By Anuradha Nagaraj
DINDIGUL, India, June 1 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) – The death of a man who fought for worker rights in Indian spinning mills has prompted sympathy protests and opened questions about work conditions in an industry that supplies yarn to top international brands.
The suicide of Sebastin Inbaraj, 24, who died on May 15 after factory managers accused him of theft, has underlined the harsh work environment in India’s mills and lack of protection for poorly paid labourers, activists said on Thursday.
“He has paid a price for helping young women working in these mills to voice the everyday exploitation they face at work,” said Thivyarakhini Sesuraj, advisor to the Tamilnadu Textile and Common Labour Union, an all-women’s union fighting for the rights of textile workers.
“He encouraged women to fight for their wages and demand their rights. The mill management turned around and accused him of theft, humiliating him in public and resulting in his suicide.”
The mill denies any wrongdoing.
On Wednesday, women from many of the 188 spinning mills in and around Dindigul district of Tamil Nadu, staged a sit-in protest outside the factory where Inbaraj worked.
Inbaraj worked as an assistant fitter, ensuring machines worked around the clock. The factory is owned by a conglomerate that exports high-quality yarn to 60 countries and activists say it employs the largest workforce in the region.
In the nine months that he worked at the factory, Inbaraj’s colleagues credit him with helping four workers get their wage dues. He also encouraged young women facing harassment to contact the union, often putting them in touch with activists.
