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Saturday, January 29, 2011
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
JAWAHAR LAL UNIVERSITY: PRVERTS PRETENDING TO BE INTELLECTUALS NEVER CRITICISE MAOIST BUTCHERS FOR MURDERING BRUTALLY CPI (M) WORKERS AND INNOCENTS
COM. UTTAM SINGH, RAMESWARPUR CHAK, BHIMPUR, SALBONI (23-01-11)
KUMARDHUBI-BURDWAN: CHIDAMBRAM IS SILENT ON KILLING OF CPI (M) WORKERS TO ENCOURAGE MAOIST BUTCHERS. HE PLAYS DOUBLE ROLE.
COM.KASHINATH PALMAL, RAMESWARPUR CHAK, BHIMPUR, SALBONI (23-01-11)
DHANBAD: INSANE CRIMINALS AND PERVERTS WEARING MASK OF INTELLECTUALS SUPPORT BUTCHERS OF MAOIST-MAMATA-CHIDAMBRAM-SUCI-MEDIA-PSEUDO INTELLECTUAL NEXUS
COM.KARAMCHAND MAHATO, RAMESWARPUR CHAK, BHIMPUR, SALBONI (23-01-11)
Sunday, January 23, 2011
Saturday, January 22, 2011
MAOIST-TMC VIOLENCE IN WEST MIDNAPUR VILLAGE
The Polit Bureau of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) issued the following statement January 8, 2011.
THE tragic loss of lives and injuries to several in the Netai village under Binpur block, West Midnapur district of West Bengal, on January 7 is a result of the violent politics indulged in by the Maoist-Trinamul combine. It should be recalled that earlier on December 16, 2010 when seven workers including a woman gram pradhan of Forward Bloc were brutally murdered in Jhalda in the Purulia district by Maoists, the TMC did not even issue a statement to condemn the killings, showing their complicity in the crime. This combine has sought to drive out Left cadre from the Jangal Mahal area, using brutal methods in which over 122 tribal activists of the CPI(M) have been killed, hundreds of homes burnt and thousands driven out of the area. People’s resistance in many areas has led to an improvement in the situation which is not to the liking of this combine. It is reported that on January 7, in a pre-planned move, efforts were made to violently attack those families of the CPI(M) who had returned to the village and those waiting in the displaced peoples camp to return, resulting in the violence in which precious lives were lost.
It is essential for the Home Minister Shri Chidambaram, instead of issuing partisan statements, to ensure that his cabinet colleague, Railway Minister Mamta Banerjee, break her party’s links with the Maoists which is the single biggest factor responsible for the present situation.
MAOIST-TMC VIOLENCE IN WEST MIDNAPUR VILLAGE
The Polit Bureau of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) issued the following statement January 8, 2011.
THE tragic loss of lives and injuries to several in the Netai village under Binpur block, West Midnapur district of West Bengal, on January 7 is a result of the violent politics indulged in by the Maoist-Trinamul combine. It should be recalled that earlier on December 16, 2010 when seven workers including a woman gram pradhan of Forward Bloc were brutally murdered in Jhalda in the Purulia district by Maoists, the TMC did not even issue a statement to condemn the killings, showing their complicity in the crime. This combine has sought to drive out Left cadre from the Jangal Mahal area, using brutal methods in which over 122 tribal activists of the CPI(M) have been killed, hundreds of homes burnt and thousands driven out of the area. People’s resistance in many areas has led to an improvement in the situation which is not to the liking of this combine. It is reported that on January 7, in a pre-planned move, efforts were made to violently attack those families of the CPI(M) who had returned to the village and those waiting in the displaced peoples camp to return, resulting in the violence in which precious lives were lost.
