Who represents workers?

West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharya’s comment that he would, in future, oppose strikes and bandhs, because they “do not help the country or the people” has led to his public censure by the CPI(M) politburo. Veteran unionist and Vice President of CPI(M)’s trade union wing, CITU, Shyamal Chakraborty said: “Strikes are the final weapon in the hands of the workers to protest injustice. As a party that truly represents the working class of India, we cannot oppose this fundamental right.”

Really? The contention that the CITU and the CPI(M) are the true representatives of the working class is disingenuous, to say the least. According to the Union Ministry of Labour’s 2006-2007 census, CITU ranks a poor fifth among its peers, with only 2.6 million members. The biggest national trade union is the BJP-backed Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh (BMS), with over 6 million members, followed by the Congressaffiliated Indian National Trade Union Congress (INTUC), which has 3.8 million members. In fact, CITU is not even the top Left-backed union.

That honour goes to the CPI-backed All-India Trade Union Congress (AITUC), which has 3.3 million members. Was Chakraborty speaking on behalf of the Left, then? Even then, the numbers belie his claim. The combined strength of AITUC and CITU is 5.9 million, less than the strength of the BMS alone.

—Dhiman Chattopadhyay