Against  the  anti-national  decision  to  splinter  the  pioneer  Defence  Industry  viz  the  220 years  old  Indian  Ordnance Factories under  the  Ministry  of  Defence  into  7 non  viable  corporations  and  then  to  privatise  the  same  taken  by  the  Modi  Government ,  the  five  Federations  of  Defence  Civilian Employees  since  all the  efforts  taken by  them  to  withdraw  the  decision  taken  in  violation  of  all the  previous  agreements  and  settlements  failed  they had  decided  to  proceed  with  an  indefinite  strike which was to  commence from  26-7-2021  demanding  to  withdraw  the Government  decision  in  the  interest of  National  security,  Defence  preparedness  and  the  service  life  of  76,000  employees.  The  Government  has  ignored  the  alternative /  robust  proposals  given by  the  Federations  for  continuing  the  Ordnance  Factories  with  the  Government  and  putting  pressure  on  the  CLC  to  windup  the  conciliation  proceedings  in the  absence of  the  3 major  recognised  Federations  on 15-6-2021  and went ahead and  took  decision  on  16-6-2021  to  slice the  Ordnance Factories  into  7  pieces.  It  is now  more  than  2  weeks  after  the CLC  submitted  the  failure  report  to  the Government.  The  Government  has  not  bothered  even  to  refer  the  disputes  raised  by the Federations  for  adjudication. 

The Government  in  the  most cowardly  manner,  instead  of  commencing dialogue with the Federations for  a  negotiated  settlement  has  acted  in a draconian  and  brutal  manner  by  deployment  of  state  power  against  its  own  employees.  We condemn the arrogance and highhandedness   of the Government at centre  The EDSO  promulgated  by  the  President  of  India  prohibits  strikes  in  essential  Defence services  which  includes  Defence production,  repair  and  maintenance  of  products  connected  with  Defence. The strike in Defence is declared as illegal and  includes  draconian  provisions  like  dismissal  from service without  even  an  inquiry, arrest  and  imprisonment  for  a  term  which  may be  extended  to  one year  or  with  fine  which may extend  to  10,000 Rupees  or  with  both.  In  the  name of  instigation  of  strike  any person  shall be  punishable  with  imprisonment  for  a  term  which may  extend  to  2  years  or  with  fine  which may  extend  to  15,000 Rupees  or  with  both.

The  most  draconian  law  which  post  independence  has  witnessed  in  this  country.  The Central Trade  Unions  terms  this  EDSO  as  draconian,  brutal,  retrograde,  undemocratic  anti  worker  and  is  not  acceptable  to  the  working  class of  this  country.  The Central Trade  Unions  urges  upon  the Government  of  India  to immediately  withdraw  its  decision  since  it  takes  away  the  legal  rights of  an  employee  to  participate in  a  strike  under  the  Industrial  Dispute  Act  1947  after  following  all  the procedures  laid  down  in  the  Act. The five federations in the Defence sector met on first july in the background of new development and adopted resolution and decided to observe 8^th july 2021, the day they were to serve strike notice, as Nationwide protest  day as Black Day. They have also decided to legal course including to approach ILO.

 The Central Trade  Unions  call upon the  entire  working  class  of  the country  to stand up  and  protest  against  this  unprecedented  action  of  the  Modi Government  and  leaving  to  the  mercy of  the  Government  the  status  of  the  76,000 employees of  the  41  Ordnance Factories who were  recruited  as  Defence Civilian Employees / Central Government Employees  under  Article 309  of  the Constitution  of  India.  The joint platform of  Central Trade  Unions  stands  in solidarity  with  the  Defence  workers  and extends support to their action programmes to save the sensitive defence industry and its work force in the national interest.                   

 INTUC                               AITUC                             HMS                              CITU                                 AIUTUC

TUCC                        SEWA                                AICCTU                               LPF                             UTUC

The Centre of Indian Trade Unions denounces the hasty promulgation of Ordinance by the Central Govt to curb the united struggle of the Defence Production Employees and Workers against the move for privatization of Ordnance Factories network through corporatization in several pieces and dismantling the Ordnance Factories Board.

Very recently, the BJP Govt at the centre has taken a destructive decision to corporatize 44 Ordnance Factories operating under Ordnance Factories Board to pave the way for their ultimate privatization. All the Federations of the Defence Production Employees have long been vehemently opposing such destructive move of the Govt through numerous united agitations and this recent decision of the Govt to corporatize the Ordnance Factories network is in total violation of the assurance given to the united platform of Defence Employees Federations by the Govt in October 2020.

