Ashok Subron

Upon his birth at the Moka Hospital on 13 November 1963, Ashok Subron was registered by 2 female hospital workers who jointly brought him up at their respective homes. He studied at the Montagne-Ory Primary School, and then attended St Andrews Secondary School. His interest in politics started during the 1975 Mauritian student protests and he supported Dev Virahsawmy's MMMSP.^[1]

After his secondary education, activist Rex Stephen influenced Subron's political views as the latter joined Lindsey Collen's and Ram Seegobin's political party Lalit in 1982. Subron was a candidate of Lalit at the General Elections held in 1983, 1987, 1995, and 2000 but was not elected. Subron also formed part of the musical group Fangourin. In 2004 Subron left Lalit and then formed Rezistans ek Alternativ. He also became actively involved with the General Workers Federation (GWF).^[2][3]

Ashok Subron organised a number of strikes, starting from 1992 with a strike by construction workers. In 2010 he organised a strike by workers in the sugar industry, followed by another strike in 2011 by workers of the Cargo Handling Corporation Ltd (CHCL). In 2014, in cahoots with Imzad Beeharry, he masterminded a strike by transportation workers represented by the Union of Bus Industry Workers (UBIW).^[4][5]

Trade unionist and former MMM MP Jack Bizlall publicly criticised Subron on 1 May 2018 for abandoning the group of trade unions called Collectif Premye Me, and Bizlall reminded the audience that unlike other trade unionists he has never been paid to fight for workers' rights.^[6]

In 2020 Subron was a negotiator of Airports of Mauritius Ltd Employees Union (AMLEU) and spokesperson of the GWF who called upon the government to take action against the harassment and suspension of AMLEU president Sharvin Sunassee. Subron also acted as the negotiator of the UBIW in 2022 when the workers sought a 25% pay rise.^[7][8]