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Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Saturday, April 16, 2011
16TH WORLD TRADE UNION CONGRESS OF THE WORLD FEDERATION OF TRADE UNIONS (WFTU)
AGAINST CAPITALIST BARBARISM, FOR SOCIAL JUSTICE
Hemalata
THE 16th World Trade Union Congress of the World Federation of Trade Unions (WFTU) concluded on April 10, 2011 in Athens, Greece, calling upon the working class all over the world to unite in the struggle to protect their hard-won rights which are under intense attack on the pretext of the global economic crisis; to achieve the contemporary needs of the workers and all sections of the toiling people; and to achieve a just society which, it categorically asserted, is not possible under the present capitalist system.
As many as 881 delegates and observers, representing workers from different sectors and industries in 105 countries over 4 continents, participated in the congress. The CITU, which recently decided to get affiliated to the WFTU, was represented by 20 delegates led by its president A K Padmanabhan and its secretary Swadesh Dev Roye who is also the head of its international department. Six representatives of the All India State Government Employees’ Federation (AISGEF) led by its vice president Sukomal Sen, a former general secretary of the Trade Union International of Public and Allied Employees, also participated in the congress.
PARASITIC AND DECAYING SYSTEM
After a rousing welcome to the delegates and observers by thousands of workers, mostly young men and women and students, at the inaugural session at the Faliro Pavilion on April 6, the congress had a serious discussion on the “Athens Pact” presented by the WFTU general secretary George Mavrikos. A K Padmanabhan was in the presidium of the first session.
Being held in the background of the global economic crisis, the worst since crisis of the early 1930s, the discussions in the congress focussed mainly on the impact of the global economic crisis on the working class and the strategies that needed to be adopted by the working class movement at the national and international levels to protect the interests of the workers. The report pointed out that the sharp rise in unemployment, dramatic shrinking of the real income of the workers, the reduction of social spending budgets, raising the retirement age etc, show the parasitism and decay of the capitalist system. Hiding the real fact that it was the toiling masses who were actually bearing the brunt of the crisis, the problems arising out of the crisis were presented as ‘national problems’ to impose further burdens on the workers and the common people so that capitalists, who were responsible for the crisis in the first place, could protect and further increase their profits. In Britain, the income of the rich increased by 30 per cent last year; the number of billionaires increased from 43 to 53; and 9 of them increased their wealth by more than 1 billion euros during the last year.
In the USA, the official unemployment rate is 9.5 per cent. But if we include the number of those who could not find full time jobs and of those who, unable to find any employment, stopped looking for work, a whopping 19 per cent of the total workforce is daily confronted with the spectre of unemployment there. In several countries, unemployment has reached alarming proportions, driving large sections of the American youth to crime and anti-social activities.
While science and technology have recorded huge advances, the benefits of these advances are denied to the common people. Today the world has the necessary resources and expertise for increasing global food production to meet the needs of the entire population on the planet. Yet, the number of the hungry and malnourished is increasing. As per the FAO, more than 10 crore people joined the ranks of the poor after the beginning of the crisis. Hunger was not limited to the developing countries alone. In the USA, the richest country of the world today, 4.9 crore people suffer from malnutrition. About 1.7 crore children in the USA live in households unable to provide daily meals; the number of children in the US who were left with no food at all for one day or more jumped from 7 lakhs to 11 lakhs within a year.
In 15 countries including Afghanistan and several African countries, the life expectancy at birth is as low as 45 – 49 years. It is lower for women who die in hundreds of thousands due to lack of medical care during childbirth and suffer from anaemia and malnutrition. In 37 more countries, life expectancy at birth is 50 – 59 years.
The WFTU strongly criticised the prescriptions of the World Bank, IMF and WTO for the development of the third world countries and demanded that the debt of the third world countries should be cancelled now. It declared that the debt, in fact, does not exist; it has been repaid by these countries many times over. The real debtors are those who exploit the people and the rich resources of the third world countries.
