he last few months has seen a sharp surge in worker protests in plants across the country. In Tamil Nadu, workers at Hyundai, MRF, and Nokia went on protest. Last month, a senior Human Resource Executive at Rico Auto died after having been attacked by workers. Now, work at the Gurgaon-Manesar auto belt of Haryana has come to a halt following the death of a worker in an alleged police firing. It is not just blue collar workers who have been aggressively asserting their rights or protesting and striking. Pilots of India�s biggest airlines like Jet Airways and Air India went on strike on separate occasions last month. So, what has led to this increase in worker protests?

Jayant Dawar, VP, Auto Component Manufacturer Association (ACMA), blames it on political parties trying to seek advantage in the recently held elections. �When elections were announced, politically motivated people came in and thought this was the best way to get their own publicity. They got the ...

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