About Us
Formed on 27th July, 1975, All West Bengal Sales Representatives' Union (AWBSRU) is a consolidation of sales promotion employees irrespective of cast, creed, gender and partisan politics to counter the onslaught of management and to demand of the state to protect them by enacting and implementing laws. Unorganized sales workers, always a victim of intimidation, exploitation and deprivation of wage, security and social securities have waged a long battle to find an ideal forum to combat these menaces and union has always thrived to fulfill the aspiration of its members.
The union has believed in encompassing maximum number of sales promotion employees under its fold, irrespective of their employment in small or big capital-based companies or type of industries - pharma or non - pharma. Such an omnibus character of the Union has strengthened its struggling capacity and has uplifted thousands of sales promotion employees from their miseries in finding a respectable workers' position in their respective workplace.
Bereft of legal solace in absence of protective laws, Union played an important role in achieving The Sales Promotion Employees (conditions of service) Act in 1976. An accolade for a newly formed union. Our Union also accomplished crucial role in incorporating the sales promotion employees as 'workman' under the purview of Section 2(s) of The Industrial Disputes Act 1947 through state ammendment in West Bengal. Long battle over decades for achieving Minimum Wages to save marginal sales workers from wage exploitation has not yet given fruition of our hope due to apathy of the state Government. Practicing democratic trade unionism all these years, we have strengthened the struggle for pro-people drug policy & health care, revival of public sector drug industry, integration of field-factory-office workers, safeguarding the interests of sales workers at different platforms and international solidarity of workers.
Conscious members of the organization to fight out any attack of the management are our primary strength and we have courageously fought many long drawn battles against monopolistic capital of Pharma and non Pharma companies to achieve our goal. Such mile stone movements have given us courage and strength to squarely deal with any attacks on members valiantly.
Beyond the precinct of the sales workers' movement, as a class conscious organisation we have always taken part in workers' general movement to protest against the Govt's policies and have also participated in issues concerning socio political maladies. Such participation with sincerity and perpetuity allowed the union to share a respectable position in movements by our fraternity.
For the last five decades we have honestly tried to safeguard the interest of sales workers regarding wage, security and service condition and have tried to empower the members in achieving collective bilaterilism and to instill a sense of pride amongst them to fight against the onslaught of the management.
Trust and belief of thousands of members over the period, to make the Union a formidable force, is the true strength of the organization and we shall continue to remain so in coming decades too.
Objective
The objective of the Union is- To organize the whole body of the sales promotion employees employed in sales promotion in West Bengal and to foster a spirit of better cooperation and understanding between the employees and the respective employer.
- To secure an improvement in status and position of every member of the Union with regard to their salary, allowances, provident fund, gratuity, bonus, security of service, service condition in general and the likes.
- To safeguard the rights and interests of the members of the Union against the onslaught of the Capital by proper Trade Union methods and to protect the members from any such influence which is detrimental to their interest.
- To regulate the relation between its members and respective employer and to settle any dispute or difference that may arise between these two parties through conciliatory means and in the last resort by Strikes.
- To arrange for prosecution or defense of any legal proceeding to which the Union may be involved for securing and protecting the rights of the Union as such or any right arising out of the relation of any of its members and the respective employer.
- To render all possible assistance to members of the Union whose interests have been or may be damaged or threatened by mere reasons of their relation with or service to the Union.
- To work for the moral and cultural upliftment of its members.
- To join forum/forums keeping in view the aims and objectives of the union.