Let me introduce a document here, which can be downloaded from our site:
“A volunteer can choose between receiving a monthly stipend of 230 euro or 270 euro credits (+50 euro cash). The credits can then be used for Advanced Techniques, courses, Maharishi Ayurveda treatments.”
Sounds like a company town to me!
What were the company towns? They were towns established around a single manufacturing or mining area, where just about everyone worked for one company, and even the supply stores were owned by that one company. So the workers would earn their wages, and then they could spend it at the company stores. Their earning were recycled back into the company. The dictionary.com definition of a “company town” is:
a town whose inhabitants are mainly dependent on one company for employment, housing, supplied etc..
The spiritually minded volunteers who work for the TM Movement – Global Country of World Peace managed – institutions, naturally would like to spend their hard-earned 270 euro credits for courses or Ayurveda treatments. They can choose between a 50 euro cash stipend per month plus the 270 euro in credits, or they can forgo the credits and get 230 euros in cash every month.
Are you kidding me? What about minimum wage laws?
What about the retirement accounting that seems to be missing?
Please notice what is going on! How much are they earning really? Let’s see what the offer is.
“Volunteers at MERU work 6 days a week, 4-6 hours per day with an hour lunch break.”
So 6 days a week is about 36 hours a week. Notice what they are saying. It’s not 40 hours per week working 5 days a week. It’s a 6-day week resulting in 36 hours of work per week. Hardly a difference between 40 hours vs. 36 hours. In reality, over the years staffers have told me that in the various TM institutions where they served, they often worked more than 6 hours a day, and even heard stories of 18-24 hour work schedules before big celebrations, or before some VIP guest was arriving. Anyway, let’s do some calculations.
If we use the 36 hours and the average of 4.3 weeks in a month we get about 155 hours of work in a month. What is 230 euros per month in hourly wage terms? Well, it’s about 1.48 euros per hour or about 1.62 dollars per hour.
So you can work a minimum of 36 hours a week at 1.62 dollars an hour, or you can take 270 euros in credits and 50 euros a month in cash, earning you about 35 cents an hour, plus whatever you can use for credits. Are the readers getting this?
This is disgusting!
Especially when we hear about the hundreds of millions of dollars over 15 years that were donated to the TM organizations, the big multi-million Vedic building projects, the billions of dollars of assets in India, and the pending sale of the Seelisberg building in Switzerland. This is the dark underbelly of the worldwide organization, and more so even when you consider the persistent stories about staff working for years without the organizations paying into the state retirement system.
What can you use the credits for? That depends, and this is a sore point for many staff members at other locations who found out later that the value of credits changes, and the courses they could spend it on also change. Damm, a company town even if it doesn’t fit the definition exactly. You see in the old days in company towns, the people were captive, having to spend their hard-earned wages on things the company stores sold. Granted MERU and the other TM institutions don’t charge for food and housing, and general store supplies, but the people who join the staff are spiritual, and they want to get close to the knowledge and courses. We can invent a new term and definition for this:
spiritual company town
A location or an institution whose inhabitants are spiritually minded and are mainly dependent on the spiritual company town for employment, food, housing, and spiritual services and products, and spend their wages, or credits on these offerings to further their spiritual evolution. Often the company that employs them lists the workers as volunteer workers, thus reducing the requirement for paying into the state pension system and avoiding any minimum wage laws.
So this is the plight of STAFF WORKERS in the Raja Kingdom. These are the invisible forgotten people, who have no retirement even after decades of work, who did not have a real salary to build up their lives with. It’s the dark underbelly of the TM Movement and the Raja Kingdom that is often ignored, even by people going to courses and being served by the staff people.
We at RajaLeaks decided to create these music videos, to spread the word about the staff situation.
So here it goes, the second music video entitled: “No place to call home”.
We hope you can share these music videos and make waves, and let people know about these forgotten workers in the kingdom of Rajas.
(Verse 1)
In the Global Country of World Peace,
No social security, no pension’s increase,
Staff threatened with homelessness, their plight,
For a high state of consciousness, this isn’t right.
(Chorus)
In the name of enlightenment, let’s take a stand,
Extend support and lend a helping hand,
Staff’s well-being should not be dismissed,
In the pursuit of peace, let’s ensure they’re not missed.
(Verse 2)
In the Global Country, a tale untold,
Where staff’s dedication remains bold,
No safety net as they tirelessly serve,
Their dreams and security deserve.
(Chorus)
In the name of consciousness, let’s show care,
Acknowledge their service, let’s be aware,
A pension, a refuge from a precarious fate,
In this realm of peace, let’s change their state.
(Bridge)
Let’s not forget those who pave the way,
Their devotion strengthens each day,
They deserve support, respect, and more,
Let’s uplift them as they explore.
(Verse 3)
In the Global Country, let’s take a stride,
No more shadows where their dreams hide,
A safety net, a pension, a rightful place,
For staff to find solace and grace.
(Chorus)
In the name of enlightenment, let’s unite,
With compassion and empathy, shed light,
Staff’s well-being, a shared concern,
In this Global Country, let’s help them learn.