Multi-level marketing employees rallied before Parliament
Over 7,500 volunteers representing multi-level marketing employees
and MMEF all over India today rallied before Parliament under the banner
All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC) demanding proper law to protect
the interests of the multilevel marketing employees, consumers and the
corrupt and underhand practices of the MNCs.
Inaugurating the rally, veteran parliamentarian and General
Secretary of AITUC declared that that AITUC, all other unions affiliated
to AITUC and himself will be in the forefront along with MMEF to force
the government to bring in immediately the necessary law to protect the
employees. “If you struggle, take the struggle deep down to every nook
and corner of the country and come back to the national capital in
larger numbers, Parliament and the central government will be forced to
listen to your demands and act positively. In India lakhs of educated
young people are engaged in multilevel marketing sector. These employees
have been dependent for years on this sector for meeting their
livelihood needs.”
The AITUC leader said that the multilevel marketing in the name of
reaching the consumers quality products at a cheap price, exploits its
employees to the full by denying them all genuine and accepted workers’
rights. A small share of the profit is being distributed to the
employees in the sector as remuneration without any consideration for
their job security and family’s welfare.
The youngsters are joining this sector with the belief that the
plans and packages worked out by most of the MNCs, domestic business
majors and the newly entering small traders are generally beneficial
both to the employees and the consumers. As a marketing tactics and with
an aim to win over both the employees and consumers, these companies
come out with copies of all kinds of certificates, testimonials and
awards along with photographs to prove that their products were used and
satisfied by people who matter in the society including political
leaders, professors, teachers, doctors and others
The rally, which began from the Barakambha Road and marched to
Parliament house, was led by EC Satheesan, PV Ashokan, Chidambaram N, V
Sreenivasan, Muben Mohamed, James Mathew, V R Sreenivasan, Sasidharan,
Baby Sebastin, Jairo K James, Deepak Bajan, Gowran Nehra, ADV Pradeep,
Awani Kumar Sharma and TV Stephen. The rally was stopped by police in
front of the Parliament Street police station where it got converted
into a public meeting.
AITUC national secretary and reception committee chairperson
Amarjeet Kaur who presided over the meeting at Parliament street said
that multilevel marketing has today become a reality everywhere in the
world including India. Therefore this sector could not be just ignored
and is growing at a tremendous pace in India too. The sector is being
made fully and legally operational in our neighbouring country China. In
several countries, there is separate law and even a separate ministry
to deal with the sector and those engaged in multilevel marketing
including also both employees and consumers.
She demanded a central government law to identify and protect the
real multilevel marketing companies as well as the employees involved in
the sector. The law must be immediately enacted and brought into
practice so that the employees who have taken MLM as a career can live
with a pride.
She pointed out that the high-power seven member inter-ministerial
committee set up by the Ministry of Consumer Affairs with nominees from
various ministries and the RBI unfortunately does not have any employee
representation. This lacuna will seriously affect the quality of the
fact-finding report, which will recommend and finally be submitted to
the government by August 31, 2012. Therefore we demand appropriate steps
by the government to consult all stakeholders including the MMEF before
drafting thre report.
CPI Rajya Sabha member M P Achuthan who spoke in detail of the
MMEF’s successful struggle in Kerala assured all help and support to get
enacted a proper law. He said that though each of these companies
involved in multilevel marketing has rules and regulations, they carry
out their violations — small and big — most intelligently and at times
even make use of the loopholes in the legal set up in India.
AITUC deputy leader H Mahadevan, who referred to other countries
and the epmployees’ struggle experience said that even some of the
companies after amassing enough wealth are least bothered about the
consequential outcome of their operations. If need be they do not think
twice to shut down their activities and flee away from the scene,
throwing the employees to the mercy of the public and law enforcing
agencies.
Among others who spoke are MMEF-AITUC general secretary E C
Sateesan, AIYF general secretary Aftab Alam Khan, AISF Delhi state
president Kunal Kumar, MMEF leaders from various states and Delhi AITUC
leader Babban.
E. C. Satheesan Amarjeet Kaur Chidambaram N
General Secretary National Secretary National Media Co-ordinator
MMEF-AITUC AITUC MMEF-AITUC