It is essential for the Home Minister Shri Chidambaram, instead of issuing partisan statements, to ensure that his cabinet colleague, Railway Minister Mamta Banerjee, break her party’s links with the Maoists which is the single biggest factor responsible for the present situation
Courtesy: www.pd.cpim.org/
INTUC, AITUC, CITU, HMS, BMS, AIUTUC, TUCC, UTUC DEMAND REVERSAL OF PRO-CORPORATE ECONOMIC POLICY REGIME
ALL the central trade unions of the country presented a joint memorandum to the union finance minister on January 12, during the pre-budget consultation held by the latter. The memorandum pointed out that “This economic policy regime has only created a few highlands of prosperity, while plunging the people at large into the quagmire of impoverishment and unmitigated sufferings.” The trade unions therefore demanded reversal of the pro-corporate pro-big business economic policy regime and urged for a “truly people oriented budget to address the issues of poverty, unemployment and social infrastructure.”
During the consultation, the leadership of INTUC, AITUC, CITU, HMS, BMS, AIUTUC, TUCC, UTUC and other unions spoke in one voice urging for a paradigm change in the present economic policy regime which is promoting price rise to increase the speculative profit for corporate traders, and is increasing unemployment and poverty despite GDP growth. This is also leading to repression on the working people, denying even the statutory minimum wages to Anganwadi, ASHA and mid-day meal workers, pushing up privatisation and deregulation of the public sector industrial and financial institutions and public utility services to the detriment of the working people and self-reliant development of the national economy.
BOURGEOISIE CORNERS GROWTH
While responding to the claim of the Finance Minister on inclusive growth and higher GDP numbers, CITU general secretary Tapan Sen stated that rising levels of unemployment and sharp declines in the share of wages in the gross value added clearly portray the utterly jobless character of the economic operations besides the sharp decline in the average wage levels. This means that the gains of GDP growth are wholly appropriated by the capitalist class, perpetrating a loot on the working people. Sen demanded that along with GDP figures, employment data must be regularly published on quarterly basis for a transparent assessment of the inclusiveness of the economy.
While referring to the phenomenon of continuing rise in prices of the essential commodities, which is further aggravated by rise in prices of petrol and diesel during the intervening period, CITU referred to the trade unions’ unanimous demand for universalisation of public distribution system and complete ban on the speculation and futures trade of all essential commodities. The government’s refusal to take these measures is tantamount to an ongoing joint venture exercise of promoting price rise to facilitate speculation in commodity market and the continuing windfall profits of the corporate traders.
About resource mobilisation, the CITU stressed the urgency for recovering huge unpaid tax arrears and huge unpaid bank-loans from the corporates, both increasing in a geometric progression every year. It also demanded unearthing of the black money and taxing the affluent and the rich while minimising the tax burden on essential commodities and industrial inputs. Lamenting about resource crunch and selling out the shares of blue-chip public sector companies at heavily discounted rates, while simultaneously shelling out huge concessions to the corporates and big businesses, both domestic and foreign, at an increasing rate of around Rs 5 lakh crore plus every year cannot go together. The CITU demanded a top to disinvestment in the PSUs forthwith.
The CITU also pressed for removal of restrictive provisions on poverty line in respect of eligibility coverage of social welfare schemes under the Unorganised Workers Social Security Act, and for allocation of adequate fund for universal coverage of the unorganised sector workers and contract/casual workers for the benefits under the Act.
Along with other issues mentioned in the joint memorandum, the CITU pressed for an employment guarantee scheme for the urban unemployed, regular upward revision of minimum wages and its automatic linkage with price index, extension of the statutory minimum wages and basic social security benefits to the Anganwadi, ASHA and mid-day meal workers, restructuring of the employees pension scheme with increased contribution from the government and the employers to ensure minimum guaranteed pension linked with movement of price index, scrapping the new pension scheme proposal and the PFRDA Bill, scrapping of the proposals and bills for deregulation of the financial sector including the Insurance Laws Amendment Bill, raising of the income tax exemption ceiling for the salaried persons to Rs 3 lakh and augmenting the public investment for agriculture, education, healthcare and revival of the sick PSUs in a big way.
