The field workers of Wyeth in Tamil Nadu will strike work on May 20 in response to the one-day nationwide strike called by Federation of Medical Representatives Associations of India (FMRAI) to protest against the illegal conversion of field workers to professional service officers (PSO) by Pfizer India Ltd.

In Tamil Nadu, the strike call was given by the TNMSRA (Tamil Nadu Medical & Sales Representatives Assn) which covers all the field workers of all medical companies.

As part of the strike, the field workers of Wyeth will hold a demonstration and stage massive dharna in front of the office of Pfizer India Ltd at Chetpet in Chennai at 10 am on the day along with the members of North & South Chennai units of TNMSRA to focus the demands raised by them, said Ramesh Sunder, general secretary of TNMSRA.

In other parts of the state, at every district headquarters, units of TNMSRA will conduct programs of protest before Pfizer establishments and stockists offices in support of the striking fieldworkers.

According to them, Pfizer Ltd has acquired Wyeth Ltd globally in January 2009. In India the process was initiated by the Pfizer management. Ramesh Sunder alleged that even though the legal formalities are yet to be completed, the management of Pfizer has started the process of deunionisation.

He said in India, Wyeth management has given the fieldworkers the freedom of collective bargaining besides signing several wage settlements with their union. But in Pfizer, the field workers have no union for themselves, said Sunder.

Now they are being offered the post of Professional Service Officers (PSO) by the management of Pfizer, which are non-bargain category. Since the fieldworkers are not accepting the offers, the management of Pfizer has started to illegally convert the sales promotion employees of Wyeth to PSOs by force, he alleged.

“We are going to agitate against this move of the management. The management of the company has further decided to go with conversions and hence they are threatening the field workers to accept the offer of PSO or senior PSOs,” TNMSRA secretary told Pharmabiz.

He further alleged that the existing posts of PSO or senior PSOs in Pfizer, for the purpose of sales promotions, are fake, illegal and in gross violation of Sales Promotion Employees Act. There is no scope or provision to appoint a field worker in ‘Officer Category’ to carry out sales promotion activities under SPE Act. Thus Pfizer management is grossly violating all the provisions of SPE Act.

“This is a cognizable offence for which Pfizer management may be punished. Complaint has been lodged before government of Maharashtra for violation of SPE Act,” he said.