Security guards at the Life Insurance Corporation of India building in Butt St, Suva, stopped more than 20 trade unionists protesting India’s alleged mistreatment of workers from delivering a letter to the Indian High Commissioner yesterday.
Fiji Trades Union Congress national secretary Felix Anthony said they were standing in solidarity with their Indian colleagues because when Fijian workers rights were trampled upon by the previous government, “India stood with us”.
“This protest is against the Modi Government which over the years has suppressed farmers and workers rights in India and violated numerous fundamental ILO (International Labour Organization) conventions,” he said.
“This protest is being called by the International Trade Union Confederation around the world and this is called a black day for India.
“This is to bring about more awareness about what is really happening in India in terms of workers and human rights.
“India has featured well for all the bad reasons in terms of human and workers rights and we stand in solidarity today and always – to ensure that they enjoy the fundamental rights of workers.”
In a statement, the FTUC national secretary said October 3 marked the second anniversary of the Lakhimpur Kheri massacre of farmers in 2021 where four farmers and one journalist was killed, allegedly by the relative of a senior Indian Government minister who ran his car into protestors who were protesting India’s Minister of State for Home Affairs visit there.
The FTUC also claimed that since September 2020, tens of thousands of farmers had launched marathon protests in the New Delhi area to oppose the Modi government’s adoption of three agricultural laws which sought to deregulate the agricultural produce market “regardless of the impact on the livelihood of farmers”.
The FTUC claimed that as a result of the deaths of 750 farmers during a hunger strike in 2020 – the largest farmers protest in India’s history – the three laws were suspended by the Indian courts in January 2021, followed by promises by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to repeal the laws and protect farmers incomes and produce sales.
However, the FTUC claimed, the promise has not been fulfilled, the trial of the Lakhimpur Kheri massacre has been postponed “and justice is yet to come for the families”.
The Fiji Times has reached out to the Indian High Commissioner for comment.
Questions sent yesterday at 11.30am remain unanswered.
