Don't Ban Multi Level Marketing just Regulate

  Press conference held at 4 windsor place New Delhi 

 Regulate Multilevel Marketing And Protect Consumers and Employees

In joint statement issued by the Reception Committee Chairperson Amarjeet Kaur,Vice-chairman Chidambaram N, General convener E C Satheesan and MMEF(AITUC) leaders P V Asokan and V Sreenivasan at a press conference in New Delhi on Saturday August 4, 2012.

Chairperson Amarjeet Kaur said, their main demands of protest in form of the ‘March to Parliament’ being organised by the Multilevel Marketing Employees Federation MMEF(AITUC) is to enact a central legislation to regulate the multilevel marketing sector and protect its employees as well as consumers.

She further added that In India the multilevel marketing/direct selling sector is actively functioning since 1996, but not under any regulation. Instead, each multinational net work and big business house in India are operating according to its wishes, aimed at making only huge profits.Also in India about 20 lakhs of youngsters are working in this sector and this is the only means of their livelihood. Such operations are rampant in more than one hundred countries. Even in our neighbouring country China, the multilevel marketing is in operation with proper separate regulating laws. In certain countries, there are sections, legally equipped officials and even ministers to look after and regulate the sector.The noble aim of multilevel marketing/direct selling is to provide directly without middlemen cheap and better quality essential items to consumers identified through personal contacts. A share of the profit is being distributed to the employees in the sector as remuneration.

She said , several business organisations engaged in multilevel marketing after cheating and misappropriating the hard earned money of the consumers disappear all of a sudden throwing the employees and consumers into wilderness. This is happening due to the lack of any regulatory mechanism.Multilevel marketing is similar to various other income-generating jobs. This really provides some relief in India where unemployment is critical.The multilevel marketing employees must be able to work in this sector with a healthier environment ensuring both dignity and security. This can be achieved only through enacting a proper legislation.

Welcming the media she said, we would also like to reveal to the Press that attempts are being made by MNCs to instill fears into the minds of the employees that the government may ban multilevel marketing/direct selling setup itself. Vested interests in the bureaucracy and other government machinery are trying their best in this regard.However, a seven-member committee has been set up under the chairmanship of the present consumer affairs secretary to study the problems, assess the sector and submit a report by August 31, 2012.We demand that the committee and the consumer affairs ministry should consult all the stakeholders, particularly the employees and the MMEF(AITUC) before finalising the report.It is to focus on these demands and seeking urgent steps by the central government towards framing a legal setup that a trade union has taken birth in the multilevel marketing sector MMEF(AITUC)  for the first time in the world and is holding the March to Parliament on August 7, 2012, starting at 11 a.m. from Barakhamba Road signals to Parliament Street via Tolstoy Marg, Janpath and Jantar Mandir.

MULTILVEL MARKETING EMPLOYEES FEDERATION MMEF(AITUC)

Reception Committee

AITUC Bhavan, 35-36, D.D.U Marg, New Delhi-110 002 Tel: 011-23217320

Chairman: Amarjeet Kaur Mob: 09810144958,

General Convener: E C Satheesan Mob:09446520292