EDITORIAL OF THE VOICE OF WORKING WOMEN –MAY, 2011
The Voice of the Working Woman extends its warm fraternal greetings to workers, all over the country and all over the world, on the occasion of May Day. On May Day, which symbolises the struggle of the international working class for an eight hour work day, we extend our solidarity to all our brothers and sisters who are fighting against the attacks on their hard won rights including the right to eight hour work.
The ruling classes in all the capitalist countries want to come out of the present global economic crisis and protect their profits by putting the entire burden of the crisis on to the working class and the common people. They are trying to rob the workers of whatever little benefits they have today by attacking whatever rights they have won, through decades of struggle and sacrifice.
The ruling classes in our country are no exception. The rights of the working class – the right to organisation, the right to strike, the right for a minimum wage, the right to social security, maternity benefits, child care facilities, the right to equal wages – are all under attack. In addition, the workers, particularly the lakhs and lakhs of workers in the unorganised sector, the working women, are reeling under the unprecedented rise in the prices of all essential commodities. The government, instead of providing any relief to the people is busy protecting those involved in looting public money. Never before in the history of independent India have so many scams erupted one after another as under the regime of this Congress led UPA II government, which has earned the dubious distinction of being the worst patron of corruption at high places.
It was these issues - price rise, corruption, attacks on the rights of the people – that were focussed by the Left in the campaign for the elections to the five state Assemblies which are going on as we observe this May Day. The pro monopoly, pro rich policies of the Congress and its allies and the alternative pro people and pro worker policies propagated by the Left parties and pursued by the Left led governments in Kerala and West Bengal presented a sharp contrast before the people. These elections have also witnessed blatant use of money, muscle and media power by the ruling classes to mislead the people. Huge amounts of the money looted from public exchequer, money which could have been utilised to provide basic education, health and other benefits to the people, is now being used to corrupt them, to purchase their votes and distort democracy itself.
The elections in Assam, Kerala, Puducherry and Tamil Nadu are already over; the elections in West Bengal have just started. The results will be out and people’s verdict will be known in a month. We believe that despite all the concerted attempts by the ruling classes to mislead, misinform and manipulate the people, the LDF will be voted back to power for a second successive term in Kerala, breaking the tradition of alternate terms and the Left Front will be re-elected for a historic 8th term in West Bengal and the Left will strengthen its presence in the other states.
However, whatever the people’s verdict, the struggles against the attacks on the working class and the people have to be strengthened at the national level to protect the working and living conditions of the people. The united struggle of the working class based on the five major demands of the people and against corruption voiced during the March to Parliament on 23rd February will have to be further intensified and carried forward.
On this May Day, let us take the pledge to rededicate ourselves to this urgent task.
Courtesy: www.citucentre.org/
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