The United Platform of Defence Employees Federations have already decided to oppose said destructive decision of the Govt and resolved to go in for indefinite strike from 26-07-2021 in order to defend and save the country’s defence production network in greater interest of the nation.

The promulgation of Essential Defence Services Ordinance 2021 on 30^th June 2021 is the dubious ploy to pre-empt and curb the united struggle of the defence production workers in stout defence of national interests and is totally condemnable.

CITU along with the entire trade union movement in the country extends full support to the united struggles of the Defence Production workers and their federations and urge upon the Govt to withdraw the Ordinance and also refrain from the destructive move of corporatization of Ordnance Factories.

Issued by
Tapan Sen
General Secretary

Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU)  and Steel Workers’ Federation of India (SWFI) congratulate and salute the steel workers of Public Sector Steel Industry for the massive and magnificent united strike action against the arrogance and humiliating stance of the management and the concerned Ministry towards legitimate rights and demands of the workers.

The workers of Visakhapatnam Steel Plant have staged massive strike on 29^th June and the workers of plants, mines and establishment of Steel Authority of India Ltd (SAIL) staged almost complete strike on 30^th June, as decided by all the unions of the public sector steel industry under SAIL and RINL. Visakhapatnam to press for their firm demands for a respectable wage revision for both permanent and contract workers without any conditionalities. Among more than 1.5 lakh workers including the contract workers and project workers spread over in all the steel plants, mines and establishments under SAIL and RINL the response to strike action was massive ranging from 70 per cent to 95% in various steel plants, mines and establishments.  

Owing to arrogance and brazenly anti-worker approach of the Govt and the management, wage revision was delayed for more than four and half years. And when bipartite talks at the level of National Joint Committee for Steel (NJCS) commenced after 52 months, management started with all negative conditionalities of cut on wages and benefits instead of wage increase. Despite that all the unions exercised tremendous patience and participated in the negotiations with the management. But owing to continuity of same negative arrogance of the management for more than six months (in various meetings of NJCS), ultimately all the unions in public sector steel industry collectively decided to go in for strike action on 30^th June (29^th June in Vizag).

It is the same steel workers, both regular and contract workers have still kept the steel plants/mines running, risking their lives in the midst of pandemic/lockdown. More than 600 workers and officers, all on duty, have lost their lives due to Covid and the number crossed 1000, if the family members are taken in to account. Despite that, management did not show the courtesy even to respond, either way, to the repeated demands of the unions for compensation and compassionate employment. Such is the arrogance of the management.

The historical and heroic strike by the steel workers, despite various provocations by the management, demonstrated that workers cannot be taken for granted. This has become the united strike action by the entire steel workers fraternity to challenge the authoritarian and unilateral stance of the management and the Govt.

CITU appeals to all the unions and workers to strengthen this unity further to fight for a respectable wage settlement for both regular and contract workers without any negative preconditions and also against the onslaught of privatization, RMD dismantling and attack on workers’ rights emanating from the destructive policies of Govt. We will fight unitedly and we will win.

Tapan Sen
President SWFI
General Secretary CITU

The Centre of Indian Trade Unions notes with dismay that the Rs 6.28 lakh crore so called stimulus package announced by the finance minister Ms Nirmala Sitharaman day yesterday is nothing but yet another gimmick to hoodwink the people. The measures announced under this would neither provide the much needed relief to the crores of people whose livelihoods have been devastated by the second wave of Covid and the related lockdowns and curfews imposed in different states; nor can the package help in reviving the economy. Much like the ‘Atmanirbhar’ package announced by this BJP government last year, during the first wave of Covid 19, this too is also an exercise in deception

The focus of the package is mostly limited to extending loan guarantees and concessional credit. It provides nothing to offer to the around 2.2 crores workers who have lost their jobs and incomes during April-May 2021 during the second wave of the pandemic. It has nothing to provide succour to the 23 crore people, mostly unorganised sector workers who have been pushed to below the minimum wage poverty line during the same period. Many of the crores of workers who lost their jobs and incomes during the first wave have not been able to find work even to this day. A large part of them comprise women workers. This package has nothing for them.

The problem that the economy is facing today is lack of demand. It is futile to think that extending loan guarantees or cheap loans would help revive the economy in conditions where there is no demand. What needs to be done today, and what the CITU and all other trade unions have been demanding since last year, is to put money into the pockets of the people to generate demand. The joint trade union platform, eminent economists and the Left parties have been demanding cash transfer of Rs 7500 to the non income tax paying families. But this BJP government, committed to fiscal obscurantism, has been obstinately refusing to do that.

