On June 12, Hundreds of workers from different sectors across Delhi-NCR, including those from Noida, Manesar, and the Okhla industrial area, as well as workers from the security, sanitation, domestic work, and construction sectors, participated in the Workers' Convention organized by the All India Central Council of Trade Unions (AICCTU) at Surjeet Bhawan, New Delhi, under the theme "Raise Wages, Stop Repression." Teachers, students, lawyers, trade unionists, and democratic activists also joined the convention in solidarity with the ongoing workers' struggles in Noida, Manesar, Panipat, Surat, and other industrial centres.
Addressing the convention, AICCTU General Secretary Rajiv Dimri said that the countrywide workers' strike against the anti-worker labour codes and the subsequent upsurge in industrial areas reflected a growing determination among workers to resist exploitation. He emphasized that the Indian working class would no longer tolerate modern-day forms of slavery and denial of basic rights.
Conducting the convention, AICCTU National Vice-President Sucheta De noted that the recent revision of minimum wages in Haryana came only after sustained workers' struggles. However, even the revised wage levels remain grossly inadequate. She reiterated AICCTU's demand for a minimum wage of at least Rs 42,000 per month, based on established norms for a dignified standard of living, and stressed that higher wages and freedom to unionize are non-negotiable demands of the working class.
Workers from Manesar who have faced arrests and repression shared their experiences. Trade union leaders and lawyers involved in challenging the ongoing cases and police actions against workers in Manesar and Noida also addressed the gathering. Workers from various sectors in Delhi spoke about their struggles and expressed solidarity with workers' movements across the country.
Advocate Kawalpreet Kaur, who is defending jailed activists in Noida, highlighted how contractualization has become a tool to suppress workers' rights and prevent unionization. She condemned the criminalization of workers and activists while employers violating labour laws continue to enjoy impunity.
The convention unanimously demanded a substantial increase in wages, an end to repression, the withdrawal of all false cases against workers and activists, and the immediate release of all those jailed for participating in democratic workers' movements.
