Mumbai All of the large national union federations in India argue that they are independent, autonomous labor federations, but all of them are individually aligned to major political parties and formations whether on the right, left, or middle. No finger pointing is involved, because the same thing is true in the US, Canada, Mexico, and …
Month: March 2014
In Mumbai ACORN’s Ragpickers Start Rolling
Mumbai I had a sleepless night in Bengaluru, filled with excitement about our progress in unionizing informal workers and always mindful of the constant challenges of early morning flights in the “jams” of India, all of which combined to leave me exhausted once I hit the Juhu Beach area in Mumbai around noon. No time …
The Wonder of Political Party Politics in India
Bengaluru Voting begins in mid-April across India and formal campaigning with the clarity of knowing the final lists of candidates from the various parties is only final now, hardly weeks before the polls open. Voting is mandatory in the world’s largest democracy, but there are no penalties for non-voting, so the actual turnout is hardly …