The Hindu : Beedi workers feel ignored by Centre, State

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Dec 10, 2002

Southern States

Southern States - Karnataka

Beedi workers feel ignored by Centre, State

By Our Staff Correspondent

MANGALORE DEC. 9. A State-level workshop of beedi workers began here today with a call to the Union and State governments to look into their grievances from a human angle and not as an industrial problem.

Seven NGOs came on a common platform under the auspices of the "Beedi Karmikara Hitarakshana Samiti" to give the call to the Union and State governments to pass legislations to protect the employment opportunities in the beedi industry and save it from the onslaught of multinational tobacco companies.

In his keynote address, the Convener of the Karnataka Janaranya Vedike, M.K.Bhat, said that with the removal of quantitative restrictions in the post-GATT regime, tobacco products of other countries were flooding the Indian market.

He said there were about eight lakh people employed in the beedi industry in 13 districts of the State, and Dakshina Kannada alone had over four lakh beedi workers, and the country earned about Rs. 800 crore per annum from the industry.

However, the State Government was only looking at the revenue aspect and had neglected the interests of the workers, Mr. Bhat. Since 1948, beedi companies in the district engaged workers on a contract basis and the beedi industry had become a mass employment generator.

Mr. Bhat said the grievances of the workers included legislations banning smoking in public places. This had robbed the livelihood of nearly three crore people in the country, and about 25 lakh people in Karnataka alone.

He said there was no need for an anti-smoking law and that a campaign of raising awareness against smoking in public places would have been sufficient. Although Kerala also had such a law, it was brought in after a High Court verdict.

Presiding over the inaugural function, the convener of the Karavali Mahila Jagruti Vedike, Vidya Nayak, said that the beedi industry had given economic freedom to women in urban and rural areas. It had to some extent ended gender discrimination and contributed to the overall economic progress of the region. She alleged that governments did not understand the gravity of the situation. The issue was not the ban on smoking, but the loss of jobs in the industry, where 97 per cent of workers were women.

The President of the Nagarika Seva Trust, Somanatha Nayak, expressing concern over the approach of the governments, said that Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts had the largest number of beedi labourers (2.4 lakh). They were getting only two days of work in a week.

A study on the problems of the industry made by the trustee of SEWA, Indore, Sarath Davala, which was discussed at the meet, showed that the odds were against the beedi industry and in favour of corporate cigarette industries.

To add to the woes, the Karnataka Government had promulgated an Ordinance removing tendu leaves from the list of agricultural produce. It had been listed under industrial packing material which attracted additional excise and sales tax.

It was pointed out that the entry of tobacco giants into the mini cigarette segment had also harmed the beedi industry.

Major beedi industries in Dakshina Kannada and Mangalore are disturbed by the fact that over eight lakh workers who are directly dependent on the industry and 10 lakh workers who are indirectly employed would be hard hit if beedi companies go out of business.

Already there are ominous signs as the workload has come down from 1,200 beedis per day to 750. The stipulated wage, however, still stands at Rs. 36.17 per unit. Though the Union Government brought in the Minimum Wages Act in 1948, beedi workers were not covered under it till 1961 in the State as beedi rolling was not even considered a regular avocation.

The situation was not so in Gujarat and Maharashtra where beedi industry thrived.

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