CITU again reiterates its demand of cash transfer of Rs 7500 per month for six months for all non income tax paying families to generate demand that would trigger supply and revive the economy.

Issued by
( Tapan Sen )
General Secretary

The Centre of Indian Trade Unions vehemently condemns the destructive decision of the BJP Govt at the centre to corporatise the Ordnance Factories functioning under defence ministry. Some 44 Ordnance Factories operating under Ordnance Factories Board under Ministry of Defence will be split in seven pieces and seven corporations will be formed under Companies Act.

The Ordnance Factories network along with a few other defence PSUs are contributing most efficiently to country’s defence preparedness besides successfully meeting various basic necessities of  quality gears, ammunitions, small arms, dresses, vehicles and various other instruments and equipments for use by our Jawans posted and working under extremely adverse and inclement weathers etc. More than seventy five percent requirements of our defence forces are being successfully and timely produced and supplied by our Ordnance Factories with incomparable efficiency and assured quality. Country’s Ordnance Factories network is an unquestionable example of “Atmanirbhar Bharat”, the phrase being so much noisily touted by the Modi Govt, in the respective areas of production and services.   There is absolutely no valid rationale for such drastic alteration of the existing structure of the Ordnance Factories network.

The only motivation behind such destructive corporatisation drive is to facilitate phased privatisation of the Ordnance Factories on which the Govt minced no words in its various policy announcements. And in this case, it is not merely privatisation; it is going to be privatisation with domination of foreign corporates through multi-pronged route. On previous occasions also effort had been made by the successive Govts to outsource a part of Ordnance factories products to private sector but that finally ended in failure owing to incapacity of the Indian private players to produce and supply quality product. And now in the renewed drive of privatisation through corporatisation route, entry of foreign companies in the field can no way be ruled out since Govt policy, through its policy statements, already envisages foreign participation in defence production.

The Defence workers unions and federations have been unitedly opposing such destructive design of the Govt through consistent agitations and movement. And present move for corporatisation of Ordnance Factories, that too being pushed through in the midst of 2^nd wave of pandemic, is in gross violation of the understanding and assurances given by the Govt to the united platform of Defence workers’ federations in the face of their decision to go in for indefinite strike from 12^th October 2020.

CITU congratulates the united platform of Defence Workers Federations for their prompt response to such destructive design of the Govt through countrywide “burning of effigy agitation” on 19^th June 2021 as a prelude to further course of united action to be decided by the United Platform shortly. CITU extends support to the agitation of United Platform of Defence Federations on 19^th June and calls upon the trade unions and workers stand in solidarity with Defence workers fighting in defence of national interests.

CITU reiterate its condemnation to the destructive move of corporatisation of Ordnance Factories and the evil design of privatisation behind the same and extends all support to the forthcoming struggles of the Defence workers to resist it in national interest. Entire working class movement will resolutely stand by the struggling Defence workers against privatisation through corporatisation route.

Tapan Sen
General Secretary

On 14^th June, 2021, the Farmers' agitation, led by Samyukta Kisan Morcha completed 200 days of continuous protest on and occupation of main highways leading into national capital Delhi, for their demands to repeal three farm laws, taking back the Electricity (Amendment) Ordnance, 2021 and legal guarantee for the MSP. They have not only faced bone-chilling cold and winter, destructive storms, scorching summer and now, the onset of rains, have sacrificed almost 500 comrades, but mainly, the out-and-out pro-corporate Central Government that is bent on pushing these laws as well as the four hated labour codes.

June 26^th marks the completion of seven month long struggle. There are several struggles, including this farmers' agitation, against the undeclared emergency and authoritarian BJP regime that the country is experiencing today. Even those inhabiting the small island of Lakshadweep are up against these authoritarian ways of the BJP, what to talk of the complete mess they have made in countering the devastating second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic.

It is worth noting that June 26th is also the death anniversary of the legendary farmer leader Swami Sahajanand Saraswati. The protests on June 26th will include sit-ins at Raj Bhavans in various states in addition to district/tehsil level protests all over India.

The CTUs appeal to all their members to reach out to all the sections of people to join hands in this nation-wide action on 26th June.

