There are about 2,28,000 workers, mostly women who are engaged in preparing midday meals in government schools in Bihar. Earlier, in March, mobilized by CPI (ML), they had submitted a memo to the Chief Minister demanding government employee status and 15,000 per month honorarium. In May this year, they had organized a conference in Patna and formed the Bihar Rajya Vidyalaya Rasoiya Sangh affiliated to AICCTU. As a result of their agitation in the months of May and June, the Bihar government was forced to bow down and at least give a wage scale albeit very low. Inspired by the initial outcome of the struggle, the association called for a 3 day hunger strike on 8, 9, 10 July in front of the Chief Minister’s office. A massive rally was taken out from Gandhi maidan on 8 July led by AIPWA Gen Secretary Com. Meena Tiwari, Rasoiya Sangh State President Com. Saroj Choube, State Secretary Com. Sohila Gupta, Com. Anita Sinha and others. AICCTU leaders also participated in the march. Addressing the rally, the speakers said that women workers play the biggest role in implementing all the welfare schemes of the government, but the government does not pay heed to the rights of the women workers or try to improve the quality of their life. They are given a mere pittance of 1,000 as honorarium which is far less than the minimum wage fixed by this very government.
The third day of the hunger strike saw the biggest rally of about 2,000 midday meal workers, with the maximum number coming from Motihari. The meeting was addressed by Com. Kunal and Com. Krishnadev Yadav. They stressed on the unjustness of the low honorarium and said that the fight for the midday meal workers’ rights would be carried on till the end. They pointed out that the trend of contractual/honorarium employment was closely linked to the pro-corporate policies of the government.
While the government took no cognizance of the hunger strike on the first two days, on the third day however, when both gates at R block were blocked, the Magistrate promised to meet a delegation, following which the strike was called off with pledges to make the 21 July bandh a huge success. The next agitation will be held on 5, 6, 7 Aug during the Assembly session, during which it will be ensured that no midday meal is prepared by workers at the honorarium of Rs 1,000.
