<p>The All-India Trade Union Congress pointed to “sweatshop-like conditions” and failure to grant basic rights to workers as reasons for last week’s violence at Wistron’s manufacturing plant.</p>.<p>In a statement on Wednesday, AITUC general secretary M D Harigovind said Wistron Infocomm’s personnel and human resources policies were flawed from the outset, creating an “exploitative” environment at the Kolar factory.</p>.<p>“Qualified workers with Engineering, MBA and Commerce degrees were promised higher wages before recruitment and finally were pushed into low-skilled operator jobs for minimum wages. We believe that these exploitative practices of the company combined with a failure of the state government to regulate the conditions and the lack of a strong trade union led to a spontaneous and uncontrolled burst of industrial violence,” Harigovind said.</p>.<p>AITUC also pointed out that more than 85% of the workforce was on contract. “It is a common principle to employ permanent workers for work of a perennial nature, and this principle has been flouted with impunity,” the union said.</p>.<p>Harigovind urged the labour minister to include representatives of central trade unions with industrial relations in the investigation committee.</p>
<p>The All-India Trade Union Congress pointed to “sweatshop-like conditions” and failure to grant basic rights to workers as reasons for last week’s violence at Wistron’s manufacturing plant.</p>.<p>In a statement on Wednesday, AITUC general secretary M D Harigovind said Wistron Infocomm’s personnel and human resources policies were flawed from the outset, creating an “exploitative” environment at the Kolar factory.</p>.<p>“Qualified workers with Engineering, MBA and Commerce degrees were promised higher wages before recruitment and finally were pushed into low-skilled operator jobs for minimum wages. We believe that these exploitative practices of the company combined with a failure of the state government to regulate the conditions and the lack of a strong trade union led to a spontaneous and uncontrolled burst of industrial violence,” Harigovind said.</p>.<p>AITUC also pointed out that more than 85% of the workforce was on contract. “It is a common principle to employ permanent workers for work of a perennial nature, and this principle has been flouted with impunity,” the union said.</p>.<p>Harigovind urged the labour minister to include representatives of central trade unions with industrial relations in the investigation committee.</p>