We, the CTUs demand that

1. Four labour codes, the three farm laws, the Electricity (Amendment) Ordnance, 2021 be repealed;
2. Minimum Support Price (MSP) for farmer produce be legally guaranteed;
3. Universal free vaccination within a specific time frame;
4. 10 kg free food grains per person per month to all needy and Rs.7500/-pm to every non income tax paying family every month;
5. Take back the policy of privatization of Public Sector enterprises and Government Departments;
6. The Govt. and PSU employees working day and night in the COVID-19 like  Railway and Road transport ,Coal, Defence, SAIL, BHEL, Telecom and Postal service's, Banks and Insurance, Electricity, Water, Education and Health services,  EPFO, Port & Dock etc be treated as frontline staff and compensate accordingly;
7. Rs 50 lakh insurance to all frontline workers including ASHA, Anganwadi employees, sanitation workers; adequate compensation to the families of the workers who died due to Covid 19.

       INTUC                    AITUC                   HMS                     CITU                      AIUTUC

         TUCC               SEWA                     AICCTU                    LPF                   UTUC

Centre of Indian Trade Unions(CITU) pay respectful homage to Comrade Mythily Shivaraman, one of the leading figures in the early years of CITU in Tamilnadu, a revered leader of the women’s movement in India, a committed Marxist who passed away today, 30 May 2021 in Chennai at the age of 81. She had Alzheimer’s for the last ten years and succumbed to Covid.
 
Joining the left movement influenced by the anti Vietnam War movement Mythily has lead many struggles of the marginalized sections in Tamil Nadu. She has organized the workers, especially the women workers on the question of minimum and equal wages, sexual harassment of women etc. She has led many unions of CITU including metal box, union carbide, garments, pharmaceuticals and quarry workers unions in the 70s.
 
She was one of the leading figures of the struggle for justice for the dalit agricultural workers who were brutally massacred for raising their voice for wages, in Keezhvenmanai in 1968. She has also led the struggle of the victims of the infamous ‘Vachathi’ incident where the tribals of an entire village were assaulted and raped.

Mythily was one of the founders of AIDWA in Tamil Nadu and was its national vice President. She had authored many papers and books on issues and struggles of the oppressed sections, especially that of women.

A charismatic person with unusual courage, Mythily had influenced many lives and organized various sections of the people. Mythily will be remembered as one of the tallest women leaders our country. With the passing away of Mythily, both the trade union movement as well as the women’s movement suffers irreparable loss.

CITU expresses its respectful homage to Mythily and joins comrades Karunakaran, her husband and Kalpana her daughter and other family members in their hour of loss and grief.
 
Issued by
(Tapan Sen)
General Secretary

CITU expresses severe shock and deep indignation at the despicable warlike crime committed by Israeli Government by bombarding residential buildings and killing Palestinian people in their (Israel) illegal and inhuman pursuit to capture East Jerusalem with military force. 

On 8^th May, the last Friday of Ramzan, when Palestinian people were offering mass prayer at the Al-Aqsa mosque in East Jerusalem, which is the third holiest shrine for Muslims, Israeli forces attacked the mass gathering and fatally injured around 300 Palestinians. This ghastly attack was the cruel continuation of forcible eviction of Palestinian residents from the neighbourhoods of East Jerusalem, Sheikh Jarrah and Siwan.

Further escalating the barbarian attack, on 11^th May the Israeli military resorted to air strikes targeting number of high-rise apartment towers and killed 53 Palestine citizens including 14 children and 2 women and hundreds of people suffered injuries in the southern city of Ashkelon. This attack followed heavy deployment of Israeli troops in the Gaza border signaling more deadly attacks.

The latest is the 15^th May Israeli airstrikes which completely destroyed a high-rise building in Gaza city. Apart from loss of many lives, the major media centres housed in the building – Associated Press Bureau, Al-Jazeera and more – have been destroyed. Further, as per reports, a fleet of 160 warplanes bombarded for 40 minutes causing many causalities.

Israel is intensifying deployment of ground forces suggesting war scale invasion of Gaza by imperialist supported Netanyahu Government. It is worth noting that having been rejected by the people in the recent rounds of elections in Israel, in order to the hide his failure Netanyhu has launched such military action. Moreover as per media reports, street violence has erupted in many mixed populated localities (Jews and Arabs in Israel) implying danger of civil war. Sadly, this year Eid celebration for Palestine people has been suppressed by horror and mourning erupting from the inhuman cruelty of Israeli Government.

CITU voices its strongest protest against the inhuman military barbarity of the despotic Netanyahu Government. CITU reiterates the non-negotiable right of the Palestine people for a full-fledged independent state of Palestine with East Jerusalem as its national capital.

