COMMITT OF PUBLIC SECTOR TRADE UNIONS CALLS UPON WORKERS TO JOIN IN THOUSANDS IN MASSIVE MARCH TO PARLIAMENT ON 23RDE FEBRUARY, 2011

PRESS COMMUNIQUIE 15^TH DCEMBER, 2010

CPSTU Calls upon all CPSU workers to join in thousands in Massive March to Parliament on 23^rd February, 2011

The Core Group of the CPSTU notes with deep encouragement that the country witnessed a historic general strike by around 10 crore workers on 7^th September, 2010 covering all the sectors and segments of economic activities in the country pressing for five points of issues noted below.

(1) Against unprecedented price rise and for universal Public Distribution System

(2) Strict enforcement of all Labour Laws

(3) Concrete proactive measures for generation and protection of employment

(4) Modification of unorganized Workers Social Security act, 2008 to remove all the restrictions eon eligibility for coverage and provision for Central Funding to extend benefit to contract/casual and unorganized sector workers

(5) Against Disinvestment of profit making PSUs and for investment of Reserve & Surplus Funds of PSUs for expansion and also for revival of sick PSUs.

The Core Group recalls that the strike action has been preceded by All India Protest Day on 28^th October, 2009; Massive Dharna on 16^th December, 2009 and Satyagrah/Jail Bharo on 5^th March, 2010 by around 10 crore workers to press for the demands responding to the joint call of Central Trade Unions and Federations of Industrial and Service Sector workers. But shockingly the Government at the centre has remained totally unconcerned.

The Core Group notes that the Government of the day at the centre is aggressively promoting further deregulation of the financial sector while pushing through the process of disinvestments with great haste. During the Financial Year 2010-2011 the Government wants to exceed its target of disinvestment fixed at Rs. 40,000 crore. So far in the currenti phase, disinvestment has been done in Sutluj Jal Vidyut Nigam, EIL, NMDC, NHPC, NTPC, REC, Coal India Limited, Power Grid Corporation Ltd., Manganese Ore India Ltd. and Shipping Corporation. Government’s next targets are Hindustan Copper to be completed within December, 2010. And next in the pipeline are the follow-on offers of IOC, ONGC and SAIL targeted for the fourth quarter of the current financial year and the total amount the government targets to garner out of all these disinvestment is Rs. 59,000 crore for the current financial year itself.

Shockingly the proceeds of disinvestment is spent by the Government for funding the stimulus packages for the big-business and corporate houses on the plea of financial crisis. Further, budget deficit so incurred owing to liberal doles is filled in with the proceeds of disinvestment. The Core Group reaffirms its stand that privatization negates the path of self-reliant development of our country. Handing over the huge public assets and precious natural resources at the command of the PSUs and also the control of the strategic and core sector of the national economy to private hands, both domestic and foreign, and that too at a throw away price is totally against the socio-economic interest of the country and also defrauds the people. Apart from disinvestments and privatization, the Government of the day has been acting overtime to drastically reduce the predominant role of public sector in strategic and infrastructural sector of the economy through the route of deregulation and denial of access.

In the meantime, on one hand the number of regular employees has been consistently declining every year and has been reduced from 23 lakhs in the 1980s to 15.7 lakhs in 2007-08 and on the other hand the number of contract workers is increasing by leaps and bounds and they are being deployed in regular operational jobs. Proportion of contract workers in the total workforce has already crossed the 50 per cent mark on an average in many CPSUs. In nutshell we have to understand that contract workforce has already attained huge numerical strength. These contract workers continue to be victims of despicable exploitation in the matter of terms and conditions of employment including wages and benefits, social security and safety. Their wages are atrociously low compared to regular workers doing the same job. On the other hand, due to deployment in core operational activities, they have (contract workers) become indispensable contingent in the entire production process of the industry concerned without whom the process will simply collapse. Now denying recognition to their number and contribution in productivity and profitability is a serious threat not only to the industry but also to the t5ade union movement which has to be met with. The contract workers have to be guaranteed much better deal if not total parity with regular permanent workers.

The Core Group notes that apart from specific issues of public sector workers, the “March to Parliament” on 23^rd February, 2011 is also directed to oppose the retrograde policies of the Government allowing 100 per cent FDI on Retail Trade, Free Trade Agreement with European Unions etc. on the one hand and trying to impose drastic curtailment on Trade Union Rights and Social Security Rights of the workers through anti-workers changes in labour laws, privatization of pension etc. on the other which are going to have severe negative impact on the national economy and directly impact upon the life and livelihood of the mass of the working people.

In such a background, the Core Group of CPSTU firmly believes that the joint call for “March to Parliament” on 23^rd February, 2011 by the trade union movement of the country is a most important step towards highlighting the united movement of the working class for determined struggles against the neo-liberal policy regime. The Core Group of the CPSTU appeals to all public sector workers irrespective of affiliations to participate in the March in thousands and make it a resounding success.

H. Mahadevan

AITUC

Swadesh Dev Roy

CITU

R.A. Mital

HMS

B.V. MANOHARA

JOINT ACTION FRONT

BANGALURU

J. RAGHAVA RAO

PSU TRADE UNIONS COORDIATION

COMMITTEE, HYDERABAD