On March 8, Sriperumbudur witnessed a powerful assertion of workers’ unity as hundreds of sanitation workers, industrial workers and rural workers gathered to inaugurate Makkal Mamanram, a new centre of workers’ struggles built with workers’ contributions. The occasion brought together the spirit of International Women’s Day and May Day, as women workers and men from various industries jointly celebrated the opening of the workers’ office in one of the fastest growing industrial investment zones on the outskirts of Chennai.
The three storey building, still under construction but structurally complete, has been built through the contributions of workers themselves. Named Makkal Mamanram or People’s Tribune, the centre stands as a symbol of the collective strength and determination of the working class in the Sriperumbudur industrial belt.
The inauguration ceremony was carried out by workers themselves. The ribbon for the ground floor was cut by sanitation workers Lakshmi, Annalakshmi, Selvi, Meghala and Sathya who recently secured a significant victory through their unity, courage and determined struggle. The first floor was inaugurated by contract workers Damodharan and Rudran along with trainee worker Gopi. Rural workers Anusuya and Kannaiyan inaugurated the second floor.
The programme was attended by leaders of the workers’ movement and democratic forces. CPI(ML) General Secreatry Dipankar Bhattacharya was the chief guest and extended his greetings to the initiative, praising the determination of workers who have built their own centre of struggle and solidarity in the heart of a major industrial region.
Veteran trade union leader R Kuchelan, widely respected as Kuchelar, conveyed his warm support to the initiative. On behalf of senior advocate and trade union leader Prakash, Comrade Ramesh, General Secretary of the United Labour Federation, extended solidarity greetings and pledged support to the workers’ centre. Representatives of several unions also contributed financially to support the completion of the building.
The gathering reflected the diverse composition of the working class in the Sriperumbudur industrial belt. Migrant workers from Bihar and West Bengal, including workers who had taken part in constructing the building, joined their Tamil counterparts in the celebration, creating a vibrant and festive atmosphere of solidarity.
Addressing the gathering, Comrade Bharathi drew enthusiastic applause when he declared that this workers’ centre would not only serve as a base for organising struggles but would also become a space where workers and their families could celebrate life together, including hosting love marriages of workers and their family members.
Following the inauguration of Makkal Mamanram, hundreds of workers, young advocates and activists gathered under the leadership of Comrade Kumarasamy and took the communist pledge. The comrades from CP joined the ranks of the CPI(ML) Liberation, strengthening the party’s presence among workers in the rapidly expanding industrial region.
The inauguration of Makkal Mamanram marks an important step in building an organised working class movement in Sriperumbudur. Built by workers and dedicated to the struggles of workers, the centre stands as a living symbol of unity, resistance and the growing advance of the communist movement in the industrial heartlands of Tamil Nadu.
