Calcuttans are resigned to self-professed trade unionists thronging the streets and bringing city life to a standstill. These noisy ‘workers’ often throw others’ work out of gear. Once in a while they have incensed a delayed judge enough to invite judicial wrath. When put on the mat, West Bengal’s mighty government has promised to keep the streets clear; but it has soon knuckled under pressure from its irate supporters. The impression is common that these disruptions are the handiwork of a tiny minority. It has even been suspected that the demonstrations are staged by a handful of addicts who simply have to get on the streets and chant death to sundry enemies of the people every once in a while — that they are just a harmful minority, conspicuous but not representative of the city.

The Central ministry of labour has released statistics that should put paid to such illusions. For in 2004, West Bengal accounted for 1,75,64,722 working days that were lost in industrial stoppages out of India’s total of 2,38,66,367 — almost three-quarters of the national total. It had such a lead that other states could not hope to catch up in a lifetime of idleness. Even Maharashtra, India’s most industrialized state, came a poor second with a measly 13,46,513 days lost. Optimists may be inclined to think that West Bengal’s imposing total was a reflection of its industrial importance. That would be a misconception, for of the 237 crore days worked by organized workers in the country, West Bengal’s workers accounted for 16 crore — less than 7 per cent. In other words, while an average Indian worker lost 1 per cent of working days in stoppages, the average Bengali worker lost 11 per cent. There could hardly have been more clinching proof of the proclivity to stop work in West Bengal’s statesmen. However, statistics can lie — or at least conceal truth. For in India, workers lost a fifth of days in strikes, and four-fifths in lockouts. In West Bengal, they lost a tenth in strikes, and nine-tenths in lockouts. Workers in Calcutta do not go on strike because they enjoy marching on the streets; they come out on the streets because they are locked out.

Why are they locked out so often? Clearly, employers’ conception of correct work practices differs radically from that of workers. Whoever is at fault, the state’s level of working days lost is too high. Workers fall considerably short of the minimum standards employers expect. This not only causes the massive lockouts; but it is also what has led to the exodus of industry from the state. West Bengal needs standards about what work means, and what workers can and cannot be expected to do while at work. And to work, such standards would have to be accepted by workers and enforced by trade unions. This is what trade unions should be organizing, not street marches.