The General Council of CITU, meeting in Kozhikode, Kerala, on 23-26 March 2018 expresses grave concern at the barbaric attacks by BJP/RSS hoodlums on the people of Tripura, particularly targeting the supporters of the left parties and the left oriented mass organisations, immediately after coming to power in the state.

Attacks by the BJP and its ally, the IPFT started on the same day of counting, as soon as the BJP front’s victory became clear. Physical attacks on members, cadres and supporters of the left parties and burning of their houses, looting and ransacking of properties, vandalising, capturing and burning of the offices of left parties and several mass organisations including the offices of CITU have been continuing throughout the state since then. The state administration has remained a silent spectator. Hundreds of left cadres and activists have been injured in these attacks and several of them had to be hospitalised. The offices of CITU, particularly those of the Tripura Motor Shramik Union have been targeted for attacks by the BJP goons. Many of these offices have been locked; the CITU flags bought down and the BJP flags have been hoisted forcibly. Many offices of the cooperative societies have also been similarly captured driving out the organisers and beneficiaries. While the ideologues of RSS, the parent organisation of BJP admire fascists like Hitler and Mussolini of Germany and Italy, who have cold bloodedly murdered hundreds of thousands of common people, their followers have brought down the statue of Lenin, who led the struggle for emancipation of the toiling people in Russia. Such is the hypocrisy of these fascistic forces in the country.

Owing to this violence, in many areas, the male members of the families had to flee their homes. The BJP hoodlums are attacking even the women left in the house and extorting huge amounts of money threatening to set the house on fire and kill their kids. Thousands of working people have become homeless and are unable to go to their workplaces due to the terror. An atmosphere of terror is sought to be created throughout the state in order to mime all opposition to BJP rule. This violence, meticulously planned in advance, is aimed at annihilating the Left, particularly the trade unions, the other mass organisations and welfare societies so long run democratically for the benefit of the people.

CITU General Council notes with pride that despite such terror and violence patronised by the state government, the activists of the Left, trade unions and democratic movement are bravely facing the situation. Leaders of left parties, CITU and other mass organisation are visiting the affected people across the state and providing them all the necessary help and support. They are trying to mobilise the people to raise their voice against such organised attacks being promoted by the BJP led state government.

The General Council of CITU affirms that such barbarism and fascistic violence is inbuilt in the ideology and modus operandi of RSS and BJP. This has to be combated both politically and organisationally. The General Council recalls the glorious tradition and record of the working class movement in Tripura which has heroically fought and successfully defeated such violence and attacks by the earlier Congress regime, when it allied with the separatist and terrorist outfits. It is to the credit of the Left Front government in the state that it has established peace and harmony in the state after coming to the power again in 1993. CITU General Council expresses its total confidence that this time too, the working class movement in Tripura will politically, ideologically and organisationally defeat the onslaught of the divisive, disruptive and communal forces.

The General Council takes proud note of the protest demonstrations organised at the initiative of CITU state committees, against the attacks by the BJP and in solidarity with the people of Tripura. The General Council calls upon the working class all over the country irrespective of affiliations, to come forward in support of the Left and working class movement of Tripura, to defend democracy and unity of the people in the state.

Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) congratulates the farmers of Maharashtra for the historic ‘Kisan Long March’ from Nasik to Mumbai. Around 50000 farmers have marched on foot, under the leadership of the Maharashtra state committee of All India Kisan Sabha, for around 200 kms braving the scorching sun to press for their demands before the BJP government of Maharashtra. The state government was compelled to concede in writing their demands including loan waivers, right to forest lands for the tribals tilling the land for decades, MSP as per Swaminathan Committee recommendation etc.

The CITU congratulates the AIKS for leading farmers’ struggles in different states and taking the initiative for joint movements of farmers. These campaigns and struggles, as the earlier struggle in Rajasthan indicate the determination of the farmers to take the struggle path leaving behind the desperation and suicides. CITU is confident that these struggles will spread to other states as well in the coming days and contribute to the intensification of the struggle of all toiling sections of society against the neoliberal policies of the BJP led government at the centre.

The successful struggle of the farmers of Maharashtra has inspired the entire country, particularly the workers across the country. The working class has stood in solidarity with the struggling farmers in Rajasthan and in Maharashtra. CITU assures that the working class will continue to support the genuine demands of the farmers all over the country and stand firmly in solidarity with them.

