CITU General Council Tier meeting of All India Coordination Committee of Working Women(CITU) called for building a movement against the mounting attacks on the rights of working people in general and working women in particular by the Modi led NDA government. This meeting was held on 15th November at Sundaraiah Vignan Kendra, Hyderabad . It was presided over by Mercy Kutty Amma , National Vice-President, CITU and former Kerala Minister.The Convenor of AICCWW and CITU national Secretary, A.R.Sindhu has presented the draft report detailing the situation and issues facing working women
The report critically analised the women’s employment. Women’s employment which was an all time low has declined further in a bigger rate than that of men. In our country, more than 22 million people, most of them daily wage workers, lost their jobs in April and May 2021 during the second wave of Covid 19. A report by Centre for Sustainable Employment at Azim Premji University found that 47% of women workers who lost their jobs between March and December 2020, before the second wave hit, permanently lost their jobs, compared to 7% of male workers, many of whom were able to return to their old jobs or found self employment.
The decrease in women's work participation rate in the country shows a shift from paid to unpaid work of women workers thus bearing a disproportionate share of the burden of the impact of the pandemic. Women workers subsidize a major share of the government's care services including healthcare especially during the pandemic, the report pointed out.
Moreover, the report added that the domestic violence has increased in alarming proportions. Violence against women and children as well as socially backward sections is on continuous rise. All retrograde, unscientific and obscurantist practices and ideology is being promoted by the ruling classes. Women General Council members from AP, Haryana, HP, Karnataka, Kerala, MP, Maharashtra, Punjab, Tamil Nadu, Telengana and West Bengal participated in the discussion and enriched the report with their experience in different occupations
Women General Council members from AP, Haryana, HP, Karnataka, Kerala, MP, Maharashtra, Punjab, Tamil Nadu, Telengana and West Bengal attended the meeting.
The meeting resolved to study the impact of Covid pandemic and lockdown on women workers in various sectors. It has decided to focusissues of poverty and non availability of food, non availability of work/jobs must be taken up for campaign and mobilisation and increasing the domestic violence and sexual harassment at workplace.
Meeting called upon the working women tp participate in large numbers in the ensuing struggles against the anti people policies of the government.
Hemelata, President, CITU, Tapan Sen General Secretary, ML Malkotia, Treasurer CITU also attended the meeting.
Issued By
Tapan Sen
General Secretary
