Thousands of workers of Honda Motor and Scooter Company (HMSC) and several other companies of Gurgaon and Rewari districts of Haryana participated in a militant rally organised by Trade Union Council of Gurgaon and Rewari at the mini-secretariat of Gurgaon on July 25, 2007. Workers from Honda Scooters marched over one kilometer in a disciplined procession to the venue. They were joined by contingents of workers from other factories such as Speedomax (Sidhrawali), Sona Steering, Lumax, Fashion Empress and others, all of whom came proudly waving red flags and holding their union banners aloft, shouting slogans denouncing the government and the capitalists and upholding workers’ unity. The rally was marked by militant participation of women workers from the export factories in Gurgaon. Trade union leaders from Gurgaon, Rewari, NOIDA, Faridabad and Delhi participated in the rally, as also human rights activists.

Addressing the rally, Comrade Prakash Rao, Spokesperson of the CGPI, asked what it was that we have learnt from the events of July 2005? The attack on the Honda workers in Gurgaon in July 2005 showed that in the impatience to become a world class imperialist power by inviting capital, Indian and foreign to exploit the land, labour and resources of the Indian people, the bourgeoisie is ready to crush the toilers by brute force, even when the workers merely demand trade union rights formally granted to them under the law.

"But comrades, but what all of us here can never forget is the heroic and militant struggle against police repression.

"You workers of Honda, you workers of Gurgaon showed to the whole of India that no amount of bloody repression can put out the fire that burns in their hearts! The bourgeoisie is afraid of this fire in us workers, it is afraid of the fire in the peasantry. Look at Nandigram, there too there has been savage repression, and there too, our peasant brothers have shown through their militant struggle, that they are ready for any sacrifice just like you. Your struggle, the struggle of the Nandigram peasants, has shown that it is a lie to say workers and peasants are not ready to fight. Workers and peasants are fully prepared to fight. It is all those who are in the leadership in the communist and workers movement, like those who are sitting on this dias today, who have to answer why we are not providing leadership to the workers and peasants, why we are not showing the clear direction of the struggle. The trade union comrades here have put forth the immediate demands for which Gurgaon workers are agitating today. These demands are important. But the must important struggle, which you have to decide to fight is this. Do you want to continue to be slaves of the capitalists, Indian or foreign? Do you want to allow capitalism to flourish, and then beg for a share of what you yourself have created through sweat and toil? You are the real masters of India, along with the peasantry. Why do you not organise to establish your rightful rule over this motherland of ours, instead of slaving for the capitalists? This means, comrades that you have to organise yourselves, build the the communist party as your party, and take up the mission of revolution. You have the capacity to do so — take up this challenge..... We must break the shackles which bind us! Truly, we have only chains to lose and the whole world to gain!"

This was the very place wherein exactly two years ago on this day, the Indian state let loose a reign of terror on hundreds of workers of Honda who were peacefully sitting and waiting to deliver a memorandum to the officials. Facing degrading conditions of work, abuse and other attacks by the management and their goons for several months before that, the workers of HMSC were fighting for their dignity and rights. Moreover, 50 of their colleagues had been dismissed unjustly. It was in this context that over 3000 workers held a rally at Kamla Nehru Park, Gurgaon on 25 th July 2005, demanding that all workers be reinstated and rightful wages be paid to them. The authorities called them for negotiations that afternoon, when they were herded into an enclosed area which had only one small exit. Reminiscent of the notorious massacre carried out by the hated British colonialists at Jallianwala Bagh, the police started beating up the encircled workers with deadly force. In this ruthless attack, captured on TV cameras, the police rained blows mercilessly on limp limbs and groups of policemen surrounded individual workers and let loose a barrage of baton blows.

The entire working people of Gurgaon came out as one against the bestiality of the state. The next day, 26 th July 2005, family members and friends of the workers braved tear gas and lathis to fight pitched battles with the police outside the Civil Hospital, Gurgaon where many of the workers were admitted with serious injuries. The working class and democratic opinion in the whole of India came out on the streets demanding justice for the Honda workers and punishment for the state officials responsible for the bestial assault on peaceful workers. Faced with this all India outrage, the mass opposition of workers in Gurgaon, and fearful that the mounting resistance struggle of the working class might lead to a political crisis for the UPA government at the Center, the central government resorted to certain measures to pacify the workers. It promised that all cases against the workers would be taken back. It promised that suspended workers would be taken back.

The Trade Union Council of Gurgaon and Rewari organised this rally with a number of aims. These included the demand for dropping of false criminal cases lodged by th police against more than 60 workers and their supporters, and the suspension of the then SSP, Gurgaon, the DC Gurgaon, and other police officials involved in the attack on workers and the lodging of cases of criminal assault against all these officials. The workers are demanding that continuing police interference in labour disputes on the side of the management be ended. The Trade Union Council also raised specific demands pertaining to different factories in the area, to ending the floruishing practice of contract labour, as well as to ensure that the newly declared minimum wages is implemented for all workers.

Workers of Honda Scooter put up a play, enacting the events of July 2005 and asserting their resolve to strengthen the unity of the workers of Gurgaon and Rewari in order to be able to continue the struggle against the capitalists and their government better. Workers from Kooda Kamgaar Union presented a song of struggle in Bhojpuri.

The program was compered by Comrades Rakhi Sehgal, Lalit Upadhyaya and Abdul Safi. Among others who addressed the rally were Com G L Dhar, President of AITUC, Comrade Sachdeva, Secretary AITUC, Suresh Malik, Sarva Karamchari Sangh, Rajbir Chahal, Rewari Workers Council, Jitendra Sharma, Senior Advocate (Supreme Court), Nihal Singh Dhariwal, Haryana Lok Morcha, Murari Lal, Gurgaon Roadways Union, Jai Prakash (AITUC), Dr Venkatesh from Lok Raj Sangathan, Srimati Durga, Fashion Empress, Satbir Singh, state secretary, CITU, Shri PD Pahuja (HMS), and Shri Kuldip Nayyar, journalist.

Peoples Voice congratulates the Trade Union Council, the Honda Scooters Union and the workers of Gurgaon and Rewari for holding this militant and inspiring rally.