Politics is a curse on us.

Workers at Hero MotoCorp in Haryana, which manufactures motorbikes, are demanding doubling of salaries to Rs 100,000 per month. TOI, 8 February. At present the Cost-to-company for an experienced shop floor worker works out to between Rs 47,000 and Rs 50,000 per month. Only very few highly educated people in India can even dream of such levels of salaries but now they are demanding an increment of Rs 45,000 per month along with subsidised housing and interest-free loans up to Rs 1 million. Perhaps we should be thankful that they are not demanding fully paid holidays to a foreign country by first class flights and stay in 5 star hotels, including wife and family. The demand is not only breathtakingly brazen but unbelievable in its stupidity. No company can pay such levels of salaries and stay in business in the face of cutthroat competition. Not only will Hero be affected but the contagion will spread to other companies in the area as well as to suppliers of auto ancillaries. Clearly politicians are behind this ludicrous demand. Unions are affiliated to political parties and will create a strike and then extort money from the management to get workers back to work. This is what resulted in the decimation of all factories in Bengal and will surely happen in Haryana. On 18 July 2012 workers at a Maruti plant in Manesar, Haryana went on a rampage after a worker called Jiya Lal was suspended for slapping a supervisor. Very conveniently Lal claims that the supervisor abused him regarding his low caste, a division created by politicians so that they can appeal for votes on the basis of handouts to lower castes. Around 600 workers armed with iron rods and door frames of cars went hunting for managers and supervisors, beating up people, destroying property, and setting fire to offices. One Human Resources Manager was burnt to death and 100 people, including 2 Japanese, were injured. Maruti has sacked 500 workers who are now agitating to get their jobs back. Unions were thus responsible for the death of one man, injuries to 100 others, loss to the company for repairs and lost productivity and, worst of all, loss of jobs for 500 workers. The trouble started because permanent workers are paid Rs 17,000 per month while contract workers get Rs 7,000 per month, provided they do not take any holidays. Companies prefer to take contract workers because of lower costs, less union troubles and because labor laws are so rigid in India that it is impossible to sack a worker for any reason whatsoever. Yesterday Afzal Guru, convicted of being involved in the attack on Parliament on 13 December, 2001, was hanged. On the very day the attack occurred ordinary people expressed sorrow that 10 policemen were killed but not one politician. Such is the contempt for politicians in India. Politics is a curse on us.