The garment and sportswear workers from NOIDA, Gurgaon, Faridabad, Tirupur, Mumbai and Delhi along with leaders of trade unions were forcibly taken under custody by the Police when they tried to assemble peacefully at the Humayun Tomb. These workers were making use of the Olympics Torch Rally to highlight the plight of the workers who actually bear the heat of the Olympic Flame. Millions of workers throughout the world shell out their labour and toil under exploitative conditions to manufacture dresses, footwear and sports material and make the Olympics a grand success. These workers work harder, longer, for lower than minimum wages, under unsafe working conditions without any social security cover and are refused even the right to organise themselves.

As a part of the international campaign called “Play Fair at the Olympics”, the Indian chapter of the campaign was jointly organized by central trade unions: AITUC, CITU, HMS, INTUC, UTUC, AICCTU, NTUI and labour support organizations like CEC, CIVIDEP and SAVE. They were planning to assemble and were forcibly stopped by the police near Bharatiya Vidya Bhawan. The police manhandled leaders and women and caused injuries to some of the workers, and they were taken to the Parliament police station. Among those arrested were Shri R A Mittal, Secretary HMS, D L Sachdev, Secretary, AITUC and Ms Sindhu Menon, senior journalist, Labour File. The campaign was not a protest or demonstration against the Olympics Torch rally. The campaign is not intended against Olympics but to raise the societal consciousness on the rights of workers in this industry. And is intended to promote the observance of labour standards, so that the workers are also able to capture the spirit of Olympics.

“The action of Delhi Police in not allowing workers to reach Humayun Tomb is totally undemocratic and unlawful. The workers of all central trade unions wanted to go and welcome the Olympic Torch as well as to tell the public that the interest of garment workers who work hard for Olympics should also be protected. Our campaign will continue” Comrade D.L.Sachdev commented the feeling of workers in as many words.

R A Mital Secretary HMS said that the objective of raising this societal consciousness will continue. The Trade Unions are now planning a nationwide yatra highlighting the highly exploitative situation under which garment workers work and the need to protect their basic rights in the months of July and August.