{"id":1104,"date":"2020-05-20T08:53:11","date_gmt":"2020-05-20T08:53:11","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/vikalpvimarsh.in\/?p=1104"},"modified":"2020-05-20T08:53:16","modified_gmt":"2020-05-20T08:53:16","slug":"azim-premj-the-interests-of-workers-businesses-are-deeply-aligned-especially-in-these-times-of-crisis","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vikalpvimarsh.in\/?p=1104","title":{"rendered":"Azim Premj : The interests of workers, businesses are deeply aligned, especially in these times of crisis"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

By-Azim Premji<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sixteen young men were mowed down by a train. The details are\nstill being investigated. But we do know the basic truth. Like millions of\nothers who lost their livelihood, they were starving. So, they decided to walk\na few hundred kilometres to their homes and slept on the tracks assuming no\ntrains would run, since it was the lockdown. Some kind of a lockdown was\nnecessary to tackle the pandemic, but these deaths are an unforgiveable\ntragedy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I don\u2019t use the word \u2018unforgiveable\u2019 lightly. The blame is\nsquarely ours; the society that we have built. This tragedy is just one of the\nmost wrenching markers of the tremendous misery that hundreds of millions of\nour fellow citizens are bearing, those who are the weakest and the poorest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

This is the reality we are living through. And so, it was shocking\nto hear that various state governments, encouraged by businesses, are\nconsidering (or have already done so) suspending many of the labour laws that\nprotect workers. This includes laws related to settling industrial disputes,\noccupational safety, health and working conditions of workers, and those\nrelated to minimum wages, trade unions, contract workers, and migrant\nlabourers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Those sixteen young men died because we have almost no social\nsecurity and too little worker protection \u2013 not because we have too much of it.\nWhich is also why the lives of hundreds of millions have been torn asunder in\nthe tsunami of the pandemic, not only because of structural poverty and\ninequality.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

All my working life I have dealt with labour unions and labour\nlaws. It is not as though over these past fifty years I haven\u2019t dealt with\ndraconian laws and unreasonable trade unions. But over the past few decades\nlabour laws have changed such that they are hardly among industry\u2019s top\nconstraints. At the same time, social security measures have not increased,\nthus worsening the precarity of the employed. Diluting these already lax laws\nwill not boost economic activity, it will only exacerbate the conditions of the\nlow wage earners and the poor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Such measures tend to pit workers and businesses against each\nother. This is a false choice. We need only look at the past few weeks of\nexperience, the unjust treatment of migrant labour vitiated the social contract\nbetween business and labour. This triggered the mass reverse migration of\nlabour, undermining businesses. Thus, such measures are not only unjust but\nalso dysfunctional. The interests of. workers and businesses are deeply\naligned, particularly in times of unprecedented economic crisis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even more importantly, we must look at the much larger set of\nissues. This economic crisis is also devastating the rural agrarian sector, and\nequally, if not more, the informal economy of the self-employed and small\nbusinesses across rural and urban areas. These sectors support the livelihoods\nof many times more people than the formal, organized sector.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The situation is far more serious than what most people seem to\nrealize. I am saying this from our own experience. Over the past 50-55 days, as\nthe country tries to deal with the pandemic and the human misery in its wake,\nthe Azim Premji Foundation, along with Wipro, has worked extensively, both on\nthe humanitarian and the healthcare front.
\nThese efforts have been and continue in 375 districts across 30 States and Union Territories.\nThis has only been possible because of our deep ground presence \u2013 over 1600 of\nour own team members have been joined by over 10,000 government schoolteachers,\nand, over 50,000 members of our partners whom we have supported through\nfinancial grants. Our 2000 strong University alumni also play a crucial role.\nWhile this ground presence is enabling our work, it also gives us a very real\nand dynamic sense of the economic crisis that is unfolding.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The economic damage and the ensuing humanitarian crisis are\nimmense. We are still in the early stages of tackling the pandemic, we must not\nforget that. This also means that \u2018livelihoods versus lives\u2019, meaning reviving\neconomic activity versus measures to tackle the pandemic, is not only a false\nchoice but also a dysfunctional and unethical way of framing the issue. The\npandemic must be dealt with on the healthcare front fully and comprehensively,\nwhile the people and the economy must be supported equally to ameliorate the\nimmediate human suffering and to minimize long-term damage. Given the\nseriousness of the situation, the Union and\nState Governments must play a central role.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In this context, we must welcome the announcement by Prime\nMinister Narendra Modi, of a fiscal stimulus and support to the economy of\nnearly 10% of the GDP. I think this is the size of support required, given the\nstate of the economy, of livelihoods, and of the lives of people. There are\nalso near-term uncertainties about the course of the pandemic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, it is important that this 10% be well and truly in addition to\nthe already committed government expenditure and interventions and is not in\nany way (even partially) a reclassification of the earlier commitments. With\nthis financial outlay many critical actions must be taken, I suggest a few\nhere.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Immediate steps need to be undertaken to help the rural sector.\nExpanding MGNREGA may be the most important step to help the most disadvantaged\nand poor to whom it should be provided. Additional allocation of Rs 1 lakh\ncrore should be made to MGNREGA, along with increasing the guaranteed number of\ndays per household and increasing the daily wage. This will help all who demand\nwork.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ensuring timely payment of wages will be critical. A similar Urban\nEmployment Guarantee Scheme must be designed and rolled out. Both these schemes\ncan enable creation of productive assets, including infrastructure and agrarian\nassets, which will form the backbone of the countries\u2019 economic revival,\nserious and sustained Investment in public health will help the campaign\nagainst this and future pandemics, and help build up a desperately needed\nfunctioning and responsive National Health System in our country. In this\nseason it may also need to support the operating expenses of the rural economy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some of the stimulus money must be used to increase public\ninvestment in agriculture: to promote sustainable farming initiatives, stronger\nprocurement system for grains at remunerative prices, and the expansion of\nlocal storage and value-addition for perishable crops. It should also be used\nfor fostering rural and small-town entrepreneurship and making these economies\nmore dynamic by increasing opportunities in agri-based as well as artisanal\nindustries. This could be done through involving local democracy institutions\nsuch as the panchayats.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Enhancing social security is the most important action to mitigate\nthe widespread humanitarian crisis. Food security must be ensured \u2013 we must\nuniversalise and double the PDS ration for 3-6 months and distribute it free\nthrough doorstep delivery along with cooking oil, pulses, salt, masala,\nsanitary pads and soap in advance to all.
\nEmergency cash relief of Rs. 7,000 per month for at least three months (without\nbiometric authentication) to each poor household\/migrant worker. Minimum wages\nfor 25 days per month should be released to all poor urban residents for the\nperiod of the lockdown and at least for two months month following the end of\nthe lockdown. Full autonomy and freedom should be provided to stranded and\nmigrant labourers in deciding their travel plans, while ensuring all measures\nfor containment of the pandemic. No one should be forced either to stay back or\nto return to their home states. Stranded migrant workers should be allowed to\ntravel for free on buses and trains.
\nThis is not comprehensive but just a sample of measures we could consider. Nor\ncan this be achieved overnight. A one- to two-year detailed implementation plan\nneeds to be developed quickly, by appropriate experts, and fully involving the\nstates and civil society. But the size and nature of measures do need to be\nthis ambitious to be able recover.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As we come out of this crisis, which we eventually will, we must\nalso see this devastating experience for what it truly is. A tragic wake-up\ncall to the nation, to build a more just, equitable and humane society.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The writer is Founder Chairman, Wipro.\u00a0(Courtesy:\u00a0The Economic Times 16\/05\/20<\/a>) <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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