EFFECTIVE PROPOSALS
The joint memorandum of the central trade unions expressed serious concern over the present situation of the country’s economy --- the worrisome agrarian distress, unacceptable levels of inflation leading to sky rocketing prices, and huge job losses in the face of mounting unemployment, among other things. It said the present economic policy regime has only created a few islands of prosperity while pushing the mass of the people into the quagmire of impoverishment and unmitigated sufferings. The memorandum therefore strongly urged that the coming budget should be people oriented and address the issues of poverty, unemployment and social infrastructure.
With this end in view, the trade union memorandum placed some specific proposals. For example, it demanded removal of the ban on recruitment in government departments, PSUs and autonomous institutions, as suggested by the 43 rd session of the Indian Labour Conference, in view of huge joblosses and mounting unemployment problem. Another proposal was that the all stimulus packages funded out of public exchequer must be made conditional to a ban on retrenchment, VRS, layoffs, closures, wage-cuts etc and on creation of employment.
The trade unions also proposed that the scope of the MGNREGA must be extended to urban areas and that employment under it must be for a minimum of 200 days with guaranteed statutory wage. This is also a unanimous recommendation of the Indian Labour Conference.
Further, remunerative prices must be ensured for agricultural produce and public investment in agriculture must be substantially augmented. It should also be ensured that benefits of the increase reach the small cultivators and not the big companies and landlords.
Budgetary provision must be made for provision of essential services including housing, sanitation, water, schools, crèche etc to workers in the new emerging industrial sites. Working women’s hostels should be set up where there is a concentration of women workers.
The financial sector must be encouraged, enlarged and improved instead of imposing on them the so-called reforms which may adversely affect them and weaken their public sector character. Industrial houses should not be permitted to start banking operations.
The memorandum also suggested a stop to disinvestment of public sector units forthwith; budgetary support for revival of viable sick public sector undertakings that are potentially viable; budgetary support for jute, textiles, plantation, handloom and coir sectors that are facing a crisis, etc.
Provision for elementary education must increase, particularly in the context of the implementation of the right to education as this is the most effective tool to combat child labour.
The system of computation of consumer price index must be reviewed as the present index is causing heavy financial losses to the workers. The revision of DA should be done every three months instead of six months.
RESOURCE MOBILISATION
In regard to resource mobilisation, the trade unions’ memorandum demanded a progressive taxation system to ensure the taxing of the rich and the affluent sections who have the capacity to pay more. The corporate service sector, traders, wholesale business, private hospitals and institutions etc should be brought under a broader tax net. There must be an increase in the taxes on luxury goods and reduction of indirect taxes on essential commodities as at present an overwhelming majority of the population are subjected to indirect taxes that account for 86 per cent of the revenue.
Concrete steps must be taken to recover from the corporate houses the huge accumulated unpaid tax arrears which have already crossed the Rs two lakh crore mark, and has been increasing in a geometric ratio. Such huge tax evasions, over and above the liberal tax concessions of around Rs 1.8 lakh crore on direct and corporate taxes as in 2009-10, must not be allowed to continue.
Effective measures must be taken to unearth the huge accumulation of black money in the economy, including the huge unaccounted money in tax heavens abroad. The finance minister must make provisions to bring back the illicit funds stashed abroad, which are at present more than twice the current external debt of 230 billion dollars. This money can well finance the social security measures.
Concrete measures must be expedited for recovering the non-performing assets of the banking system from the wilfully defaulting corporate and business houses.
A tax on long term capital gains must be introduced and higher taxes levied on the security transactions.
The rates of wealth tax, corporate tax, gift tax etc must be enhanced.
Inconsistencies in the present tax regime must be corrected and it must not discriminate against small businesses and PSUs. At present the PSUs are paying more than the private corporates. Similarly, the effective tax rate for bigger companies with a before-tax profit of over 500 crore is less than that for smaller companies with before-tax profit of less than one crore rupees.
