Demand the DMRC and the Delhi State Government to stop the violation of labor laws in the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation!

Delhi Metro Rail Corporation has long been projected by the State and its media as the pioneering transport service provider in the National Capital Territory of Delhi. However, very few are aware of the fact that despite the "clean" image of the DMRC and its Managing Director E.Sreedharan, this state institution is in serious violation of the workers' rights. There are approximately 10,000 workers working as housekeepers, ticket-maintenance-operators, and security guards who are not given even the minimum wages, facilities of ESI, PF and often weekly off by the contract companies. This seems unlikely that the Metro Rail administration is not aware of these violations by its contract companies. The DMRC does not even have the direct record of all of its contract workers, which clearly indicates that the DMRC as the principal employer of all the contract workers is not ensuring the implementation of the labor laws. All this is in gross violation of the Contract Labour Act (1971), Minimum Wages Act (1948) and a number of other basic labor laws. There is no official of DMRC present during the payment of wages to the contract workers. There are no direct inspections of the implementation of labor laws by the DMRC officials. The inspection is done by the contract companies, whether they themselves are conforming to the labor legislation or not! Recently, the DMRC gave the contract companies a proforma to be filled by the workers, which would ensure that the workers are being given their legitimate rights! Now, how the contract companies would get their contract workers to fill that proforma in the "desired" way, can be understood even by a layman. The officials of these contract companies take Rs 40,000-70,000 as "security money" from the contract workers at the time of the appointment, which is never returned. Its a clear case of bribery. And, the next day we see Mr. E.Sreedharan visiting Anna Hazare's fast against corruption! Such is hypocrisy prevalent in the DMRC!

Even glaring is the fact that going by the law, the DMRC cannot give the work of permanent nature on contract; however, it has contractualized all these works which are of permanent nature. It does not seem possible that all this is being done without the knowledge of Mr. E.Sreedharan.

We appeal all democratic, sensitive and pro-people individuals concerned with the decaying status of implementation of the labor laws in the country and deteriorating conditions of the working class of the country to sign this petition and stand in solidarity with us.

We demand:
1. Abolition of contract system in the work of permanent nature;
2. Implementation of all the labor laws for the contract workers working in the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation, including, the minimum wages, weekly off, double payment for the overtime, ESI, PF, an articulately formulated policy of recruitment and dismissal;
3. High level inquiry against the officials of DMRC responsible for the violation of labor laws;
4. Cancellation of the licence and blacklisting of the violating contract companies;
and,
5. Public audit of total income and expenditure of the DMRC.