The ‘Athens Pact’ asserted that the present global economic crisis was neither the first nor would it be the last under capitalism. Such crises were systemic of the capitalist mode of production; there can be no convergence of economic and social achievements in a capitalist society.
POWERFUL STRUGGLES
The WFTU congress noted the experiences of the great struggles of the working class in different countries such as in Greece, Portugal, Spain, France and Italy in Europe, in Mexico and the USA, and in other countries of Asia, Africa and Latin America, against the attacks on their working and living conditions. Similarly, the recent struggles against rising food prices and unemployment and also for democracy in Tunisia, Egypt, Bahrain, Libya, Yemen, Jordan, etc indicate that people, particularly the young, were getting mobilised to fight for their rights. These were positive developments, indicating that the crisis provided opportunities for the awakening of the working class and the people, though equally serious problems coexist.
Unless there was a class oriented approach, however, there is a risk that these various outbursts or spontaneous movements would quickly get deflated or manipulated. Without persistent and consistent struggle against monopolies and imperialism and their associations, and without showing a complete alternative perspective, it would be easy for imperialism to redeploy its forces and to launch a counterattack.
The congress stressed the need for united struggles and united tactics of the labour movement. Such unity should not be just for the sake of unity, but aim to overthrow the power of monopolies and effect a convergence of the movements for another way of development. With such unity, solidarity and coordinated struggles only could the working class achieve gains and protect them. It was decided to organise an international meeting of trade unionists to discuss the issue of “Our Work and Coordination within Multinational/Transnational Companies” by the end of 2011.
The “Athens Pact,” unanimously adopted by the congress also pointed out that the working class, when united on a class basis, would bring to their side other sections of the people like the poor farmers, the self-employed, and the tradesmen, as allies in its struggle against the monopolies and big capital. It warned that the opponents and enemies of the workers were uniting forces under their own umbrella with the single-minded objective of suppressing the working class movement. The workers must be made conscious of the need of united struggles.
ORGANISING THE WOMEN, YOUTH
Highlighting the importance of paying special attention to organise women workers, it was pointed out that in all capitalist countries working women face cruel exploitation. Unemployment among women is higher than among men. They are the last to get jobs and the first to lose them. They mostly work in part time, insecure, uncertain and casual jobs; they are paid less than men; they get lower or no pensions; violence against women is increasing in all countries; prostitution is spreading; hundreds of thousands of women are forced to migrate within and across countries in search of employment. The proportions of illiteracy, poverty and hunger are disproportionately high among women. For example, 3/5 of children who do not go to school in the European Union are girls; 90 per cent of the one million people who are victims of trafficking every year are women and girls.
Significantly 32 per cent of the delegates to the WFTU congress were women. A separate session of women delegates was held on April 7, which was attended by the general secretary of the WFTU. It was decided to organise an international conference to discuss the issues of working women in detail and constitute a preparatory committee for this purpose.
The congress also noted with concern the low level of trade union organisation among young workers. From the state of trade union organisations in the sectors, which had huge presence of young workers, it was clear that young workers were mostly out of the purview of the trade union movement. They are compelled to keep a distance from collective actions and struggles. They become the target of multifaceted exploitation not only because they perform the more precarious, casual and low paid jobs at work but also because they are targeted by the spread of drugs, child prostitution, illiteracy etc. The congress emphasised the need to reach out to the young workers and make special efforts to organise them and to convince them to play a decisive role in revitalising the trade union movement of the working class and not to remain as spectators.
The 16th congress of the WFTU was informed of the progress made in the activities after the last congress held in Havana on December 4-5, 2005. The headquarters of the organisation was shifted to Athens and the meetings of the presidential council were regularised. Efforts were made to improve the functioning of the different trade union internationals (TUIs), though still there were some which were not functioning regularly. Several international conferences and conventions on different issues were held and an international conference of working women was held in Brussels. These efforts were reflected in the increased and enthusiastic participation in the 16th congress. It was decided to further improve the coordination among the regional offices, among the TUIs and also improve the relations of TUIs with the WFTU.