Such IT companies, outsourcing business, educational Institutions and health services etc. as are running on a commercial basis must be brought under the service tax net.
The trade unions’ memorandum expressed the hope that the suggestions made by the central trade unions would receive serious consideration from the finance minister. It also urged the minister to hold post-budget discussions with trade unions as is held with the corporate associations and federations.
Courtesy: www.pd.cpim.org/
TAMILNADU NEWSLETTER: ‘TELECOM MINISTER TRYING TO WHITEWASH THE CRIME’ - S P Rajendran
NOW we understand why Kapil Sibal has been put in charge of the ministry of communications. After the exposure of the biggest scandal so far, there is a now a minister who is trying to whitewash the crime. This was what the Communist Party of India (Marxist)’s general secretary, Prakash Karat, told journalists after unveiling a portrait of late CPI(M) leader Pappa Umanath at Chennai on January 9.
Karat categorically said the people of India would not buy the minister's argument that the finding of the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG), that the scam caused a loss of Rs 1.76 lakh crore to the public exchequer, was “utterly erroneous and without any basis.”
He reitrated the CPI (M)'s demand for probe by a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) into the spectrum scam, adding that “We will discuss what we have to do during the budget session.”
Earlier at the event which was held by Tamilnadu state committee of the party, Prakash Karat stated that Comrade Pappa Umanath represented a movement that was against neo-liberalism. He said, “When other bourgeois political parties talk about corruption, they hide the fact that corruption is part and parcel of the existing neo-liberal regime at the centre.”
He said corruption stemmed from the nexus among politicians, corporate houses and bureaucracy, and that this nexus was sponsored and nurtured by the neo-liberal regime.
“Unless we fight the policies of neo-liberalism that affect the lives of the working class, the peasants and other toiling masses, we cannot fight corruption, which is becoming institutionalised and invading our society,” he said.
Karat said that at a time when politics was getting degenerated and elected members were using their position for self-service and self-aggrandisement and to serve the interests of the rich people, Pappa Umanath's life stands as a striking contrast. Unlike others who learnt Marxism- Leninism through books, she was schooled in the ideology through her direct experience in the field, he added.
Veteran CPI (M) leader R Umanath, Central Control Commission chairman N Sankaraiah, Polit Bureau member K Varadharajan, CPI(M) state secretary G Ramakrishnan, Central Committee Members N Varadarajan, T K Rengarajan and U Vasuki, AIDWA general secretary Sudha Sundararaman and senior CPI leader A M Gopu were also present on the occasion.
BOOK RELEASED
On January 10, Prakash Karat participated in the Chennai Book Fair and released a book on the Marxist political economy, which is Tamil translation of essays on The Capital by Dr Venkatesh B Athreya. The book is translated by K Ilakkuvan and published by Bharathi Puthakalayam, a leading Tamil publishing house.
FIRST ELECTION ON ANVIL IN AN SEZ
After a militant struggle, workers of the Foxconn India got a positive verdict from the Madras High Court which directed this multinational corporation (MNC) to allow an election for trade union recognition.
It was for the first time in India that a Special Economic Zone (SEZ) witnessed a massive working class struggle Foxconn India workers went on a 58 days strike. This started on September 21, 2010, demanding regularisation of work, hike in salary and right to form a union.
This SEZ is situated at Sri Perumpudur in Kanchipuram district, near Chennai.
The management of the company tried all means to crush the strike with the help of the ruling DMK government and its labour wing, the LPF. The concerned department was silenced.
While the struggle was going, the Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) which led the workers strike, approached the Madras High Court to direct the Foxconn management to hold an election for trade union recognition. The CITU submitted to the court a copy of the letter written by the Foxconn management to the labour department on August 24, 2010, to ascertain the majority union in the factory so that the issues could be settled with them. Even after this letter from the company, the CITU argued, the labour department and the DMK government were not prepared to accept a democratic process; later the management had also fallen in line.
