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