CPI (M), PUNJAB

ANGANWARI EMPLOYEES OF PUNJAB

PUNJAB TRANSPORT EMPLOYEES STRUGGLE

NREGA IN PUNJAB

PUNJAB - LAND LABOURS

PUNJAB WORKERS PROTEST AGAINST PENSION SCHEME

PUNJAB: CPI (M) TO WORK FOR THIRD PLATFORM

MEETING at its office in Chandigarh on June 29 and 30, with Major Singh Punnawal in the chair, the Punjab state committee of the CPI (M) has evolved the electoral tactical line that the party would pursue in regard to the state assembly elections in February 2012. Polit Bureau member S R Pillai and Central Secretariat member Nilotpal Basu attended the meeting on behalf of the party centre, guided the deliberations and reported the decisions of the Central Committee’s meeting at Hyderabad.

The CPI(M) is of the opinion that the discontent and anguish of the people against the UPA-2 government at the centre and the Akali-BJP coalition government in Punjab is on an increase because of sky-rocketing prices of essential commodities, unemployment and corruption scams resulting from the neo-liberal economic policies pursued by both these governments. The people of Punjab desire a positive change. They desire that the Akali-BJP combine and Congress must be defeated in the assembly elections. The Punjab state committee of the CPI (M) is of the firm view that there exists the possibility of building a third, secular platform that may ensure the defeat of the Akali-BJP combine as well as the Congress. This platform would consist of the CPI (M), CPI and other non-Congress and non-BJP parties like the PPP of Manpreet Badal, Akali Dal (Longowal), Lok Bhilai Party, Akali Dal 1920 and Janata Dal (Secular).

The CPI (M) state committee also stressed that the CPI (M) and CPI must further intensify their joint initiative and efforts in contacting the leadership of the like-minded parties so that a third, secular platform is built at the earliest and the people’s earnest desire for a positive change and for defeating the Akali-BJP combine and the Congress is fulfilled.

The state committee has also decided to hold its 20th state conference at Sangrur on December 18, 19 and 20, 2011. A state level mass rally will be held on the opening day.

The state committee strongly condemned the cruel blow delivered by the Manmohan Singh government to the people by increasing the prices of diesel, kerosene and cooking gas. It demanded that these hikes must be rolled back, and urged upon all its units to continue with their protest actions.

Through another resolution, the state committee condemned the attacks on civil liberties and democratic rights in West Bengal, being perpetrated by goons aligned to the TMC-Congress combine. They have killed 19 cadre of the CPI (M) and the Left Front so far. The meeting decided to hold seminars and demonstrations from July 1 to 7 in solidarity with the West Bengal comrades and also collect relief fund to support the families of those killed, injured and displaced in these attacks.

The state committee chalked out a programme of joint campaign of the Left parties against corruption from July 15 to 21, in which picketings, rallies and demonstrations will be held in front of the central government offices. The campaign will demand the passage of an effective Lokpal legislation, constitution of a National Judicial Commission in order to curb corruption in the judiciary, implementation of electoral reforms, unearthing of the black money and repatriation of the Indian money illegally stashed abroad.

At the outset, the state committee mourned the death of Comrade Arjan Dass Anjan, a veteran and militant leader of the abadkaars.

Courtesy: People’s Democracy

PUNJAB: RALLY IN SOLIDARITY WITH BENGAL LEFT FRONT

ON July 2, at the call of the Punjab state committee of CPI (M), hundreds of CPI(M) workers and supporters held a rally in front of the local bus stand in Mahilpur to protest against the politically sponsored violence and goonda attacks on the leaders and workers of the Left Front in West Bengal.