The 16th congress of the WFTU re-elected Mohammed Shabban Azzouz from Syria as its president and George Mavrikos as the general secretary. A 40 member new presidential council, including A K Padmanabhan and Swadesh Dev Roye from CITU, was also elected by the congress. A K Padmanabhan was elected as vice president and Swadesh Dev Roye as secretariat member. The congress expressed confidence that by the time of the next congress when the WFTU would celebrate its 70 years, thousands of new trade union cadres, young men and women workers would be developed and promoted to strengthen the class struggles and that they would deliver to the next generations a world without exploitation.
Courtesy: www.pd.cpim.org/
Friday, April 15, 2011
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
HARYANA: CITU, AIKS LEADERS FACE MURDEROUS ATTACK
ON March 15, a big protest demonstration came out in Bhiwani, Haryana, demanding the arrest of all the culprits who sought to abduct and cause serious injuries to the leaders of striking brick kiln workers near Manehru village on March 8. The injured included a senior Kisan Sabha leader, Master Sher Singh, and four others. Master Sher Singh, a former president of Sarva Karamchari Sangh, is also state committee member and district secretary of the CPI (M).
At the joint call of the Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) and All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS), several hundred enraged protesters including a large number of women virtually stormed the district secretariat building against the inaction of the police in arresting the culprits named in the FIR even after more than a week.
It is to be noted that brick kiln union’s vice president Bhim Singh and Master Sher Singh had gone to address a meeting of striking workers on March 8. The venue of the meeting was attacked by a large group of armed goons hired by brick kiln owners. These goons took three leaders in captivity and indiscriminately attacked the workers. The abducted leaders were mercilessly beaten up. Alcohol was force-fed into their mouth and sprinkled over their bodies.
The police brought back the abducted leaders when some CITU leaders filed an FIR. CPI (M) state secretary Inderjit Singh, too, immediately informed the director general of police about it through a faxed letter, seeking prompt action. Three of the injured victims were found to have suffered fractures. A case was registered under Sections 147, 148, 149, 323, 506, 342, 565 IPC by the Bhiwani police for causing injuries to five persons including a dalit woman, Santosh, who had a fractured leg, and for committing other offences.
On March 15, a gathering of over 5000 people assembled in Nehru Park from where they marched through the main roads up to the district administrative complex. They were addressed among others by Dipankar Mukherjee (all-India CITU secretary and a former CPI (M) MP), CPI (M) state secretary Inderjit Singh, Haryana state CITU secretary Surender Singh, state Kisan Sabha general secretary and former CPI (M) legislator Harpal Singh, AIDWA state president Shakuntala Jakhar and others.
Inderjit Singh strongly criticised the murderous attack on a peaceful meeting of striking workers by armed brick kiln owners who got three main leaders abducted. He was astonished that the police did not nab the culprits from the site of occurrence when it brought the seriously injured persons to hospital. Dipankar Mukherjee lashed out at the Haryana government for not enforcing the labour laws and totally disregarding the trade union rights. He demanded due increase in the wages of workers and provision of the legally due facilities at the brick kilns. Surender Malik warned that such coward goondaism would not succeed in suppressing the workers who were struggling to achieve their legitimate demands.
Led by a large number of women, angry protesters later entered the building when the authorities did not respond despite repeated pleas of the leaders for a reply. The virtual seize was lifted only when the SP told a delegation that two of the main accused had already been arrested and that the remaining persons would be taken into custody soon.
In a later development, the police reportedly arrested five more accused on March 16.
