INDUSTRY WISE STRIKE

Industry

Massive Strike of Central Government Employees

Overwhelming majority of 10 lakhs central government employees resorted to a day’s massive strike on 12 December responding to the call of the Confederation of Central Government Employees and Workers paralyzing governmental functioning in various departments throughout the country.

Reports indicate total strike in Assam, Tripura, West Bengal, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Tamilnadu, Kerala, Chattisgarh and Jharkhand; 80 percent and above in Maharashtra, Karnataka, U.P. and Bihar; and about 60 percent in other states. Postal, income tax, groundwater board departments came to a grinding halt in all states and the offices remained closed. In income tax department even promotee officers joined the strike resulting in complete closure. Many establishments of atomic energy, printing and stationery, defence accounts, medical depots, audit and accounts, civil accounts, CGHS, Indian Bureau of Mines, Directorate of Marketing Inspection, Geological Survey of India, Archaeological and Botanical Survey of India etc. remained closed.

The strike was against PFRDA Bill intending to convert government employees’ existing defined benefit of pension to contributory pension scheme. The strike demands also included setting up the 7th Central Pay Commission for wage revision; filling up large number of vacant posts; regularization of the service of Grameen Dak Sewaks / casual / daily-rated workers; revival of the negotiating machinery, JCM; removal of restrictions on compassionate appointments; introduction of public distribution system; stoppage of outsourcing, contractorisation, privatization etc.

Through this strike, the central government employees have also asserted to make workers’ general strike on 20-21 February a grand success. The Confederation is also preparing for an indefinite strike in pursuance of the 15 point charter of demands in 2013.

Medical and Sales Representatives’ Countrywide Strike

To defend: Identity as Workers, Right to Work;

For: Price Control of Medicines, Tax Relief

AFTER their successful countrywide strike on 23 August, 2012, 1.5 lakh medical and sales representatives again resorted to country-wide strike on 4 December in response to the call of their all India federation, FMRAI, in pursuance of 18-point demands to central government, state governments and to the employers.

With massive infusion of FDI, one of the largest in India, through Indian companies’ 100 percent acquisition route in the background of massive austerity cuts in health sector and contraction of medicines’ market in industrially developed capitalist countries following world economic crisis; combined with UPA government’s vigorous neoliberal policy push and new drive for pharmaceuticals market’s restructuring and positioning for patent regime of MNCs; the medical and sales representatives are facing new attacks – attacks on their identity as workers and on their right to work. This attack is combined with massive misleading propaganda holding them responsible for high and spiraling prices of medicines and pharma corporate corruption. It is a cover up exercise of government’s adamant refusal of even Supreme Court’s direction of cost-based price control and tax relief of essential and other medicines and refusal to enactment of law to punish pharma corporates for corruption. 4 December strike emphasized on these attack-related issues in the already raised 18 points demands.

These demands include regally amended appointment letters in Form A under Sales Promotion Employees (Conditions of Service) Act (SPE Act) to all existing employees to recognize them as workers; suspension of all sales promotion work till compliance; photo identity cards by state governments after verification of appointment letters in Form A or recognition of such I-cards issued by their registered unions for sales promotion employees; unfettered right to work with registered medical practitioners, hospitals and institutions. They are also demanding to bring 348 medicines in the ‘National List of Essential Medicines’ (NLEM) in the ‘List of Essential Drugs’ under DPCO with present 100% mark up cap; cost-based price control of all drugs; to revert to cost-based excise duty of all medicines; and no tax on essential drugs.

The demands also include constitution of Industrial Standing Committee for the Sales Promotion Employees, with FMRAI in it, as was recommended by national tripartite meeting in November, 2010; to frame statutory working rules in SPE Act; enforcement of 1982 amendment of Section 2(j)ii(b) of I.D. Act declaring ‘sales promotion’ as an ‘industry’; grievance committee under I.D. Act; fixation and legal notification on 8-hours work; notification of sales promotion employees in the list of scheduled industries under Minimum Wages Act and to put them in highest skilled category; extension of maternity leave for women sales promotion employees etc.

4 December countrywide strike was total with complete cessation of sales promotion activities in all states and union territories - from Kashmir valley to Kanyakumari and from Aizwal to Gujarat. The strike this time was wider even in the remote places where FMRAI’s organisational outfits are absent and deeper making inroads amongst unorganized sections. Thousands of field workers picketed in all cities and towns; held rallies and mass meetings addressed by CITU and leaders of fraternal organizations: submitted memoranda to district labour and civil administrations.

In Jamshedpur in Jharkhand local police filed FIR against BSSR Union on alleged charge of creating obstructions. In Kolkata, led by a local leader, TMC goons tried to terrorize the striking workers at Sinthee during their picketing and public meeting. They tore off the red flags and posters and threatened the striking workers of physical assault and so on. To protest, 200 WBMSRU members assembled there on 6 December holding public meeting. During the meeting, the TMC goons and anti-socials again came back and disrupted the meeting in presence the police who remained silent onlookers. Police even refused to accept FIR.

LIC Agents ‘March to Parliament’

ON 29 November, more than 15000 LIC agents from 22 states, under the banner of LIC Agents Organization of India (LICAOI), Marched to Parliament in a colourful procession with banners, flags, badges and hats and staged dharna at Jantar Mantar demanding legislation for job security; against FDI in insurance sector and retail; for withdrawal of notification making banks as brokers; and other LIC-related demands like amendment to Agents Regulations, 1972; to stop service taxes and direct marketing, cancellation of instructions to give new policies only after opening bank account with ECS and cheque facility; and for real pension, welfare fund, CPF, enhancement of gratuity and amendment of gratuity calculation; withdrawal of the proposal for new direct tax code bill 2010 etc.

Those led the March included CITU’s all India vice president, CPI(M)’s Lok Sabha leader and president of LICAOI Basudeb Achariya; its working president S.S. Potti; general secretary P.G. Dileep; vice presidents A.V. Bellarmin, former M.P., Somanath Bhattacharya, C.A. Joseph, R.P. Bharadwaj; secretaries M. Selvaraj, L. Manjunath, V.P. Anandan, Surajit Bose, Joy Xavier, Sudhanandam, Jayanta Basu, Ramakant Maurya and treasurer A.D. Joy.

Dharna was inaugurated by Basudeb Acharia and addressed by Members of the parliament P. Karunakaran, M..P. Rajesh, K.N. Balagopal, Dr. T.N. Seema, C.P. Narayanan, A. Sampath, P.K. Biju, T.K. RangaRajan, P.R. Nadarajan, S.K. Sahidul Haque and by Himachal Pradesh CITU state secretary Reveedra Kumar.

The speakers pointed out that despite private companies entering in insurance sector about 12 years back, LIC’s strong position could be maintained due to inter alia co-operation and hard work of the LIC agents which has become a model in the world. That LIC’s 97% of the business last year was done by agents is a clear proof of the trust created by agents among policy holders. This trust is the mainstay of the developing market for LIC during past 56 years. Foreign and Indian corporates in insurance sector realized that they could grab major portion of the market only by destroying strong agents’ network of LIC. IRDA, backed by Central government’s policy, is enforcing its rules precisely for this purpose. The slogan ‘Save LIC & Protect Agents’ is, therefore, relevant.

LIC management, Central government and IRDA should meet the minimum and reasonable expectation of the agents. On the demands, petition to the Lok Sabha Speaker and memorandum to the Union finance minister were submitted. S.S. Potti presided. General secretary P.G. Dileep proposed vote of thanks.