With this background, the High Court ordered the company on January 4 to start the election process within six weeks.
The CITU union at Foxconn India and E Muthukumar, Kanchipuram district secretary of the CITU, welcomed the High Court directive to the management. They said this was the first verdict of its kind in the country, directing to hold trade union election in a SEZ. This is the first-step victory of the workers’ unity, they said.
Courtesy: www.pd.cpim.org/
CITU GENERAL COUNCIL CALLS FOR MARCH TO PARLIAMENT ON FEB 23, 2011 - Hemalata
THE general council of CITU, which concluded in Nasik on January 11, 2011, gave a clarion call to the working class of the country to intensify the united fight against the anti worker and anti people policies of the UPA II government. It has also decided to launch an intensive independent campaign against the rightward shift in the policies pursued by the ruling classes and on the need to strengthen the Left to safeguard the rights of the working people.
The CITU general council met in Prabhakar Sanzgiri nagar (Nasik) on January 8-11. The venue of the meeting was named after the legendary leader of the working class and women’s movement, Ahilya Rangnekar. 269 members from all over the country attended the meeting, which started with the hoisting of the red flag of the CITU by its president AK Padmanabhan.
INAUGURAL SESSION
A well attended inaugural session was held outside the district committee office of the CITU. In his presidential address, AK Padmanabhan observed that the first decade of this century was witnessing a severe crisis of the capitalist system. The crisis, the worst since the Second World War, was systemically rooted in the capitalist system itself. Despite the talk of recovery, the crisis continues to impact the economies of many countries including the advanced capitalist countries. The Millennium Development Goals remain on paper while large sections of humanity are mired in unemployment, poverty, hunger, malnutrition and disease. Unemployment, poverty and hunger have increased in the US, the richest and most powerful country in the world. The gap between the rich and poor has been widening.
Many developed countries, which have extended huge bail out packages to the corporates and incurred fiscal deficits, are now curtailing the hard won rights of the workers in the name of austerity measures. Wage cuts, reduction in pension benefits, reductions in public employment are being imposed on the working class in several countries including Germany, France, Italy, UK, Greece, Spain, Portugal etc.
The presidential address noted that the working class has been resisting these measures with massive struggles including strikes. Waves of strikes and massive demonstrations took place in Greece, France, Portugal, Spain, Italy, England, Belgium, Bulgaria, Austria etc with the slogan ‘We will not pay for their crimes’. More than 50,000 students joined the demonstrations in London. In US, more than 2,00,000 people marched through Washington streets on October 2 demanding jobs, peace and justice.
While the working people are continuing their struggles and militant movements, the political spectrum is moving towards right in many of these countries, as the expectations of some changes under social democratic governments have been belied. The resurgence of rightist forces, including the neo Nazis in many of these countries has ominous portents for the working class and democratic movements in the world. Unless the working class is able to ideologically reorient its movement and organisation, the present day challenges cannot be faced effectively.
Under these circumstances, the US imperialism has intensified its attempts to brow-beat the developing countries including India, forcing them to further open up their markets for US corporates. The much trumpeted visit of US president Obama, to India was only to ensure the expansion of their trade and also increase in the employment opportunities at home.
In this situation, the strengthening of the Bolivarian alternative movements in Latin American countries during this period was encouraging. Bolivia, Venezuela and other countries are nationalising various core industries to safeguard the interests of the people. At the same time, US imperialism continues its attempts to destabilise various progressive governments as was evident in Ecuador, Honduras etc. The real face of US imperialism and its most undemocratic and inhuman activities, the role of US embassies as centres of global espionage have been confirmed by the secret documents released by Wikileaks. These leaks have also exposed how the government of India succumbed to the pressure of US imperialists and allowed the US officials and its FBI to violate all norms in their ‘operations’.