Addressing the rally, CPI (M) state secretariat member Raghunath Singh strongly condemned the politically motivated murderous attacks on the leaders, workers and sympathisers of the CPI (M) and other Left Front parties. He said since May 13, when the results of the Vidhan Sabha election were announced, some 19 leaders, workers and sympathisers of the Left Front and mass organisations have been killed and offices of the Left parties, especially of the CPI (M), have been ransacked and looted by anti-social elements under the political patronage of the Trinamul Congress (TMC), Congress and the so called Maoists. He urged upon the peace and justice loving people of Punjab to stand like a rock by the Left Front of the West Bengal and expressed the hope that the people of Punjab would maintain their tradition of supporting the Left Front and the democratic and justice loving people of West Bengal.

The rally was also addressed by Gurmesh Singh, CPI (M) district secretary in Hoshiarpur, CPI (M) state committee members Darshan Singh Mattu and Subhash Chaudhary, Mahinder Kumar Vadhoan and Tarsem Singh Jasowal while Garhshankar tehsil secretary Bhagat Singh Jhungiyaan presided over. After the rally that took place in spite of the scorching sun, workers of the CPI(M) took out a procession through the Mahilpur town, shouting slogans in solidarity with the Left Front of West Bengal, and contributed Rs 8,000 for providing relief to the victims of violence in West Bengal or their family members. They also decided to mobilise a fund of one lakh rupees or more for the purpose.

In a fax message to the union home minister, the CPI (M)’s Hoshiarpur district unit demanded immediately stop to the violence and goonda attacks on the Left Front in West Bengal.

Courtesy: People’s Democracy

TRADE UNIONS ORGANISE CHAKKA JAM ALL OVER PUNJAB

Ashanand

PUNJAB witnessed complete Chakka Jam for two hours by the working class on the joint call of all trade unions, viz the CITU, AITUC, INTUC, NTUI, HMS and CTU Punjab. The action, full of enthusiasm, succeeded in giving a message to the ruling classes that the working class would not continue to bear their atrocities for long. Thousands of industrials workers, MNREGA workers, forest workers, FCI workers, contract workers of different government and semi-government departments, Anganwari workers and helpers, Asha workers and mid-day meal workers participated in this action. The action took place at more than 100 places covering all the 20 districts of the state. At about 50 places, CITU workers alone blocked the roads and railway tracks.

The call was given to focus the government’s attention on demands like increasing the minimum wages to Rs 10,000 per month for the unskilled, Rs 15,000 for the semi-skilled and Rs 20,000 for the skilled workers. Minimum wages of the MNGREGA and agricultural workers too must be brought in the ambit of minimum wage legislation. All contract workers and employees must be regularised; contract system in the government, semi-government, public and private institutions must be abolished. Equal wage for equal work must be ensured; strong actions must be taken against the industrialists, contractors and government officials who violate the labour laws. Black laws must be repealed, false police cases filed against trade union leaders must be withdrawn, misuse of the police and section 144 must be stopped. Another important demand was that Anganwari workers and helpers must be paid monthly allowances on the Haryana pattern to the tune of Rs 5000 and Rs 2500 respectively.

The police arrested about 1,000 workers at Amritsar in order to foil the action. They also attacked Anganwari workers and misbehaved with the district AIFWH president.

The leaders who addressed the protest actions at various places were state CITU general secretary Ragunath Singh, its president Vijay Misra, state AITUC general secretary Bant Brar and president Nirmal Dhalilwal, NTUI general secretary Chander Sekhar and president Tarsem Jodhan, CTU general secretary Natha Singh, Inderjit Singh, HMS general secretary S D Kapoor and president Kulwant Singh Bawa, among others.

While addressing the protestors, the leaders said bourgeois landlord parties cheat the working masses in order to get votes but impose upon the latter the burden of escalating prices after wining the elections, on the excuse of empty government coffers. Their central and state governments are slave to the exploiting classes whose interests they serve. These governments are giving the bourgeoisie Rs 2.5 lakh crore as tax subsidy while making the essential commodities increasingly costly. Government enterprises are being privatised and given to capitalists very cheaply. The trade union leaders said the labour laws are being amended in favour of the capitalists. The working class can defend itself from the capitalist onslaughts only by its class unity and united struggles for their rights.

