunity to sit which may occur in the course of their work." Additionally, the Government raised the fine for non-compliance to one lakh rupees from the previously mentioned five thousand rupees (Section 29). The women indeed stood up successfully for their right to sit.
The Way Forward
"We now have more stools in the shop than we really need," observes a saleswoman at a prominent textile shop in Kannur. Post the amendment of the law, officials from the labor department are ensuring state-wide compliance with the law. For example, a district labor enforcement officer stated that his team inspected 31 shops, comprising of textile shops and jewelers, across Kasargod and Kanhangad towns. While all the shops appeared to have facilities for employees to sit, yet these were found to be inadequate in some shops. He promised to follow up with the necessary action against these shops. Similarly, the Kannur District Labour Officer (enforcement) reported having assessed the working conditions of 638 employees working at 18 shops. Twelve shops were reportedly found by him complying with the law. For the rest, he issued a notice to improve the condition.
Not surprisingly, the ruling Left Democratic Federation (LDF) government champions this amendment as exemplary. However, many other union leaders are skeptical of its efficacy. While they welcome the change in the law, they fear that it would remain unimplemented. According to them, the issue is not the absence of law, but the lack of an efficient mechanism to ensure its implementation.
As if to lend credence to their fear, in October 2019, the employees of a popular textile network in Kozhikode city launched an indefinite strike at one of the outlets. They raised their voice against the management's action of expelling some of the employees after they had demanded masks to protect themselves from the dust that emanated while handling old stock of clothes at the shop's warehouse. The issue was later settled amicably. Similarly, a woman employee was expelled after she complained to the labor officer that the chairs were brought in the previous night after the management got a tip of the officer's imminent visit. In summary, the trouble for the women workers in Kerala textile shops is far from over.
Assignment Questions
- Please read the case "Irikkal Samaram: Kerala Textile Shop Women Workers' Struggle for their Right to Sit."can you suggest ways in which the union could have been dismantled?
- Why were the women in the textile shop exposed to such inhuman behaviour?
- We do not see many white-collar women collectively protesting. Why did these women protest?
- Will there ever be an end to these strikes?