Courtesy: www.pd.cpim.org/
ALL INDIA KISAN SABHA OPPOSES FDI IN AGRICULTURE, ALLIED SECTORS
THROUGH a statement issued from New Delhi on April 5, the All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS) has strongly disapproved the central government’s recent move to allow foreign direct investment (FDI) into agriculture and allied sectors including in the seed sector. In the name of boosting FDI inflows. the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion of the government of India has recently released the third consolidated FDI policy circular (Circular 1 of 2011), laying down the FDI policy effective from April 1, 2011. The multinational corporations (MNCs) which entered into India through joint ventures with Indian companies have now been allowed to make investments in the same field outside the Joint Venture unilaterally without obtaining any approval from the Indian partner. This move will ensure the tightening of the stranglehold of the MNCs over our economy at the expense of the Indian companies. The move also exposes the extent to which global agribusinesses are dictating the course of policy decisions in India.
Conditions for allowing foreign investment for production and development of seeds and planting material have been liberalised. The government has granted unjustifiable concessions to the MNCs and has allowed 100 per cent FDI in development of seeds, horticulture, planting materials and services related to agro and allied sectors where the entry route is automatic and unrestricted. Floriculture, horticulture, vegetable cultivation, mushrooms, pisciculture, aquaculture and animal husbandry including poultry and rearing of animals under intensive farming systems under controlled conditions have been fully opened up for foreign agribusinesses that are purely driven by profit motive. This is bound to seriously compromise the interests of millions of peasants engaged in dairying, poultry and other such activities for their livelihood.
The AIKS is of the opinion that the latest government’s move will lead to an accelerated dismantling of the National Seeds Corporation and the system of making quality seeds available to the peasantry at affordable rates. Indian seed manufacturers will be adversely affected and peasants would be at the mercy of the MNCs for the supply of seeds. There will be no control over seed prices or royalty and seed monopolies will be further strengthened. Dangerously, FDI has now been permitted in the development and production of seeds and planting material, without the stipulation of having to do so under “controlled conditions.” This could have serious implications and the possibility of contamination of strains in the case of open field trials as well as compromising our biodiversity cannot be altogether ruled out.
In the plantation sector also in tea plantations, 100 per cent FDI has been allowed. This could spark a wave of takeovers of small plantations and the possibility of future land use change to indulge in real estate speculative activities is also open. The lives of millions of small players and plantation workers (a large number of them tribals) will also be put into peril. States like Kerala, Tamilnadu, Bengal, Assam, Tripura and other north eastern states will be adversely affected by this move.
In this light, the AIKS has strongly opposed the unjustified concessions given to MNCs in the field of agriculture and animal husbandry, and has demanded that they be withdrawn forthwith. We appeal to the peasantry and all sections of society to rise up in protest to oppose these measures and force the government to withdraw this decision.
Courtesy: www.pd.cpim.org/
PEERLESS EMPLOYEES ON STRUGGLE PATH
THE Peerless General Finance & Investment Co Ltd, Kolkata, has established itself as a well known financial institution to the people of our country by virtue of procuring small savings from rural and urban depositors across the country through its 147 offices. Around 1500 office and 50,000 field employees are at present earning their livelihood from this company. The company has paid backs Rs 18,000 crores to its depositors on maturity. The company has received a certificate of appreciation from Reserve Bank of India for complying with the regulatory norms properly.
But it is a matter of great astonishment that despite all this the company has stopped its traditional non-banking nature of business from April 1, 2010 as per instructions from the Reserve Bank of India. As a result, the lives and livelihood of employees attached to this business are now in jeopardy and they are apprehending to lose their jobs.
In the year 1987, the Supreme Court declared in a verdict that the savings schemes conducted by the Peerless are legal and advised the Reserve Bank of India to be careful to protect the interest of its office and field employees along with depositors while framing the regulatory measures for the Peerless. But now we find that the Reserve Bank of India has very carefully ignored the interests of the Peerless employees.
The All India Peerless Employees Union has been urging upon the management since 2005 to start their own insurance business as a perfect alternative to the hitherto RNBC operations. But on every occasion the management turned down its proposal on one or another superfluous plea.