The president of CITU asserted that it was in this background that the national developments have to be examined. The serious resentment of the working class against the policies of the government was evident in the unprecedented success of the all India general strike on September 7. This unity has to be carried forward to further intensify struggles to reverse the policies. The working class has also to address the social issues like untouchability, discrimination against women etc that prevailed even today.
GEN SECRETARY’S REPORT
The report of the general secretary, introduced in the general council meeting, by Tapan Sen elaborately dealt with the present political and economic situation in the country, outlined the experiences of various struggles in different parts of the country and proposed the future tasks to strengthen the joint movement as well as independent campaigns of the CITU. The implementation of the Bhubaneswar Document on organisation, adopted around 17 years back was also reviewed in a separate session of the general council.
The general secretary drew the attention of the members to the increasing capitulation of the ruling classes under US pressure at all – economic, political and foreign policy levels. The UPA II was aggressively pushing through the neo liberal policies of total deregulation and privatisation to the detriment of our self reliance and sovereignty. It was intent in further deregulating the financial sector, allowing FDI in retail trade and higher education and opening up our agriculture to foreign companies. The servile attitude of the Indian government was evident when it failed to raise the issue of justice to the Bhopal gas victims during the visit of president Obama. The tightening grip of US imperialism over the Indian ruling classes was a matter of concern for the working class of the country.
Taking a serious view of the institutionalisation of corruption under the neoliberal regime, the report noted that almost all the non Left parties were involved in the scams that have been surfacing on a regular basis in the last few months. Central ministers, chief ministers and ministers in various states, members of parliament and state legislatures, members of judiciary, bureaucrats at various levels, police officials and even high officers of the defence forces are involved in these scandals. Every pillar of the democratic system has been corroded. It is for the working people of this country to expose the misdeeds and also to properly link up these corrupt practices to its roots – the neo-liberal policies that are being implemented.
The main opposition party, the BJP has its share in the scams with the involvement of its leaders including its chief minister in Karnataka, allegedly being involved in several scams. Besides, it is a strong advocate of India becoming a junior strategic partner of the US and has been pursuing the same economic policies in the states where it is in power. Its communal divisive policies will be detrimental to the unity of the working class. It has no alternative pro people policies to offer.
It was only the Left parties that have been strongly opposing such abject surrender to US imperialism and raising their voice in defence of the self reliance and sovereignty of the country and the rights of the working people. The Left movement in the country has been the real source of support and even mainstay for the working people. The Left led governments in West Bengal, Kerala and Tripura have been taking various pro people measures despite the serious financial constraints. The PDS is administered in a better manner in these states, despite the non cooperation of the government of India in making food grains available. They have been providing social security benefits to vast sections of unorganised workers including the agricultural workers, relief to the workers of closed industries, etc. In Kerala, 32 out of the 37 state owned enterprises have recorded profits as against only 12 in 2005 -06. Ten more units are going to be started by the LDF government in the state. These are precisely the reasons for the attacks on the Left with overt and covert support from imperialism, which has to be exposed through a wide campaign by the CITU all over the country. It is the responsibility of the working class movement to protect the Left, the general secretary’s report asserted.
Despite the claims of being the second fastest growing economy, India has the dubious distinction of being home to the largest number of hungry people. The Global Hunger Index 2010 ranks India at 67th position well behind our neighbours Sri Lanka, Pakistan and Nepal. India alone is home to 42 per cent of the world’s underweight children, exposing the precarious food insecurity of the mass of the people. The widening inequalities become glaring from the fact that while 100 individuals in a country of 120 crore population own wealth equal to one fourth of the GDP of the country while 84 crore Indians are forced to survive on less than Rs 20 per day.
The Employment Unemployment Survey conducted by the Labour Bureau portrays an alarming picture of the unemployment, which is 7.3 per cent in rural areas, 10.1 per cent in urban areas; it is 14.6 per cent among women. Despite tall claims, only 2.4 jobs were generated in 3 years between 2005 and 2008, ie an average of 8 lakhs jobs per year.
