Pharmaceutical Workers’ Historic Meeting Exposes Labour Rights Violations, Corporate Intimidation in Global Supply Chains

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Pharmaceutical Workers’ Historic Meeting Exposes Labour Rights Violations, Corporate Intimidation in Global Supply Chains

Panjim, 11 August 2025: – The Bhartiya Kamgar Sena (BKS) today led a historic meeting of pharmaceutical industry workers, representing employees from some of the most prestigious and technologically advanced companies in India’s multi-billion-dollar pharmaceutical sector. The gathering exposed widespread labour and human rights violations within multinational pharma supply chains and condemned the misuse of state powers to suppress workers’ constitutional freedoms.

“Our colleagues in Goa faced severe intimidation. The meeting venue was changed twice under pressure. Workers were threatened not to attend. Management agents disrupted proceedings, and local police attempted to shut us down,” said Raghunath Kuchik, General Secretary of BKS. “It felt as if exercising our constitutional rights had become illegal in India. We must ask: how can peaceful association and protest — rights guaranteed by the Constitution — be treated as crimes?”

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Key Issues Raised

• Suppression of Fundamental Rights – Workers reported that attempts to unionise, a right enshrined in the Indian Constitution, have been met with intimidation, threats of transfers, contract non-renewals, and harassment of women workers — directly threatening livelihoods.
• Misuse of ESMA – Delegates denounced the Essential Services Maintenance Act being weaponised against workers, restricting their right to organise and protest.
• Retaliation & Intimidation – Venue changes, management interference, and police pressure were cited as deliberate tactics to undermine solidarity.
• Pension Fund Access – Pension funds remain locked in company-controlled trust accounts, inaccessible despite being earned over years of service.
• Profits vs. Worker Welfare – While pharma companies make billions supplying medicines globally, workers often face unsafe conditions, insecure jobs, and withheld benefits.

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India’s Pharma Power vs. Worker Reality

India is the world’s largest provider of generic medicines, supplying around 20% of global volume and ranking third in production by volume. In FY 2023–24, pharmaceutical exports hit USD 27.9 billion, serving markets across North America, Europe, and beyond. Globally, pharma is valued at over USD 1.7 trillion.

Yet, the meeting revealed that the workers driving this global success often endure precarious employment, poor safety measures, and violations of basic rights.

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BKS Action Plan

1. National Solidarity – Uniting pharma workers nationwide to demand better wages, safety, and respect for rights.
2. Judicial Intervention – Challenging misuse of restrictive laws like ESMA in court.
3. Global Engagement – Connecting with international worker movements for coordinated global action.

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BKS Demands

1. Equal treatment for contract workers and regular employees.
2. Initiation of social dialogue for collective bargaining, which has been systematically denied.
3. Immediate notification of pending COD by companies.

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“Investing in workers’ rights is investing in public health,” Kuchik emphasised. “Without the people who produce them, life-saving medicines cannot reach patients. These rights are not negotiable.”

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