May Day is that important day on the importance of the Worker. It is a symbol of emancipation from exploitation, which was rightly symbolised in 1922 by a work stoppage by all workers in the fields, and by themselves. It was only in 1938 that the Labour Party perpetuated this commemoration”, says Ashok Subron, spokesman for the General Workers Union, Resistans Ek Alternativ and the workers of the sugar industry. The acerbic trade unionist tells us about the social, economic, ecological and political struggles that workers have and will have to face here and in 50 years’ time while earning a decent living. According to his mathematical calculation, which he explains below, he proposes that the minimum wage be raised to Rs 13,500 before the 2022 budget and that it be gradually and automatically raised after the increases. According to this calculation, an employee should have been paid around Rs 33,000 at present… He is convinced that everything is still possible if workers mobilise.
On this day commemorating his struggle for over 40 years, he will be live on social networks on May 1st from 10.15 am to 12.30 pm at a small rally under the theme of Valer Lavi Travayer at Sables Noire in Grande Rivière Nord-Ouest at the headquarters of Artisans & General Workers Union (AGWU).
What is the symbolism of May Day in 2022?
With the pandemic, the restrictions, the climate crisis and despite the population’s disinterest in traditional politics, the symbolism remains just as strong because the value of the worker, which in Mauritius is counted by about 800,000 out of a population of 1.3 million, remains the same. That is to say, capitalised around three essential values: Life, Solidarity and Freedom. May Day remains a very important day as the worker is reminded of his rights and his symbolism in society.
Is Labour Day a meaningless holiday with no commitments?
Let’s say yes, literally a public holiday like any other, especially with the restrictions imposed with Covid 19. But the work continues to be done via social networks and live broadcasts and we can testify that the commitments and interests are even more intensified. The pandemic will have had a favourable effect, as the restrictions on gatherings opened the way for the Voice of Mauritians on the networks. They have opened up and denounced with greater fervour and intensity than ever before. The Wakashio episode may illustrate this. Moreover, we are fighting to have this restriction lifted without any rationality coupled with an organisation of the Police which positions itself as this instrument of power and which has opted to defend the interests of the politicians of the state rather than the interests of the citizens, even going so far as to flout a court injunction, as in the case of the deportation of the Slovak Peter Uricek and hitting a man of law, Yatin Varma.
How much weighs Trade Unionism in 2022?
Trade unionism has not lost its meaning. Of course, since the end of the 1990s we have seen a certain decline in trade unionism because the sectors have diversified and so the smaller number per sector results in a smaller number of so-called organised workers being in an organised trade union. In the past, the sugar industry had more than 60,000 employees, but today this large sector has only about 3,000. The same is true of the public transport sector, where there is now a ‘split’ with the advent of the Vans, the Metro… For example, in the BPO the unionisation structure is not yet well formed and will take time. Then there is the inescapable fact that there is a lack of solidarity among workers, especially in the private sector, where they either expect magic from trade unionists or they move on once their personal problems are solved, thus not lending a hand to problems of similar or different nature reported by others. It is in unison that trade union battles are won. In the public sector we encounter fewer such problems, the weight of trade unionism is stronger. The fact remains that Covid 19 was in favour of bringing together the working class and employees despite the restrictions.
Trade unionism maintains its role as a ‘spearhead’ in these social, political, ecological and economic issues, bringing together class conflicts and dissipating racial conflicts.
Would you say that workers are in total acceptance or resignation with the various global crises?
No, these global crises have shown quite the opposite. The proof is in the march for freedom on 11 July 2020, in the streets of Port Louis, the first major post-Covid-19 rally by the Kolektif Konversasyon Solider, which brought together various unions and civil society organisations. This demonstration, which brought together around 10,000 participants, followed the vote on the Covid-19 Act and the Quarantine Act and the budgetary measures. The guiding themes were life, solidarity and freedom. The worker knows his rights and will not accept exploitation or resignation in the face of the world situation, neither by the young nor by women. Moreover, the Mauritian people have brought down all those who came to rule in order to dominate.
Tell us briefly about the right to protest nowadays
Mauritius was born in the denial of human rights with slavery, the Coolies, colonialism among others. But the people have always and still remains against one attitude or method, Domination or Autocracy. The authoritarian reflexes of the present government are sometimes frightening, as are Pravind Jugnauth’s methods, which we describe as ‘chemical composition’ to win elections. The reaction of the population may result in an uncontrollable backlash. We avoided a general backlash a week ago when it was the younger generation that took the lead with a very hot spirit. We do not condone violence or riots. The root of any protest must be investigated and understood. In the years 37 to 40, the Colonial Commissioner sent his agents to shed light on the reasons for the riots at that time. Nowadays, the present government labels protest as ‘Disorders’.
Trade unionism teaches us peaceful protest without political interests or opposition affiliations, in togetherness as in the latest protests in 2021 on 11 July 2020, 29 August or 12 September in Mahebourg.
How do you, as a trade unionist, activist and campaigner, rate the minimum wage threshold for the current times?
The question of the minimum wage threshold is as old as the emancipation of the 1930s. There has been a big hijacking of the minimum wage principle. There is the National Wage when there should have been the National Living Wage adapted to the housewife’s basket in the context of its time. Taking the cost of living and based on Statistics Mauritius figures, for the period November-December 2021 a wage earner should receive a minimum wage of Rs 31,900. It should be noted that inflation is calculated from the cost of each expenditure in a family i.e. bills, food, health, clothing, house, fuel among others. Currently, on the same basis of calculation, the estimate is Rs 33,000. Statistics Mauritius calculates that in each family 1.5 members work and not 2. We estimate that by this calculation, the minimum wage per person would be Rs 22,000. And that is why, compared to the minimum wage of Rs 10,200, we propose that the minimum wage be raised to Rs 13,500 before the 2022 budget. Thus, after the budget, the National Living Wage will be raised again, gradually and automatically with the increases that will be announced, based on the same mathematical pattern. According to the CSO Figures, 76% of private employees earn less than Rs 20,000 and 63% of public and private employees combined earn less than Rs 20,000. According to the MRA figures 88% of the private sector earn less than Rs 30,000 and 77% of public and private employees combined earn less than Rs 30,000. The Mauritian worker deserves more. A concession must be made for SMEs with an annual turnover of less than Rs 25 million where the MRA should intervene to introduce a ‘Justice Tax’ on very large companies and use this Tax to offer subsidies to this category of SMEs to enable them to charge these salaries for their employees.
What is your message for May Day?
My message is simple: Every worker who works to be able to live decently must, and very quickly, organise himself under the values of life, solidarity and freedom. We must revive the mobilisation and put forward a new project for society as Emmanuel Anquetil and Pandit Sahadeo did before us. The society must put forward the class struggle and not the race struggle to allow a socio-economic, ecological and political milestone for the next 50 years. It is Now or Maybe Never. There is still time!
