20-21 February Strike - Preparations Continue
Reports from all over the country indicate that the trade union movement is making serious preparations for an effective countrywide strike on 20 – 21 February 2013. Reports of some of the state level conventions were carried in the last issue of ‘The Working Class’. Here are some more reports -
Uttar Pradesh After the successful joint state convention of central trade unions on 19 November 2012, a separate state level convention of the Uttar Pradesh units of the all India federations was held at Ganga Prasad Memorial Hall in Lucknow on 5 December for the success of the countrywide general strike on 20-21 February. Sukomal Sen, national vice president of CITU and former general secretary of All India State Government Employees’ Federation addressed the convention as the main speaker. Prem Nath Rai, general secretary of UP state committee of CITU along with the state leaders of other trade unions also addressed the convention.
Large number of employees including teachers, state and central government employees, insurance, bank, postal, transport, BNSL and warehousing corporation employees participated in the convention.
(Inputs: Prem Nath Rai)
Jharkhand
Around 300 trade union functionaries of all central trade unions and industrial federations attended the Jharkhand state convention for the preparation of 2 days’ countrywide strike at CMPDIL’s Mayuri Hall, Ranchi on 9 December.
Apart from issues and demands raised in the 4th September 2012 national convention in New Delhi, the convention also highlighted the anti-people and anti-worker policies of the state government. In the name of development, police and administration are acting as the strong arm of the corporates as seen in Kathautia Mines of Usha Martin in Daltonganj, in Jindal’s factory at Patratu, in Penam Coal Mines in Pakur, and in Electrosteel in Bokaro etc. The natural resources of the state are being looted by the big corporates in the name of investment. Peasants are being dispossessed of their lands by force causing huge migration of the rural poor from the state. The convention adopted a declaration expressive its resolve to fight against such policies. It also adopted a separate resolution condemning the increasing attacks of the BJP led state government on the trade union rights of the workers in general and on the electricity and sales promotion employees who went on strike recently, in particular. It demanded withdrawal of ESMA and the cases against the BSSR union members. The convention also decided to stage massive demonstrations before the Governor’s House on 18th December; launch state wide campaign to ensure total success of the two days’ countrywide strike in Jharkhand. The state level leaders of all the central trade unions including DD Ramanandan, general secretary of Jharkhand state committee of CITU addressed the convention. Mithilesh Singh from CITU was part of the presidium comprising representatives of all the central trade unions.
(Inputs: DD Ramanandan)
Punjab and Chandigarh
All the central trade unions and federations in Punjab and Chandigarh organised a joint convention at Baba Sohan Singh Bhakna Bhawan, Chandigarh on 9th December to prepare for an effective strike in the state and the Union Territory on 20 – 21 February 2013. The presidium consisted of the state presidents of the different trade unions including Vijay Misra, president of the Punjab state committee of CITU.
Raghunath Singh, general secretary of the Punjab state committee of CITU moved the main resolution and explained the demands. Representatives of all the central trade unions including Chandra Shekhar, Ranbir Singh Virk, Tarsem Jodhan, Usha Rani and others from CITU spoke in support of the resolution after which it was unanimously adopted.
The convention decided to launch house to house campaign from 13th December, to organise demonstrations and courting of arrest in front of district and sub-divisional administrative offices and 2 hours rasta roko agitation at 50 places on 18th and 19th December and mobilise 10000 workers and employees for the March to Parliament on 20th December. It has unanimously decided to make 20-21 February strike historic in Punjab and Chandigarh.
A separate resolution was adopted by the convention condemning the brutal murder of the father, himself a police officer, while protecting his bank employee daughter by a leader of the ruling Akali Dal (Badal). The convention gave a call to stage state-wide protest demonstrations on 12 December.
(Inputs: Raghunath Singh)
Odisha
A state level joint trade union convention for the success of the 2 days’ country wide strike in February 2013 was held on 4th December at Bhubaneswar. The convention decided to organise campaigns by holding conventions in districts and industrial centres, holding union wise general body meetings, public meetings and gate meetings, organising campaign squads to take the message of the strike to wider sections of workers, stage Satyagraha programme on 19th December in all the districts and to make the all India strike on 20-21 February completely successful in Odisha.
The Convention was conducted by a presidium comprising representatives of all the central trade unions. CITU was represented by Lambodar Nayak, president of Odisha state committee of CITU. Lambodar Nayak explained the Declaration on 10 point demands adopted in the joint national convention of trade unions in Delhi on 4th September 2012.
State leaders of the central trade unions and all India federations of bank, insurance, state and central government employees addressed the convention. Sivaji Patnaik and Dushmanta Das addressed the gathering on behalf of CITU.
The convention adopted a separate resolution condemning the belated declaration of Rs 150 as minimum wage, ignoring the unanimous recommendation of the state labour advisory board of a daily minimum wage of Rs.200. The convention also condemned the lack of implementation of the labour laws in the state as also the non implementation of the decisions of the construction workers’ welfare board.
(Inputs: Sridhar Misra)
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