Chapter 437 Thugs

Middlemen play a very important role in India's working class, especially for rural people in backward areas.

Going to the Persian Gulf, working as a temporary worker, or buying seeds all require middlemen.

They are illiterate and don't know the process, so they can only rely on middlemen for help.

Most of the thousands of workers at the Sur Steel Plant are migrant workers from other places introduced by middlemen.

When it comes to understanding workers, no one knows them better than the middleman.

Saka is the middleman who cooperates with the Sur Steel Plant and is responsible for finding labor for the factory.

Devaram asked Sarkar to meet him at a teahouse in the market, and he soon arrived on a motorcycle.

After parking his motorcycle, he walked into the teahouse. He walked with a swagger and looked a little different from the other workers in the teahouse.

He seemed very smart and alert. Devaram still remembered how the other party looked at him in the workers' dormitory.

Sarkar came to where they were sitting and listened carefully as Devaram introduced himself.

"Yes, I didn't know who you were before, and I was suspicious seeing you often appearing at the workers' quarters," he said, "but now I know."

Sarkar, a Bengali from a village in the hills north of Bangalore, was older than Mohan, shorter and stockier than him.

Coupled with his gray beard and humorous personality, he looks like an uncle.

Of course, his coldness and cautious attitude towards Devaram's appearance in the factory made Devaram feel a little uncomfortable.

The experienced Devaram quickly thought of those cold-blooded factory owners, who had the same condescending look when facing ordinary workers.

However, when he learned that Mr. Sur was behind Devaram, his attitude took a 180-degree turn.

"If you have any needs, please let me know. I know all the workers in the factory."

"Mohan said you are a big shot among the workers."

"No, you are." Sarkar smiled. "Mohan, would you like to treat us to a cup of tea?"

"Of course." Mohan stood up and asked the boss to bring a few cups of tea.

Tea was cheap here, just two rupees, and Devaram had thought the labor contractor would pay him to show him how generous he was to his workers.

But the other party's attitude was just the opposite, which showed that either he was a very stingy person or he just wanted to show that he was managing Mohan.

Mohan is not a formal employee either. He works for a security company and was introduced by an intermediary.

After taking a few sips of tea, Saka started talking.

In Saka's own words, he is also a worker, but at a different level from other workers.

He was a middleman, a contractor who hired workers for the factory and dealt with them.

He himself has worked in steel mills in India, such as in Odisha, Kerala, Maharashtra and Telangana.

“It was in Hyderabad that I switched to being a middleman and realised I had to change.” Then he became a little strange, suddenly looking into Devaram’s eyes and speaking in Bengali, perhaps so that Mohan wouldn’t understand him.

"I've done a lot of bad things in my life, but I won't tell you, even though I know you'd love to know. What I'm saying is that I've gone astray over the years, but my life hasn't improved. I'm not richer than before, so I decided to turn over a new leaf."

Devaram was a little surprised by his sudden openness, but he refused to elaborate.

Well, this is a private matter, and Devaram doesn't intend to delve into it.

"Who among the workers is more capable?" he asked.

"sharp?"

"He's a tough guy in the usual sense, or he has prestige and everyone is afraid of him."

“Oh, of course it’s Pradip the fireman,” Sarkar answered without hesitation.

"Fireworker?"

"Hey, it's a skilled job, and you can earn a lot of money. If you work overtime, you can make around 10,000 rupees a month."

"So many?" Devaram was a little surprised.

It's not that he hadn't been to the factory before; on the contrary, he had talked to many workers. Most of them earned around 4,000 rupees, and this was due to the special nature of working in the steel mill.

Some people who do odd jobs only get 1,200 rupees a month, and the former factory owners even paid them with food equivalent to the price.

It seems extraordinary that a fire fitter could get so much.

"These workers are different. They're treasures, and they can work for a lifetime. Mohan, how old is the oldest fire-cutter in the factory? Seventy?"

"I don't know." Mohan said with a smile.

Devaram thought Sarkar was talking nonsense; he had never seen any worker over 40 years old in the factory.

Steel mill jobs are only for the young, so when they get older they will inevitably be replaced by India's ever-increasing workforce.

"Stop talking so much. I'm going to see the fire maker now," said Devaram.

"No problem, let's go now." Saka led the way happily.

Mohan glanced at him, probably teasing him in his heart. Usually, middlemen like Sarkar would never even look at them.