Sitaram Yechury and Basudeb Acharia of the CPI(M) and some other Left members of parliament have written a letter to the union finance minister, Pranab Mukherjee, seeking his intervention to resolve the crisis in the Peerless in order to protect the interest of crores of depositors and thousands of office and field employees.
Hence the Peerless employees’ union decided to hold conventions at the state headquarters throughout the country to demand the government’s intervention to resolve the Peerless crisis in the interest of all. The first such convention was held in Kolkata on December 4, 2010, in which various trade union leaders participated in support of Peerless employees and depositors.
Recently, another convention was held on March 5, 2011 --- at Sundaraiah Vignana in Hyderabad.
Chukka Ramaiah, MLC, inaugurated the convention. Various trade union leaders, employees of Peerless throughout the state and field employees participated in it.
All India Insurance Employees Association’s general secretary Venu Gopal, state INTUC general secretary Abdul Bhader, CITU Hyderabad city committee president S Narsimha Reddy, All India Peerless Employees Union general secretary Gautam Chatterjee, INTUC secretary Ram Mohan Rao, and other trade union leaders addressed the convention, demanding the government’s immediate intervention for continuation of RNBC business of the company.
Courtesy: www.pd.cpim.org/
WORLD TRADE UNION CONGRESS BEGINS IN ATHENS
THE 16th World Trade Union Congress of the World Federation of Trade Unions (WFTU) started at the Faliro Pavilion or the Taek Wan Doo auditorium with great enthusiasm in Athens, Greece on April 6, 2011.
The 828 delegates and observers representing the trade union organisations of workers and employees from 104 countries in four continents across the globe gathered near the stadium for the inaugural session. Azouz M Shaban, president and George Mavrikos, general secretary of WFTU led the delegates around the pavilion to a thunderous applause, waving of flags and slogans by more than 5000 people – most of them young women and men - who assembled there to participate in the inaugural ceremony. A 35 member presidium comprising the presidential and financial councils of WFTU, and representatives of South Africa, Arab countries, ACFTU and CITU presided over the public meeting. CITU was represented by its national secretary, Hemalata.
The general secretary of PAME, the militant Greek trade union which led a series of struggles against the attacks on the workers on the pretext of the global economic crisis hosted the congress. Welcoming the delegates, he said that the struggles of the millions of workers around the world led by the class oriented trade unions and their experiences would give them the strength to further advance their struggles to protect the interests of the workers in Greece. He expressed confidence that the working class would be successful in countering the single minded attack of the ruling classes to suppress their rights and bringing about a change in the society.
Addressing the gathering, the president of WFTU emphasised the need for unity of the people against imperialist aggression and domination. Mavrikos, general secretary of WFTU observed that WFTU and its activities have expanded since the last congress five years back. He outlined the efforts made during this period to advance the class oriented trade union movement and to develop solidarity among the working class in different countries. He emphasised that the need of the hour is to unite the entire working class and strengthen the fight against the exploitative capitalist system.
The first vice president of Greek parliament, the speaker of Greece and the mayors of Athens and Pierus also addressed the gathering. All of them referred to the serious impact of the global economic crisis on the people of Greece and expressed their hope that the 16th congress of the WFTU would address the issue and provide the necessary direction to the trade union movement in the world to change the present exploitative system.
The cultural team of the reception committee presented inspiring songs and music which enthralled all those present.
The delegates’ session on April 7-10 will discuss the ‘Athens Pact’ that will be presented by the general secretary, the amendments to the WFTU constitution and other matters and elect the new presidential council and secretariat.
The 16th congress of the WFTU is expected to be an important milestone in the advancement of the world trade union movement and in strengthening world wide struggles against the attacks on the working class and the toiling people and in establishing a world free from exploitation.
Courtesy: www.pd.cpim.org/
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