Editorial: The Voice of the Working Women (CITU)

Editorial: The Voice of the Working Women (CITU)

People on the Move

December 2012 saw two major protest demonstrations in the national capital. One, the massive ‘March to Parliament’ led by the joint trade union movement, of around 50,000 workers from all over the country, which was predictably almost totally ignored by the mainstream media. This March was a prelude to the two day joint country wide general strike on 20 – 21 February this year. The fifteenth since the advent of the neoliberal policies, this strike is part of the untiring efforts of the working class to force the government to heed the demands of crores of common toiling people – to immediately curb the ever increasing prices, universalise the public distribution system, for minimum wages, pension for all, social security for unorganised sector, strict implementation of labour laws, to stop the inhuman contract system, disinvestment etc.

But the UPA government is determined to push ahead its neoliberal agenda. It has announced measures that will further burden the people by escalating the prices and leading to loss of their livelihood – deregulation of diesel prices, cut down subsidies on fertiliser, curtailment of subsidised cooking gas, FDI in retail trade, direct cash transfers, further liberalisation of the financial sector, disinvestment, etc. It has passed the Banking Laws (Amendment) Bill. The national pharmaceutical pricing policy will lead to huge increase in the already high prices of medicines, taking them out of reach of the common people. At the same time the UPA government has brazenly announced its decision to postpone the implementation of the GAAR (General Anti Avoidance Rules) up to 2016, thereby providing relief to the national and multinational corporate houses by allowing them to avoid payment of taxes by various means.

It is against this neoliberal policy of enriching the rich at the cost of the poor that the working class will go on a two day all India strike.

The other countrywide protests - spontaneous mobilisations of thousands of people, in which mainly young girls and boys, but also women’s organisations, families, children and old people participated, were against the brutal gang rape of a young physiotherapy student in Delhi. These were an outburst not only against the violence faced by women, but also an explosion of the pent up discontent, anger, anxiety of the people, particularly the young, about the increasing insecurity in society. The insensitivity of the government towards the issue was again blatantly displayed by its use of lathis, tear gas and water cannons on the protestors, instead of dialogue with the protestors. Though the government was forced to announce certain measures like setting up fast track courts etc, what is of great concern is the continuing violence against women. Even as the demonstrations were going on against the Delhi gang rape, some demanding death to the culprits, many such incidents were being reported, including gang rapes of small girls as young as eleven, murder etc from different parts of the country, almost daily.

While administrative measures, amendment to laws etc are definitely necessary and must be taken up immediately, what is equally, if not more important, is the need for a change in the deeply rooted patriarchal attitude towards women, the prevalent subordinate status and the denial of equal rights to them. The neoliberal policies and the market culture which promote women and their bodies as commodities and sex objects have further aggravated this situation. Statistics indicate that sexual assaults and rape are the fastest growing crimes in India during the neoliberal period. The pronouncements of certain forces including the RSS, BJP, the religious heads etc holding the women responsible for the violence are highly condemnable and clearly expose their retrograde ideology.

The two movements, though apparently seeming to be unconnected, are not unrelated. The working class, which has taken the initiative to fight against the impact of neoliberal policies on all sections of the toiling people must also take the initiative to fight against such violence on women, against the patriarchal attitudes and for equal rights and status for women.