Solidarity Group ON NEW YEAR'S day 1994 a worker from the Victoria Jute Mill in Calcutta died of starvation. His family hold the mill owner, British businessman and owner of Sheffield United Football Club Reginald Brealey, responsible.
Brealey has also. siphoned off £2.5 million in pensions and statutory benefits and more than six months' unpaid In 1989, Brealey became chairman of Titaghur pic which controls the four jute mills of the Thomas Duff group. Since then, despite the price of jute rising sharply on the world market, the 20,000 workers have been living on the edge iour. of starvation, with the mills remaining closed for weeks at a In 1990 the company made profits of over £6 million. Yet the 2,000 people who have retired since Brealey took over have received nothing of their pension. Brealey has also been charged under the Foreign Regulations Act 1973.
Instead of modernising or in- been in care' vesting in the mills Brealey is attempting to increase the work-load while reducing the number of workers. His latest offer in one mill involves laying off 500 workers, abolishIng the night shift and Introducing a four day week. Despite their desperation the workers have rejected it.
Recently Brealey brought twelve British managers to Calcutta. On 16 March, when the workers came to present their demands, two of these managers, Whitcombe and Vigors, taunted the delegation with racist abuse.
The workers refused to tolerate this final insult and the managers were dragged out of their offices into the crowd outside, and had to be rescued by face charges senior police officers.
A mass picket of the British Deputy High Commission in Calcutta demanded an apology for the managers' racist behavSetting an example?
In a bizarre twist Brealey the workers has just bought a 16,500 acre estate in a remote part of Scotland for £2.5 million (the exact amount owed to the Indian jute workers). The estate will be used for setting up a project to train young people who have 071 713 7907.
The project, named 'Back to Basics' will be run by a retired army colonel and includes visits to the Calcutta jute mills where 'Youngsters will see how people earn their living and change their attitudes'.
The workers and their supporters have faced continual police repression. One worker is feared dead after being taken from his home by police, others have been beaten and their homes raided.
On 24 February the workers set up a camp outside the Angus Mill which is kept going by donations. In June they are planning a series of actions to draw attention to their demands, which are:
1) Brealey's extradition to 2) Re-opening of the mills under conditions which provide a living wage 3) Payment of wages owed 4) Repayment of the pension fund and other statutory benefits (a total of £2.5 millIon) which legally belong to 5) Unconditional release of all those arrested. • Details of the campaign from: South Asia Solidarity Group, c/o Londec, Instrument House, 205-217 Kings Cross Rd. London WC1X 9DB. Tel:
SOCIALIST OUTLOOK No. 63, 1 June 1994, Page 8