EDITORIAL OF WORKING CLASS: MESSAGE OF THE HISTORIC MARCH

The stirring message of the historic march of more than half a million workers in Delhi on 23rd February was echoed in follwoing word's by Sitaram Yechury, CPI(M) leader in Parliament on the same day.

The deep sense of disquiet emerges out of the fact that while we are today debating hon’ble President’s Address to the Joint Session of both the Houses of Parliament, lakhs of workers are outside on the streets of Delhi beseeching the Parliament of India to take remedial measures and to put the pressure on the Executive and the Government to redress some of their grievances. Lakhs of people are on the streets. They have not come here on any sight-seeing. They left their families and travelled thousands of miles to be here in order to tell us that living conditions of our people are abysmally deteriorating.

This Government has achieved an impossible task. It has actually united all the trade unions across the spectrum. This is a task for which I would like to thank the Government for having united all the trade unions; all of them have come together today to Delhi to raise their specific issues which are absolutely essential for the living conditions of our people. We have to remember the warning that Dr. Ambedkar gave gave us when he presented the draft of this Constitution to the Constituent Assemble. On the 25th November 1949 when he was commending this draft Constitution for adoption, he said,”In our social and economic life, we shall, by reason of our social and economic structure, continue to deny the principle of one-man one value. How long shall we continue to live this life of contradictions? How long shall we continue to deny equality in our social and economic life? If we continue to deny it for long, we will do so only by putting our political democracy in peril. We must remove these contradictions at the earliest possible moment, or else, those who suffer from inequality will blow up the structure of political democracy, which this assembly has so laboriously built up.” Today, you have lakhs of workers in the streets of Delhi but if you do not pay heed to this warning given by Dr. Ambedkar, tomorrow, you will have crores of them.

Will the Government get the message of this simmering anger and discontent of the working class or face Tahrir square in India?

Courtesy: www.citucentre.org/

THE CALL OF THE DAY – EDITORIAL OF “WORKING CLASS”, NOVEMBER-2010

In countries across the world, the Working Class continues its protest against the onslaught launched by the ruling classes in the name of the Global economic crisis, reaching new heights of struggle during September- October 2010. On 7th September when working class in India rose in unison to register a massive protest involving more than 100 million workers, there were many protests, demonstrations and mobilization on the same day in countries like Nepal, Bangladesh, Vietnam, South Africa, Greece, Spain, Portugal, France UK and many other parts in the world. This has reached a crescendo in France this month in October with series of general strikes and massive demonstrations against pension reforms. Similarly, Greece has witnessed so far not less than six general strikes against Pension and Labour law reforms.

Significantly, such worldwide struggle of working class against attack on their rights is taking place on the eve of 93rd anniversary of the Great October Revolution. It is being realized that the present system is inherently unable to eradicate unemployment, poverty and hunger. The working class is yearning for a systemic change from the present – a better alternative.

And this alternative was provided by the Great October Revolution in Russia and the emancipation of crores of workers from the clutches of private capital. Within a short period of ushering in socialism, Soviet Union, was transformed into a scientifically advanced country which sent the first astronaut into space, the first woman to space. Economically, the Soviet Union competed with the US, the richest country in the world and posed a serious challenge to imperialist hegemony. Unemployment and illiteracy were completely eradicated and the state ensured health care to all its citizens.

The Great October Revolution retains the same significance today, as it had on 7th November, 93 years ago. It has unveiled before the world the socialist system, which puts people before profits, as an alternative to the capitalist system where profit is the driving force, where profits have to be protected, increased at any cost.

When we fight against price rise and demand food security, when we fight against unemployment and demand job security, when we fight against labour law violations and demand decent work, when we fight against disinvestment and for a self reliant economy and for social security for all workers, our fight is aimed for alternative policies. The working class needs to become aware of the need to change society to achieve truly alternative policies.

That is the call of the day. The ongoing struggle of the working class has to be sustained - a struggle not only for their economic demands, but for a systemic change to end the present exploitative system.

Source: www.citucentre.org

TIME TO GIVE A JOLT TO AN INSENSITIVE GOVERNMENT - EDITORIAL OF “WORKING CLASS”

Apart from the multi thousand crore scam and corruption exposing the evil nexus of politicians, bureaucrats, corporates and contractors in holding the Common Wealth Game in Delhi next month, the whole exercise involving official estimate of more than Rs. 35,000 crore of public fund, shows the ugly face of “shining India” wallas in dealing with thousands of workers who literally with their sweat and blood built the so called “ World Class” facilities for this international event. World Class is the current buzz word in Delhi. A “World Class” airport’; “World Class” Metro; “World Class” roads and buildings, so and so forth. After all the capital of the ‘emerging power’ must show case itself as a ‘world class city’, as desired by ‘ Shining India Wallahs”!

In the process, thousands of beggars and thousands of homeless sleeping on the footpaths are being cleared. Hundreds of slums have been bulldozed and lakhs of people ‘relocated’ to far off places, depriving them of their livelihood. Under the very eyes of Central Government and State Government, all labour laws pertaining to minimum wages, working hours, safety and hygiene, accommodation were crumpled with impunity. More than 150 workers mostly migrant died in accidents because of unsafe condition (compared to 6 fatalities during Bejling Olympic preparations).

But then who bothers about the miserable conditions of the lakhs of the workers who are engaged in this ‘beautification’ of the city, in building a ‘world class’ city with all its ‘games villages’, stadiums, etc. They do not have ration cards. Nobody thinks of providing safe working conditions or any compensation. They are working just under the nose of the highest seat of power in the country, as bonded labour. For those who swear by the ‘AAM ADMI’ they simply do not exist. The plight of the workers, who have come from different parts of the country for Common Wealth Games work symbolises the criminal apathy in the policy of the Government to the workers in the country.

It is against such policies that deny the working class and other toiling sections of society their right to food, their right to a decent job, their trade union rights, their right to social security that Central Trade Unions have called for the all India general strike on 7th September.

A strike that will shake the Government siding with the rich to its senses. It is only the beginning of a struggle which will not relent till the Government comes to its senses.

Source: www.citucentre.org