Reservations
In Private Sector:
Not A Charity, But A Social Necessity
By Dr. K. Vidyasagar
Reddy
11 August, 2005
Countercurrents.org
At
the outset, the main purpose of the reservation policy was to ensure
social and economic justice; thereby realize the goal of the empowerment
of the dalits and tribals. It can address certain social inequalities
that pervade Indian society for so long. For, these social inequalities
leave the so-called low castes deprived in everything from education
to economy. Thus, the policy of job reservations intends to bring about
proportional representation, as it is a mode of distributing benefits
based on the proportion of population i.e. 15 percent for the Schedule
Castes (SCs) and 7.5 percent for Scheduled Tribes (STs).
Thanks to Dr. BRAmbedkars
instrumental role in the constitution making, the governments are bound
to implement them on the basis of the principle of distributive justice
and compensation for past disadvantages. But then, that was confined
to only the public sector that had been shrinking over a period of time.
At a time when the number of educated among these unprivileged classes
is increasing in geometrical progression, their share of jobs in the
public sector is dwindling on end. This is more so since the last decade
and half, all in the name of so-called globalisation and till date.
Now that there is
some political consensus, as is evident from the latest conclave of
national leaders of all parties including the Left ones in Delhi recently,
emerging from several quarters, the Central government of all nomenclatures
is under the obligation to implement the job reservations in the private
sector too. Of course, there were several Ambedkar organizations and
Dalit-based parties raised this issue of private reservations for the
past decade or so. Since the Upper class-oriented business class was
adamant to concede this measure, no political party was willing to bulldoze
its decision on the private sector. However, thanks to vote-bank politics,
the political parties of all hues are compelled to consider the serious
nature of this demand and thereby echoed with the aspirations of the
underprivileged classes.
Ever since the present
United Progressive Alliance (UPA) Government at the Centre promised
to introduce job reservations in the private sector, there were acrimonious
reactions from some quarters. In fact, as part of its Common Minimum
Programme (CMP), the Congress-led political coalition provided this
measure in the election manifesto more than one year ago. While there
were no serious objections raised from the very private sector since
then, certain sections are at great pains to digest it. As usual, a
section of media has always been biased against the downtrodden and
dalit communities in this country. Thus, it evoked sharp reaction from
such vested interests in the media and elsewhere.
Incidentally, the
so-called experts who seldom supported for the job Reservations in the
public sector for so long are also the ones who raised objections to
the same this time in the private sector. As a result, the UPA promise
(Reservations in Private Sector) has created many a controversy on the
subject. That in turn was responsible to raise certain pertinent questions.
For instance, whether dalits and downtrodden should be given some preference
in the employment sector? Whether this preference based on their mere
birth in a particular caste or community is justified? Why is this to
be given to certain people? These are some serious questions that deserve
attention.
This concept of
Reservations aimed at ensuring the betterment of underprivileged
and deprived sections of society was sabotaged from within
in the initial days. Thus, these reservations were being renewed decade
after decade. Even though constitutional obligations are binding upon
all the government departments, not more than ten percent of reservations
were ever implemented. It is only in the last few years, owing to the
efforts of some dalit leaders and their movements that there was some
improvement in this direction. The fact that several governments both
at the centre and in states and public sector units were found to be
advertising, the backlog vacancies in the name of special-drives,
so as to recruit members from these reserved categories vindicate the
above proposition.
Even then, none
of the departments could ever claim that required vacancies were filled
up. More than the case of lack of availability of suitable candidates
in these communities for the prescribed positions, it is the employers
biased attitude against such candidates that is largely responsible
for the prevailing situation. However, except in the top-level central
services, the jobs in the other categories are still unoccupied by the
dalit candidates. Of course, some court cases in the Supreme Court a
couple of years ago, filed by the of All India Confederation SC &ST
Organizations, could help the community in securing some justice in
terms of revising the orders of promotion among other benefits.
This is long-awaited
measure and of course welcomed by all sections of society. Obviously,
even a section of the business class is willing to implement it, how
so difficult it may appear to be as far as its feasibility is concerned.
For, there are certain apprehensions expressed by several persons cutting
across all castes and communities. Not just because the very security
of private job is at the mercy of the management, but also because the
government does not have any role in protecting the private employee.
Since the government plays or intends to play the role of best spectator
in the operations of private sector, private job aspirants, be they
from general category or from others, have to merely dependent on none
other than themselves!
In any case, this
concept of private reservation cannot be considered as charity, but
a right from a government that exposed its hollowness. Further, it is
a necessity as the government failed to create jobs to its qualified
aspirants. In other words, the nature of private job is such that there
is hardly any guarantee (in terms of pay and period) to that job! It
is so insecure that one should continue searching for jobs as usual,
of course till a government job is secured. Then, why should there be
such hue and cry about the reservations in private sector?
The author can be reached at [email protected]