Issued by,
(TAPAN SEN)
General Secretary

Protest the brutal attacks on trade union activists
Protest attacks on Left cadres and offices

Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) strongly condemns the brutal attack on the left activists and offices in Tripura being unleashed by the RSS- BJP hooligans just hours after the results of the Tripura assembly elections are out.

The BJP which has aligned with the separatist forces and used money and muscle power to win the elections has unleashed a reign of terror on the members and supporters of the left parties and CITU, attacking their houses and offices throughout the state. Over 1500 houses were attacked. Hundreds of people were injured in the attacks. Hundreds of houses were set on fire. Hundreds of offices were attacked and captured. The attacks are still continuing.

These attacks are attacks on democracy. They once again demonstrate the utter contempt of RSS and the BJP for democracy and democratic institutions. They expose the anti national character of these organisations which had no qualms in joining the separatist forces to come to power.

CITU demands that the concerned authorities intervene immediately and stop these heinous attacks on democracy at once.

CITU stands in solidarity with its cadres and with the cadres, rank and file of the left and democratic organisations who are bravely resisting these attacks. CITU is confident that the left and democratic forces who braved the terrorist, extremist and separatist forces in the past would defeat these forces of terror with the massive support of the people this time as well.

CITU calls upon all its affiliated unions and members, and the entire working class to protest these attacks on democracy. It urges them to join enmasse the solidarity actions being organised across the country by the left organisations and democratic peace loving people.

Issued by
Tapan Sen
General Secretary

The Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) strongly condemns the repression unleashed by the BJP government in Rajasthan on the farmers demanding implementation of the promises made by it. The Vasundhara Raje government arrested hundreds of farmers and their leaders including Amra Ram, national vice president, and other veteran leaders of All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS) including Hetram Beniwal, Shyopat Meghwal and many others on 21^st February and sent them to jail.

CITU demands that all the arrested farmers and their leaders be released immediately and their genuine demands fulfilled immediately including the assurances given by the state government earlier. 

After the historic struggle of the farmers in the state under the leadership of AIKS last year, the BJP government in Rajasthan was compelled to agree to their demands including loan waiver, remunerative prices and public procurement, pension etc. However the government failed to implement these till today. Farmers from all over the state led by AIKS were marching to the state capital Jaipur to sit in an indefinite ‘mahapadav’ from 22^nd February when the government resorted to the arrest in order to pre-empt the struggle.

CITU congratulates the thousands of farmers who reached Jaipur with exemplary determination to participate in the ‘mahapadav’ and extends its full solidarity to their struggle. CITU warns the Rajasthan state government that it cannot suppress the struggles of the toiling people through such repressive measures.

CITU calls upon the working class in the state as well as in the entire country to extend their support and solidarity to the struggle of the farmers in Rajasthan.

CITU denounces Govt decision to close down 9 Railway Printing Presses and also 12 Central Govt Presses

The Centre of Indian Trade Unions denounces Central Govt’s decision to close down 9 printing presses under Indian Railways and 12 printing presses under Central Govt.

In a formal communication by the Executive Director Railway Stores (G) of the Ministry of Railways dated 07-02-2018, it has been notified that 3 ticket printing presses and 6 general printing presses under Indian Railways will be closed down within next six months. These presses are located at Kolkata, Kurseong, Kharagpur, Garden Reach, Lucknow, Gorakhpur, Ajmer, Mahalaxmi/WR and Tiruchirapally. These presses are supplying different divisions of Railways with railway tickets and other stationeries of daily use for railway services. That means the requirement of these essential printed items for railways will continue to be there but the railway presses producing these items will be closed down to facilitate the business of chosen private players.

The same closure spree of the Govt at the centre is going on in respect of the functional printing presses directly under the central government. The concerned Minister of Urban Development has already announced closure of 12 central govt printing presses and the closure process is being actively pursued thereby destroying the productive activities in all these presses.

It is clear, under the loudly touted slogan of “Make in India” by the Govt, what is being actively pursued is gradual destruction of indigenous manufacturing capabilities in different areas of the economy and quality and decent employment in several thousands are going to be eliminated just to ensure business and profit for big businesses at the cost of national exchequer.

CITU condemns such destructive and employment killing policy of the Govt of India and calls upon the trade union movement and that in Railways and Central Govt sector in particular to oppose and resist such nefarious and destructive designs.