The trade union leaders warned the central and state governments that the struggle would continue till the demands of the workers were fulfilled. They also condemned police action against the workers at various places and demanded immediate action against the police officials responsible. They also demanded immediate release of the arrested workers and withdrawal of the false cases against trade unions leaders.

Courtesy: People’s Democracy

PUNJAB: RALLY IN DEFENCE OF TU RIGHTS

ON July 7, the CITU organised a rally near the factory gate in Ansro, in Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar district, on the occasion of 24th Martyrdom Day of Comrade Parampal Singh. It is to be noted that Comrade Parampal Singh laid down his life 24 years ago, on this day in 1987, when a CITU affiliated union was being organised in the Swaraz Mazda factory here. The rally was chaired by Parshotam Das, president of the Swaraz Mazda Workers Union.

Addressing the rally, the CITU’s all-India secretary Raghunath Singh paid homage to Comrade Parampal Singh, urging upon the workers that in order to fulfil the unfinished revolutionary task of the martyred comrade, they must further strengthen, widen and intensify their struggle to protect the basic trade union rights which are under attack from the ruling classes. He further added that our struggle against the capitalist system would continue tilt the exploitation of man by man is done away with. He thanked Comrade Parampal Singh’s family members for standing by the CITU throughout. It was the martyr’s sister, Mrs Inderjeet Kaur, who hoisted the CITU flag at the factory gate amid loud slogans.

The rally was also addressed by Maha Singh Rori (district CITU president in Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar), Gurdev Singh Baggi (district CITU president in Ropar) Dr Diljeet Singh Gill (brother-in-law of Shaheed Parampal Singh) and Jaswant Singh (general secretary, Swaraz Mazda Workers Union). When Raghunath Singh made an appeal for collection of fund for the CITU workers who were killed by the anti-social elements patronised by the TMC and Congress in West Bengal, Rs 5,300 were collected on the spot. The fund collection campaign for CITU activists, who are victims of violence in West Bengal, is continuing.

Courtesy: People’s Democracy

PUNJAB’S ANGANWADI WORKERS TAKE PROTEST TO THE ROADS

Over 1,000 anganwadi workers from Punjab staged a protest last month against the Punjab government in Sector 34 in Chandigarh and then marched toward the Aroma Hotel traffic lights in Sector 22 where they staged a sit-in, severely disrupting traffic for over two hours. The women workers were demanding promotion for anganwadi workers at the supervisor level. They also demanded that they be given pension, gratuity, ex-gratia and provident fund scheme.

The Chandigarh Police, which had no prior information of the protest, was seen struggling to control the demonstrators, with only a few women cops on duty. It all began around noon when members of the Punjab Anganwadi Mulazim Union gathered outside the office of the Punjab Social Welfare Secretary in Sector 34 and staged a protest. The police reached the spot after an hour, along with a quick-reaction team. Sector 34 police station SHO inspector Uday Pal Singh then tried in vain to persuade the workers not to proceeding further as they were already in an area where protests were prohibited.

The workers refused to change the form of their protest and began their march at 1.30 pm from Sector 34, sending the cops into a tizzy as there were only five women cops positioned to control the agitating mass of women. While an additional force of over 60 male policemen was deployed when the protest began, women cops were nowhere to be seen for the first two hours. The policemen put up a barricade opposite the passport office and stopped the workers from proceeding further and waited for half-an-hour before additional policewomen were pressed into service. Thereafter, the protesters resumed their march.

Soon enough, traffic along the Sector 34, 35, 21 and 22 intersections on the busy Dakshin Marg leading to the Aroma traffic lights point was severely affected. Once again, the police erected barricades following which the women workers sat on the road and blocked the traffic.

Interestingly, all 11 SHOs of police stations of the city along with two DSPs reached the spot and took stock of the situation and after the intervention of a representative of the department, the protesters were dispersed at 3.30 pm. While no arrests were made, the police have registered a case under Section 283 of the IPC (obstructing public way) against the agitating anganwadi workers at the Sector 17 police station.

Courtesy: www.citucentre.org/