PRICE RISE
The general secretary’s report expressed serious concern at the indifferent attitude of the government in controlling the relentless price rise of all the essential commodities, particularly of food articles. It has strongly asserted that this was not something related to demand and supply but was something deliberately promoted by the neo liberal policy regime, by dismantling the public distribution system and promoting speculative trade in commodity markets. The decision to deregulate petrol prices and the subsequent rise in petrol prices six times in six months, the hefty hike in diesel and petrol prices have also contributed to the price rise.
Another feature of neoliberalism was the loot of the poor even in the name of helping the poor, an example of which was the patronage extended to the microfinance companies. These microfinance companies charged exorbitant rates of interests of 50 – 150 per cent on loans given to the SHGs and use strong arm tactics to recover the loans. Unable to repay the loans and face the humiliation, scores of women members of SHGs, particularly in Andhra Pradesh and Odisha have committed suicides in the last few months. Microfinance has been promoted as an instrument to eliminate poverty by sections of NGOs and the government. However, the real intention was to weaken and dismantle the linkages between the institutional credit system and the poor, making bank credit a preserve for the affluent. Because of the policy hurdles created by the banks in extending loans to the SHGs and poor, even the Left led state governments in West Bengal, Kerala and Tripura are finding it difficult to ensure the 4 per cent interest rate with state government subsidies.
The disinvestment process which was halted due to the opposition of the Left parties on whose support the UPA I government depended for its survival, has been fast tracked under the UPA II rule. While it wants to exceed the target of earning Rs 40,000 crores through disinvestment in 2010 – 11, it has set a target of Rs 59,000 crores through the follow on offers in IOC, ONGC and SAIL for the fourth quarter of the current financial year. The shares are being sold at throw away prices, frittering away national assets for the benefit of the private corporate sector. Besides, by deregulation and denying access to new areas and projects through behind the scene political manipulations, the government was drastically reducing the predominant role of the public sector in strategic and infrastructure sectors. In the field of natural gas production, Reliance Industries Limited has superseded ONGC; in the field of crude oil production, once Rajasthan Oil field company under M/s Cairn starts production, the private sector would be predominant; in power sector, five projects have already gone to the private sector since NTPC was not allowed to seriously compete; deregulation of petroleum products is going to make IOC, BPCL and HPCL totally vulnerable vis a vis Reliance and Essar. The report commended the coal workers for raising their voice against disinvestment in such a scenario.
The report emphasised that under the neoliberal regime, the workers’ share in value addition was continuously being suppressed. As per the Annual Survey of Industries, the share of wages to gross value added declined from 20.5 per cent in 1991 – 92 to 9.2 per cent in 2007 – 08, while the share of profits increased from 14.5 per cent to 53.8 per cent during the same period. A survey of Indian Private Corporate Houses made by the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy noted that gross profit as percentage of total wage cost rose from 44 per cent in 2001 to 176 per cent in 2008. This means continuing decline in the average wage level and replacement of regular workers by contract/ casual/ temporary workers besides frequent wage cuts, lay off, shut down etc, often unlawful. The situation is more precarious in the unorganised sector.
VIOLATION OF LABOUR LAWS
The government was consciously promoting violation of labour laws. Around 90 per cent of the labour related disputes pertain to violation of laws related to minimum wages, working hours, maintenance of registers, deployment of contract labour, social security and trade union rights. The collusion of the government machinery and the employers was glaringly visible in the recent struggles led by CITU in Foxconn, Hyundai, BYD, Nokia and several other private establishments in Tamilnadu and Gurgaon in Haryana. In Allied Nippon in Ghaziabad a local hoodlum was appointed manager to intimidate workers. While this was the reality, the government seeks to legalise these violations through liberal exemptions to large sections of establishments.