Issued by
(Tapan Sen)
General Secretary

The Centre of Indian Trade Unions vehemently condemns the decision of the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) of the Narendra Modi Govt to open the coal mining sector for commercial mining by private and foreign corporate that too without any restriction on pricing and end-use. So long private sector was allowed to mine coal only for captive use in power, cement and steel industry and debarred from selling the coal in market.

As such above retrograde decision by the Modi Govt is nothing but a total reversal of the four decade long policy of nationalized coal mining which contributed immensely to industrial development as well as expansion of the power generation capacity of the country’s economy. Such opening up of coal mining sector for unhindered exploitation by private and foreign corporate without any restriction on pricing and end-use will definitely pave the way for weakening and privatization of public sector coal industry, both Coal India and Singareni Collieries Ltd, thereby affecting the coal production for both public and industrial consumption as a whole; proliferation of private coal mining will also severely compromise the rights and safety of the workers deployed in private mining; further withdrawal of all restriction in pricing of coal and their end-use will increase the burden on the people many times. Such unrestricted private mining of coal will also severely impair energy security of the country in a big way. This a follow up move of the Modi Govt in amending the Coal Mine Nationalisation Act 1973 in 2016 through Coal Mines (Special Provisions) Bill 5 which was vehemently opposed by the coal trade unions through industrywide strike action and also by Left MPs in Parliament.

CITU denounce such disastrous move by the Modi Govt which militates against the interest of the national economy and mass of the people. CITU calls upon the trade union movement and the coal unions in particular to build up strong opposition to such gross anti-workers, anti-people and anti-national move throughout the country. CITU welcomes the immediate response of the All India Coal Workers’ Federation(CITU) through organizing protest demonstrations within nex few days in the coal mines throughout the country in both Coal India and Singareni Collieries Ltd.

Issued by
(Tapan Sen)
General Secretary

The Centre of Indian Trade Unions is profoundly grieved on the passing away of its veteran leader as well as the leader of the working class movement of the country Comrade Md. Amin today on 12 February 2018 in Kolkata at the age of 89. Comrade Md. Amin was the founder member of CITU, became its General Secretary in May 2007 and continued in that position till March 2010.  

Born in a working class family Comrade Md Amin became a jute mill worker in West Bengal at the age of 14 and was initiated in trade union struggles at shop floor. He held various responsibilities in West Bengal as well as at national level.

He was elected, as the secretary of CITU in 1987 and later became its vice president apart from discharging his responsibility as its General Secretary during 2007-2010. He was associated with several industry-wise federations in jute, road transport etc. During these long years he had been playing a crucial role in leading the working class movement in the country.

Comrade Md. Amin was a member of Rajya Sabha during 1988-94 and 2007-13. He was the transport minister in the first Left Front government and was the labour minister in the sixth Left Front government of West Bengal.

Comrade Md. Amin joined the communist party in 1946 and was jailed for long periods. He rose at the highest level as a member of the Polit Bureau of CPI(M) and, as a veteran communist, continued to remain in its Central Committee as a special invitee till his demise.  

Comrade Md. Amin was a poet in Urdu and was the author of several books. His life was an example of commitment, simplicity and courage.

CITU sends its heartfelt condolence to his comrades and members of his family. CITU dips its flag and pays its respectful homage to the departed leader.

The Union Budget 2018-19, presented by the Finance Minister of the Narendra Modi Govt today on a preliminary scrutiny, turns out to be deceptive one, meticulously articulated to misguide and confuse the people. The Budget is anti-workers, anti-people and also militates against the national interest. CITU condemns such an anti-people exercise.

The Budget remained liberal about extending concession to business houses. On the plea of supporting Micro, Small and Medium Scale Enterprises (MSMEs) the Budget extended the reduced corporate tax rate of 25% to companies having Rs 250 crore annual turnover. Is the turnover the right measure of identifying an MSME or the ‘capital deployed’ should categorise the MSME more honestly ? Will it really benefit the genuine MSMEs or allow the big players to corner the benefit ? However through such deceptive manner the burden on corporate houses has been reduced further by Rs 7000 crore while giving no relief to suffering millions reeling under post GST indirect tax burden. This along with other pro-corporate policy drives continued to remain the pattern of budget exercise of the Modi Govt in successive years of its governance pushing the entire country in the midst of extreme and obscene income inequality of one percent people cornering 73% of the national wealth. And yet the Govt will continue to call itself pro-poor.

