Leaders of the Bhopal Gas Peedit Mahila Stationery Karmchari Sangh (BGPMSKS) a trade union of women survivors of the Union Carbide disaster in Bhopal, have announced their victory in a 23 year long legal battle for parity at work.
The women survivors were employed as workers, at a government stationery production unit, as part of official rehabilitation programme. However, they were not treated as regular workers and were paid much lower salaries and deprived of many of the benefits available to regular workers.
On October 29th 2013 the Supreme Court of India directed the Controller, Government Printing & Stationery Press, Government of Madhya Pradesh to pay the women survivors as regular workers, tripling their wages.
The Court also directed payment of Rs. 200,000/- as settlement for the women survivors’ entitlement to parity with regular workers.
“After 23 years of fighting in the courts finally the highest court of the land has vindicated our position.” said Rashida Bee, President of the trade union.
Below are photos of some of the women who will benefit from the victory.
