[asia-apec 1228] Massacre of Manjolai Tea Estate Labourers in Tamil Nadu

[tpl at cheerful.com]

>Date: Thu, 05 Aug 1999 13:33:19 +0700
>>From: "society for rural education" <burnad at md3.vsnl.net.in>
>>
>>Police excesses and massacre of innocent labourers of Manjolai Tea Estate
>>in Tamil Nadu,  India on 23.07.99.
>>
>>Background
>>
>>	The tea estate of Manjolai compraising of more than 1500 acres is
located in the western ghats of Tamil Nadu in Tirunelveli District. The
land is a leased property for a tenure of 99 years.  Thousands of workers are
employed.  Among whom the majority work force are the Dalits.  Though there
are a lot of labour welfare legislations in India none of them are enforced
and followed in Manjolai where the conditions of labourers are nothing
better than that of the bonded labourers.  The labourers neither enjoy any
of the benefits envisaged in the labour legislations nor receive a fair
wage.  The prevailing conditions forced them to assert their rights.  The
demands to the employers went unheard.  Hence they went on strike.
>>
>>	In order to uphold their rights to a fair wage and other stipulated
legal benefits they approached the District Collector.  The Government
instead of solving the issue arrested 652 innocent workers including 198
women.  They
were put into jail and were refused to be released on bail.
>>
Legal Issues
>>
The Manjolai estate labourers are not paid fair and living wages.
The working hours are not stipulated for these workers.
The workers are not made permanent employees inspite of working for several
years.
The women workers are denied of the benefits of maternity benefit Act.
None of the workers enjoy the leave facilities or the provident fund
facilities.
There is no proper housing facilities or medical or education facility
for>the children in Manjolai Estate.
The labour Welfare Department has remained been a mere spectator in this
issue.
The workers who protest are arbitrarily arrested and imprisoned.
The union leaders are blackmailed and brutally attacked.
>>
The incident
>>
	On 23.07.1999, various labour union people headed by the local member of
Legislative Assembly (MLA) and other MLAs belonging to various political
>>parties marched towards the Tirunelveli Collector office after a public
>>meeting.  Their main demands were,
>>
>>
>>The release of the arbitrarily poor workers.
>>Ensure of fair wages
>>Stipulation of working hours
>>Demand to take over the administration of the Manjolai  estate by the
>>concerned Government Board.
>>
>>The protesters had obtained prior permission from the Government for the
>>public meeting and rally.  The police who outnumbered the people, stopped
>>them and did not allow them to meet the District Collector with the
>>demands.  The police was adament in not letting the leaders to meet the
>>Collector.  They used force and disbursed the processionists who for fear
>>of their lives started to run away.  The police chased them towards the
>>river Tambraparani  and attacked them with blows on their heads and chests
>>causing injuries and death of several people.  Many workers got beaten up
>>and drowned.  Out of the people who were forced to have a watery grave only
>>17 bodies have been rescued till date.  The police did not spare even the
>>women and children.  A 2 year old child was killed along with its mother
>>who went to demand the release of her husband.  The media people who tried
>>to take photos were also not spared by the police.  It was a well planned
>>cold blooded high handedness of police atrocities on the innocent labourers
>>who tried to assert their rights.  The Government is trying to give it a
>>communal colour suppressing the fact that the issue is a labour problem
>>going on for the past several years.
>>
>>Prayer
>>	
>>	We request you to write to our Government to strictly follow the
national and International norms to ensure justice to the poor workers of
Manjolai Tea Estate.
>>
>>
>>TAMIL NADU WOMEN'S FORUM
>>CHENNAI.
>>
>>