Budget speech made no mistake in mentioning its resolve to extend the atrocious “fixed term employment” system to all the sectors consistent with its brazenly anti-worker pro-corporate drive for labour-law changes designed to impose slavery on the workers. While speaking lavishly about improving health, education and social welfare services toward universalisation, it remained totally negative in considering the long standing demands of about a crore workers working in its flagship scheme of NHM, Mid-day-Meal(MDM) and ICDS (Anganwadi) and other related central govt schemes of extending them at least the right to statutory minimum wages and attendant social security benefits. In fact the allocation under National Health Mission (NHM) has been reduced and on ICDS and MDM there are marginal increase that too for other expenditures. Such an attitude is utterly condemnable.

The Central Trade Unions congratulate the scheme workers working in various Government Schemes for their successful all India Strike and mobilisation today, 17 January 2018. Nearly twenty lakh scheme workers came out on streets in demonstrations, rallies and dharnas at district headquarters across the county and submitted memorandum addressing the Finance Minister through the district authorities.

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As per the decision of the Mahapadav of workers held on 9-11 November 2017, the Central Trade Unions had given the call for a one day strike of all ‘scheme workers’ to press for the following demands:

1. Implement the recommendations of the 45th ILC on scheme workers: recognition as workers, minimum wages not less than Rs.18,000 per month and social security including monthly pension not less than Rs.3000 to all scheme workers. Give coverage of EPF and ESI to scheme workers.

2. Adequate financial allocation in the Union Budget 2018-19 for the Centrally sponsored schemes including ICDS, MDMS, NHM, SSA, NCLP etc to ensure increase in wages for the workers to the level of minimum wages and universalisation of the schemes with adequate infrastructure and quality services.

3. No privatisation of the schemes in any form and no subversion by way of cash transfer or exclusion of beneficiaries

Nearly 60 lakh Scheme workers including anganwadi workers and helpers, mini anganwadi workers, ASHA workers, Mid Day Meal workers, NCLP teachers, small savings agents, workers under SSA, NRLM, MNREGA field assistants, par teachers, etc went on strike today. These grass root workers, majority of whom are women who deliver the services of nutrition, health, education and care are not recognised as workers by the government, who is their employer and paid a pittance in the name of ‘honorarium’ which is far less tahan the minimum wage. The strike was a total success in spite of the threat by the various governments. In many states the workers were threatened with retrenchment and wage cut of one week to a month wages for a one day strike. In Telengana one DRDO issued notice to the NREGA field assistants that their strike is against the sovereignty and integrity of the Nation! Apart from this the BMS, which has totally surrendered to the Modi government, has also tried to misguide the workers.

By Central Trade Unions on 17 JANUARY 2018

Workers will March From Mandi House to Parliament Street at 11am

As per the decision of the Mahapadav of workers held on 9-11 November 2017, the Central Trade Unions have decided to go on a one day strike of all ‘scheme workers’ working under various Government Schemes on 17 January 2018. More than one crore scheme workers are working under various central and state government schemes including around 27 lakh Anganwadi, Mini Anganwadi Workers and Helpers under the ICDS Scheme, nearly 28 lakh Mid Day Meal Workers under the MDM Scheme and around ten lakh ASHA Workers under the NHM, lakhs are working under SSA, NRLM, NCLP, Small Savings Schemes etc will go on strike tomorrow and will hold rallies, demonstrations, dharnas etc at district level and submit memorandum through district authorities to the Finance Minister, Government of India.

These schemes deliver basic services of health, nutrition education etc to the mass of the population. These workers are not recognised as workers and are not paid minimum wages nor do they have any social security benefits. In the name of ‘honorarium’ or ‘incentive’ they are paid a pittance as low as Rs.1000 per month for ten months a year in the case of mid day meal workers. The 45^th Indian Labour Conference recommended that these workers must be recognised as workers, must be paid minimum wages and given social security benefits including pension. Various trade union federations of scheme workers have been conducting struggles raising these demands independently and jointly. But neither the UPA nor the NDA government was ready to implement these ILC recommendations.

Moreover, the Modi led NDA government is moving towards winding up these crucial schemes such as ICDS, NHM and MDMS by drastic budget cuts and structural changes, including privatisation of the schemes involving corporate and corporate NGOs. The beneficiaries are actually being excluded in the name of linking of Aadhar and bank accounts.  The government is introducing conditional cash transfers in place of universal services of crucial schemes including the ones which ensure food security. The remuneration of the workers and the facilities of the schemes are being affected due to the budget cuts. In spite of repeated demand by the central trade unions, the Government is going ahead with moves to dismantle the schemes.