Now, the way it wags its tail and begs for mercy is exactly the same as that of the pug in the village.

As they sped down the highway toward the industrial area of ​​Kusir, Devaraam was surprised to find that people's social class was closely related to the means of transportation they used.

Factory owners and managers, for example, drove air-conditioned SUVs or Maruti Suzukis, the kind he had seen during a group of buyers touring the steel plant.

The car was filled with businessmen wearing sunglasses, reclining on the white leather seats, reminding Devaram of the wealthy farmers in Uttar Pradesh.

Middlemen like Sarkar and labor contractors use motorcycles for transportation, while fire-fitters and other workers can only walk or ride bicycles.

Mohan and his friends found a broken bicycle in the corner of the garage and they often rode it to the market.

Several people got off the highway and headed straight for the factory dormitory area.

The workers' lives are very monotonous. Apart from working and sleeping, they cook and eat every day.

Life only changes its rhythm a little when someone returns to their hometown or new workers join.

Most of the time, if workers are not in the workshop, they must be in the dormitory.

As soon as Saka stopped his motorcycle, he twisted his fat body and ran straight to a house.

He stood at the door and spoke a few words quickly before the figure on the bed grunted and slowly got up to put on his clothes.

He is Pradeep, from Bihar. He is taciturn, strong, and looks unfriendly, unlike other workers.

He seemed more confident, perhaps because of his good health.

Pradeep got up from the dark bed and came outside.

Devaram looked at him carefully. He had a well-proportioned body, strong arms and a tall figure, which easily reminded people of the warrior class in ancient India.

"Yes, this is exactly the person I'm looking for."

"Sir, Pradeep is a big shot among the workers and his words are very effective." Sarkar winked at him.

"Hello, sir." Pradeep put his hands together and saluted.

"What does a fire maker do?" Devaram asked curiously.

"Well, it's about pushing the steel ingots into the furnace of the rolling mill." Pradeep said cautiously.

He was very curious about why the gentleman in front of him was interested in "fire pliers", but he still patiently explained.

That is the last step in production and is also very dangerous.

Because of the high ambient temperature and the high-speed operation of the production line, it takes a lot of strength to push the iron ingots, and there are also dangers brought by heavy machinery and molten steel.

So managers tend to hire workers who are accustomed to tough working conditions.

Pradeep says he is twenty-five, but like other workers in the factory, he looks about ten years older.

He came from a sugarcane farming family in Bihar. Because the land was too small to support his family, he left it to his eldest brother and went out to work.

He spent most of his working life in western India, starting out as a welder on a ship in Surat, a suburban city in Gujarat.

But he quit the job after six months because his back hurt from spending so much time in the cabin.

He then started working in steel mills in Mumbai, Hyderabad and Bangalore, a position he held for a total of five years.

Later, after meeting Sarkar, I came to Goa again.

After a brief chat, the atmosphere became slightly relaxed.

“Do you know the Lambadas in the factory?” asked Devaram.

"I don't interact with them often, but I've heard they're very exclusive and rarely allow others to get involved."

"I need you to deal with them." Devaram said straight to the point.

"Why?" Pradeep was puzzled.

When Devaram told them that they were planning to organize a strike, they cursed and immediately said they would teach them a lesson.

Especially the middleman Saka, who is very active.

Only by driving these local guys away can he have more agency slots to recruit workers from outside.

That's all commission, it's all money.

"Since it was renamed the Sur Steel Plant, our treatment has improved a lot. Not only are our workstations protected, but the factory also opened a new infirmary where we can treat minor ailments for free."

"The security room is also equipped with two electric fans." Mohan nodded in agreement.

"Mr. Soul is also planning to build new dormitories, two people per room, with running water, electricity, and fans. Also, if you plan to buy some appliances, like TVs and radios, as long as they're Soul brand, they'll be half price."

Pradeep and Mohan looked at each other, and even Sarkar's eyes lit up.

“Who are those bastards?” Pradeep clenched his fists.

Devaram described the rough-looking workers he had met in the restaurant.

Sarkar immediately announced their names, and Pradeep and the others nodded in agreement.

"Leave it to me. I know where to find them. A strike will never happen."

"Mohan, go inform Karthik to bring a few more security guards tomorrow."

"yes."

Just as Devaram and his men were discussing how to deal with the Lambada people in the factory, the other party was also preparing to cause trouble.

(End of this chapter)