NEW DELHI: The Communist Party of India (Marxist) has advocated the need for trade unions in the sunrise IT sector but would not favour forced closures during strikes and bandhs.

"BPO employees can form unions and we would encourage that if it happens... our trade unions would encourage them to form unions. That's the best way to protect their interest and rights. If they [workers] don't want to form unions, it's fine,'' Prakash Karat, general secretary of the CPI (M) told PTI.

Fly-by-night operators

He said the IT sector also had manufacturing aspects such as hardware, where unions would exist. Probably there need not be forcible closure of the IT sector during strikes and bandhs, he added.

"We are getting complaints from all over the country that they [BPO employees] do 12-hour continuous work but do not get any of the elementary facilities and rights that they should get and many of them [companies] are fly-by-night operators. In one or two years they close shop and shift somewhere.

"So those employees want to get unionised to protect their rights. Now why should they not have unions for them, that's the issue," he said.

The software and BPO industry expressed its opposition to unions in the sector. On the other hand, trade union leaders have accused BPOs of violating labour laws regularly.

Mr. Karat contended that the BPO sector was no different from others. ``If the employees of any enterprise want to form a union, the laws of this country allow them to do so. What is so sacrosanct about the BPO sector?''

"Even in the essential services there are unions. Production of electricity and its distribution can be called an essential service. But how can you ban a union in that. You may ban a strike under the Essential Services Act," he said.

He pointed out IBM, one of the biggest computer companies, has unions in Europe and America. "Why can't IBM units in India have unions?"

He would not endorse the argument that the BPO sector was doing well as there were virtually no unions there.

"Some of your best manufacturing production units in this country have unions and their productivity is high and they make profits. So you cannot ipso facto argue that a sector will do well if there are no unions. And there are many sectors, which do well. Most of the Tata companies do well. They have unions in various sectors," he said.

Being exploited

There are hundreds of small ITeS enterprises coming up, BPOs coming up and they are exploiting the employees, he charged.

The Indian IT-IT Enabled Services industry has recorded 33 per cent growth in exports to $23.6 billion in 2005-06. — PTI

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