Selvi and Muthu became friends thanks to their participation in union activities

With the help of Fedina, Muthu and Selvi get involved in the unions’ struggle for better working conditions.

Could you tell us about your background?
Muthu: I come from a humble family with 6 daughters in Tamil Nadu. I attended school up to standard 10th (9th grade). After I got married, I came to Bangalore where I became a seamstress in a factory.
Selvi : My two brothers and I were born in Tamil Nadu. My father is a farmer. After we got married, my husband fell out with his brothers and we had to leave. Since then, we have been renting a tiny house in Bangalore. My husband is a day laborer with no job security of employment and I have to work as well. Today, I am largely responsible for my family’s financial security.

How did you get involved with Fedina?
Muthu: : there used to be seven of us – my father-in-law, my four brothers-in-law, my husband and I – living together in a tiny house at the heart of a slum area. Thanks to Fedina’s housing rehabilitation project, we built a larger house with sanitary installations. I then started attending a Self Help Group which organizes neighborhood meetings, to help people find solutions to their problems and to inform people of their rights.
Fedina then asked me to join the Navachetana programme to support the elderly. I have also been an activist for the Textile Workers Union (GTWU) and a member of the Domestic Workers Union (DWU) for a year. We think about solutions to the problems encountered by the women workers I meet every day, and raise their awareness of their right to decent wages.
Selvi : I am a domestic worker in Bangalore. After I met Muthu, I joined the DWU, and then the GTWU. I was a bit scared to join these unions but I quickly realized that it was useful; it could help workers like me who had problems with their employers. I have been a treasurer with DWU for 6 months. I go out and meetdomestic workers to tell them about their rights, to encourage them to negotiate for better wages andwork hours. The union often organizes meetings to find solutions to the problems we hear about and we plan for upcoming activities. At the GTWU, we are working on the issue of unpaid overtime work and unpaid insurance contributions.

Selvi, what has improved since the unions were set up?
A few women workers have had a raise, corresponding to the number of hours they work. Most of them now have one day off a week. And yet, I know that in our everyday life we are still considered inferior people and our employers have little respect for us; sometimes they even give us nothing to drink. Now that I work for the unions, I feel gratified, for I know my work allows other women workers to have their rights respected and to have decent working conditions.

Muthu, how do your relatives view your commitment?
When I was first approached by Fedina, my husband was against it, he would find all kinds of good reasons: « it’s too far, you’ll have problems making yourself understood if you don’t speak the local language, you’ll have less time for the housework, etc. » But I managed to convince him. Today he is proud of me and allows me more freedom with my time. This job has done me a lot of good: I can speak Kannada, I can find my way around Bangalore, I am not afraid to walk up to people and speak to them. I am very pleased with my work and my commitment in Fedina’s actions.

Further reading: :
Résonances Asiatiques N° 24 - Mai 2008

[1] FEDINA : Foundation for educational innovations in Asia http://www.borda.de/homepages/india... - FEDINA is a partner of Frères des Hommes.