Labourers, for centuries, have been subjected to exploitation — forced to work for lengthy hours in crammed and stuffy rooms under unhygienic and hazardous conditions. When we leaf through the pages of history, boycotts, strikes, protests, movements, and marches were quintessential in claiming labour rights. While low wages are a perpetual problem, today, despite the laws protecting labourers having undergone waves of changes, exploitation is a prevalent threat. While the working class have always been slaves to capitalism and were victims of systemic domination, what we see in modern workspaces is also a replication of the old hierarchies in a new disguise.
Protests for today’s private sector employees aren’t always synonymous with clutching placards and shouting slogans, or stepping out and crying out their demands. While they are struggling between conforming and rebelling, remaining quiet but fighting against being silenced, they are battling everyday mistreatment, yet clinging on to the hope of change.
Chandra Shekhar Azad, a tech employee and joint secretary, Union of IT and ITEs Employees (UNITE), emphasises that IT is one of the most exploited sectors in the modern world. As he says, there is systemic subjugation, and it remains blurry until “you climb up the hierarchy”. Providing a larger view of the IT industry, he says, “Most of the IT companies talk about diversity and inclusion.” On paper, they want people from different linguistic and cultural backgrounds, but nepotism is discreetly inflicted.
It was in 2017 that employees from different companies joined hands to form a union to address the issues of the IT sector. “We saw that this is one of the sectors growing tremendously fast, providing hope to many people, mostly from economically backward backgrounds. But there was also a dark side to it; this upliftment didn’t come easily to them. They were brutally exploited, and there was no means to question this entire system,” Chandra Shekhar shares. This is when they decided that a registered union can bring the issues forth to the bureaucrats.
Arun Kumar, vice president, UNITE, adds, “They took shape when they realised IT and ITEs employees were being retrenched in huge numbers.” Since there was no redressal mechanism inside the companies, they realised that “only as a union, we could guide, file cases and fight alongside such workers.” He adds that the policies, working conditions, and workplace democracy are in favour of the employers. “An individual can be easily targeted and cornered by employers, which has been our experience for the past eight years,” he notes.
When this hierarchy remains undisturbed, what predominates is the higher-ups’ individual biases. Alagunambi Welkin, general secretary of UNITE, says, “The system itself enables caste, class, religion, and region-based discrimination. The policies in IT companies enable the philosophy of ‘I can decide the employee’s work life, financial growth, with subjective preference.’ There are mass layoffs and these eliminations are based on this social preference. There is no means to expose this kind of discrimination.”
Caste and gender bias
Sensiya G, a union member and a techie who has been employed for two years, starts by calling her work “modern slavery”. As a woman, she says her issues are amplified: from micromanagement by male employees, being assigned overtime work, keeping a watch on washroom breaks, scornful comments on emergencies like leaves for painful menstrual cycle, and other health issues, to digital harassment, she and her colleagues are prey to all kinds of discrimination. Elaborating on digital harassment, she says, “We often encounter unsolicited opinions and indecent talks over the phone, even after work, from male bosses.” However, these issues are buried by the management.
She believes that the management is complicated — HR is always in favour of the people who are in power. “We are scared to complain and most often, brush our own issues aside,” she rues. While Prevention of Sexual Harassment (POSH) Act, and Internal Complaints Committee are mandated in companies, it is equal to nil in many offices, she rues.
Prarthana Manoj, an independent researcher, says, “While increment, promotion, or bonus, and other monetary-related topics are considered worth discussing with the management, when it comes to issues like menstrual leave, leaves for mental health, they are usually downplayed.”
Additionally, the prying questions women encounter during recruitment affect their personal decisions, making them feel unprotected. “We are questioned about marriage and baby planning,” Sensiya says. Chandra Shekhar informs that once women come back from maternity, they are not given the same seniority. The law says there has to be daycare in the premises, but none of the companies have one. Even if there are, they are so expensive that a month’s salary wouldn’t suffice for the daycare fee.
Trans people, who are also a minority group, bear the brunt of the lack of protocols in companies. “There is no policy that provides leave for their gender affirming surgery. Many have had difficulty in securing insurance. They have also been denied entry to the office because of the names changed,” notes Chandra Shekhar.
Power has always conveniently concealed many injustices. Chandra Shekhar links this to lack of transparency, “In IT, the redressal mechanism, be it ICC or POSH, is not transparent. If you challenge an authority, you are bound to be pushed down, and so employees refuse to react.” The fear also stems from the need to keep their job security intact, the fear of being retained within a project, or a leadership role. While mass layoffs have been a bane of this sector, the union members say that “the selection is based on the lines of language, region, and it may trail down to caste as well.” Arun reiterates that there have been cases where promotion is based on caste bias.
Overtime and burnout
While many employees are trapped in the office in the name of overtime, there is no mechanism to track the number of extra working hours. Chandra Shekhar stresses, “The labour department has to monitor this.” This overworking has led to many serious health issues. “So they end up seeking different opportunities. A series of such instances also leads to quiet quitting,” he adds. While many companies preach about work-life balance, none follow. Ironically, there are fun Fridays, yoga sessions, and cycling sessions for an hour. But employees are so worn out, these kinds of compensations look futile, he says.
Union members contend that collective union action is tackling these issues but many employees have also adopted unconventional ways of protest. With the looming fear of job security, many have felt the absolute necessity to publicise their worries. Alagunambi says, “Many have written their experiences of ill treatment and posted on social media. There are confession pages where people voice out their issues anonymously, which are amplifying voices of the affected. However, there is a threat from companies and a fear of these pages being leaked. People have also expressed their discontent through resignation.” Although social media is a compelling space for mobilisation, Alagunambi says that not all sectors have a registered union. Many gig workers struggle to speak up. All they have are WhatsApp groups where problems are articulated, not addressed.
While this is the scenario in the IT sector, educational institutions are also no exception when it comes to issues about a person’s background. Dinesh Balaji M, an assistant professor, says many private colleges lack organised groups or progressive movements, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t problems. “A structural hierarchy functions in many colleges based on class. From getting a job in a college to recruitment in the IT sector, people are chosen on the basis of where they come from. Protests in educational institutions are considered negative; here, our needs are fulfilled not through protests but through requests,” he says. What they have is a grievance cell, which usually favours the management. “It’s either complying or being thrown out,” he says.
Be it crammed and filthy rooms or glass-walled rooms, the resistance against exploitation remains the same. Silences don’t mean conforming — confession pages, social media posts, and union meetings are indeed the new ways of resistance, creating a new history in modern workplaces.
Role of union groups
Legal protection: They take up cases of forced resignation, withheld certificates, and targeted scrutiny of employees with the Labour Department and Labour Court.
Support on harassment: They encourage the employees to address the issue with the internal committee, and then pursue legal action based on the outcome.
Exposing through street corner meetings and campaigns: These are ways through which union groups expose the companies and employers. There is collective bargaining where unions negotiate with employers on the demands. This method has nudged many MNCs to back off from unjust actions. Awareness campaigns are done near the companies so that their internal issues are exposed.
