Labour leader Buch dead

AHMEDABAD, July 28: Renowned Gandhian labour leader and former president of the Majoor Mahajan Sangh, Arvind N Buch died at a private cli...

AHMEDABAD, July 28: Renowned Gandhian labour leader and former president of the Majoor Mahajan Sangh, Arvind N Buch died at a private clinic on Tuesday morning following a massive heart attack. He was 78.

Buch was admitted to the Jivraj Mehta hospital last week after he complained of breathing trouble. He died at around 9 on Tuesday morning just three days after he was relieved from the hospital. The veteran labour leader is survived by his wife and two daughters.

Born in 1920 in Junagarh, Buch joined the Majoor Mahajan Sangh in 1942, just a year after completing his graduation from the Fergusen College, Poona.

He retired from the presidentship of MMS in 1986. Founder-president of the Self-Employed Women8217;s Association SEWA, Buch8217;s services go beyond the State8217;s textile industry with which he has been most closely associated.

He has served as the treasurer of the Indian National Trade Union Congress, member of the second wage board of the Textile Industry and the National Commission Boothlingam on Wages, Income and Prices. Besides SEWA, he was the founder president and chairman of a large number of organisations like Mahila Bank of SEWA, Mahila Sewa Trust, GEB Junior Engineers and Technical Staff Trade Union, Bank of India Officers Federation all India etc. Buch had also been on the director board of the Gujarat State Road Transport Corporation, Gujarat State Textile Corporation, Indian Oil Corporation, Hindustan Antibiotics, Pune, Gujarat Blood foundation and Gujarat Electricity Board.

That apart, Buch had also been the president of about 30 trade unions in various industries other than the Textile Labour Association and SEWA and served on a number of committees such as the Central Provident Fund Board, National Savings, Arbitration Apprentice, Employment and Training, Wage Board, Wage Income Price Commission and Railway Reforms Committee. He had also been associated with a number of organisations like Institute of Mine and Metal Workers Education, Puri, Orissa, Sabarmati Salt Farmers Society , Anand and General Council Member, Gandhi Labour Institute.

Besides being the recipient of the Vishwa Gurjari national award, the Government of India honoured Arvindbhai with Padmashree in 1985. Interestingly, however, the veteran labour leader, who kept on fighting till his death against the government to get the jobless textile mill workers their statutory dues, got never swayed by awards and rewards. quot;The Union Commerce Ministry needs ENT treatment. For, it doesn8217;t speak anything about the textile crisis which has rendered more than one lakh workers jobless,quot; he thundered almost a decade back. quot;Ours is the only trade union which is not affiliated to any political party,quot; Buch declared. He was in favour of developing non-aligned8217; trade union movement in the country which was wedded to development of the country.

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A large number of leaders including different trade union leaders have condoled the demise of Buch. In his condolence message, Chief Minister Keshubhai Patel said that all his life, Buch had fought for the interests of labourers. State Labour Minister Ashok Bhatt said, quot;the country has lost a freedom fighter and a great Gandhian leader.quot;