Wazirpur: Men of Steel Go on Strike

At the Wazirpur Industrial Area in Delhi, more than 1000 workers of 26 hot-rolling steel plants have been on strike since 5th June 2014 demanding their basic rights. These include minimum wages, shorter working hours (they work 12 hours a day), Provident Fund, Employee State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) health benefits cards, weekly offs, overtime pay etc. They have mobilized themselves under the name of Garam Rolla Mazdoor Ekta Samiti, keeping away all central trade unions as well as women workers. With the strike having entered its 18th day now, the workers have threatened to extend their reach to all the mills in the area if the government does not intervene against the clear violation of labour laws. Newsclick spoke to some of these workers to get a better sense of their struggle.