It was in this scenario that the working class responded in a magnificent manner to the joint call of the trade unions for the all India general strike on September 7, on the five point charter of demands. The participation of INTUC in the joint action created enthusiasm among the workers. There were many struggles by workers in different parts of the country to protect their rights and working conditions during this period which reflects their determination to resist these attacks. To further intensify the struggles and carry the movement forward the central trade unions have decided to mobilise lakhs of workers in a ‘March to Parliament’ on February 23, 2011. The CITU must take up an extensive and intensive campaign to take the five point charter of demands that included control of price rise, expansion and effective implementation of PDS, effective implementation of labour laws, job protection, adequate financial allocation for providing social security benefits to all the unorganised sector workers and stopping of disinvestment.
The report on the review of organisation based on the Bhubaneswar Document recommendations , which was presented separately, noted the need to convert the increasing influence of CITU into its organisational strength by taking the necessary measures that include planned activities, expanding democratic functioning and conscious efforts at cadre development. The importance of organising the workers in the organised sector, particularly in the organised private sector, the contract workers and others in informal employment relations in the organised sector was emphasised in the report. The report also laid stress on overcoming the uneven development of the CITU.
Members representing all the state committees and industrial federations present spoke on both the reports and also reported the efforts that were going on for the mobilisation for the February 23 programme. They informed that the campaign was receiving very enthusiastic response from the workers and expressed confidence that the targets for mobilisation would be surpassed. Later both the reports along with the report of the credential committee placed by CITU treasurer Ranjana Nirula were unanimously adopted.
The general council called upon the working class to carefully watch the response of the government in its budget proposals and organise massive demonstrations all over the country immediately, if the demands of the workers and the people are not met.
The general council reiterated the decision of mobilising working women in large numbers at the state and district capitals to highlight the demands of equal wages, maternity benefits and crèche, eight hours work, reservation for women in legislative bodies, and amendments to the sexual harassment bill introduced by the government in the parliament, on March 8, 2011, on the occasion of the conclusion of the centenary of International Women’s Day. It has decided to publish a booklet on the occasion of the conclusion of the centenary of IWD. The proposal of the CITU secretariat to restart ‘Kamkaji Mahila’, as a quarterly journal in Hindi focussing on the issues of working women, replacing the present Hindi ‘Patrika’, was endorsed by the general council.
The general council also decided to conduct a massive campaign against the SEZ policy, on the EPF pension and against the unprecedented massive scams in which the leaders of Congress, BJP and several parties other than the Left are involved. The general council of the CITU called upon all its state committees and industrial federations to organise a nation wide campaign to expose the unholy nexus between the ruling class parties, the corporates and sections of corporate media and on the need to strengthen the Left. It was decided to conduct a campaign covering all the states against the rightward shift in policies and in support of the Left on March 21 – 27, 2011.
The CITU general council unanimously adopted a resolution placed by its secretary Swadesh Dev Roye and supported by Sukomal Sen, vice president of CITU, proposing that the CITU become an affiliate of the World Federation of Trade Unions (WFTU). It has decided to send a suitable delegation to participate in the WFTU Congress scheduled in April 2011 in Athens in Greece.
An impressive public meeting was organised by the Maharashtra state committee of CITU on January 8 in which thousands of workers from different industries, a large number of them women participated. The meeting was addressed by AK Padmanabhan, Tapan Sen, Hemalata, KL Bajaj, vice president, Adam Master, president and Dr KL Karad, general secretary of the state committee of CITU. Kavita Rout, the gold medal winner in 10 kilometres marathon in the recent Delhi Commonwealth games and her coach Jitendra Singh and Shreyas Dwivedi, a young differently abled boy who won Gold medal in inter-state Swimming competition, despite the physical deformities in both hands since birth, were felicitated in the public meeting.
The CITU expressed its gratitude to the working class and the people of Nasik and the Maharashtra state committee and Nasik district committees of the CITU who have extended all support for the successful and smooth conduct of its general council meeting.
Courtesy: www.pd.cpim.org/
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