CITU appeals to fellow country-men and the entire trade union fraternity to rise to the occasion and extend solidarity with the people of Palestine and condemn Israeli Government for the war crime.

Issued by
Tapan Sen
General Secretary

Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) expresses heartfelt grief at the demise of comrade Ranjana Nirula, working committee member and former Treasurer of CITU. She was the Convenor of All India Coordination Committee of ASHA workers (CITU). She passed away yesterday, 10 May 2021 at 11pm. She has been unwell for few months with Crohn’s disease and was under treatment. She was infected with Covid 19 and was hospitalized on 27 April 2021. She was 75 years.

Ranjana Nirula was born in 1945 in Delhi in an aristocratic Punjabi family. Her father was a doctor in the UN. She went for her studies in USA where she came close to the left movement during the Vietnam War and was active in Anti Vietnam War Movement. She came back to India in early seventies and joined the left movement here.  She became CITU whole timer in 1978 and was Treasurer of Delhi State CITU. She stayed in working class colonies and worked among the factory workers in South Delhi and also in Faridabad.

She was one of the founders of the coordination committee of working women (CITU) in Delhi in 1979. She was also one of the founders of All India Democratic Women’s Association (AIDWA) in Delhi and was a member of the Central Executive Committee of AIDWA. She was also a member of Delhi State Committee of CPI (M).

A great humanist, she had specialization in teaching of children with special needs and served as a teacher for them for a short period.

Ranjana joined the CITU headquarters in 1998. She became the Working Editor of “The Voice of the Working Woman”, the journal of CITU for women workers which have been published since 1980. From 1979, she was a part of Co ordination Committee of Working Women and was also associated with Beedi Workers. When the CITU formed the All India Coordination Committee of ASHA worker (CITU), in 2009, she became its Convenor, and was continuing till date. Ranjana became the first ever woman treasurer of CITU, in 2010 in the 13^th Conference of CITU, a position which she held till 2017. At present she was a member of the Working Committee of CITU.

A staunch advocate of women’ equal rights, a fearless critique of communal fascistic forces, com Ranjana was a very affectionate and caring leader who was particular in cadre development. Her departure is a great loss to the trade union movement in India in general and the CITU centre in particular.

CITU pays its respectful homage, dips its flag in memory of the departed leader and conveys heartfelt condolences to her bereaved family.

Issued by
Tapan Sen
General Secretary

The online meeting of Joint Platform of Central Trade Unions and Independent Sectoral Federations held on 28^th April 2021 expressed grave concern at the cruel insensitivity of the Government at the centre in addressing and combating the second wave of the Covid Pandemic. The alarming country wide surge of this second wave of Covid has thrown the lives of the people, working people in particulars in total jeopardy. The daily infection count has already crossed 3 lakhs and is estimated to grow further in the coming days. Number of daily deaths too has surged. A substantial part of deaths are preventable, being caused due to non-availability of basic infrastructure, oxygen, hospital beds and essential medicines. The CTUs and Sectoral Federations/Associations have written to the Prime Minister(The letter attached)

 In the midst of such grave humanitarian crisis, the Central government ridiculously draws satisfaction over overcoming the crisis under the leadership of Narendra Modi! The Union Finance Minister has made mindless self congratulatory statement that their programme of privatisation/disinvestment is on track and in progress!

Caught unprepared, despite the warning about a second country wide wave,  the Central government is now trying to blame the people, the state governments and everybody except itself for the surge of casualty with much more intensity and speed. The reprimand of EC by some High Courts has Vindicated the stand of Trade Unions having taken time to time. Now only the order has come not to organise any rally, celebration from 2^nd to 15th may in the election bound states.  

There is serious shortage of vaccines, testing facilities, hospital beds, ventilators, oxygen, medicines and above all trained personnel – doctors, nurses and other medical staff. The front line workers and employees are overworked and lack adequate protection. Instead of addressing these serious issues, BJP leaders including union ministers are engaged in shifting the responsibility to the state governments and indulging in blame games.

In the midst of this, the vaccine policy announced by the government puts corporate profits above the precious lives of people. Today, it is crucial to strictly regulate, under direct government supervision, the entire vaccination process to ensure that the entire population is vaccinated within a definite time frame. Vaccine production must be urgently scaled up; it must be imported as necessary. But the government is shamelessly succumbing to the profit hungry international drug mafia and liberalised vaccine sales. The new vaccine policy liberalises the vaccine sale by deregulating the prices through a discriminatory process that too without taking any concrete measures for augmenting availability.

States are not given the promised doses of vaccines. This has severely affected the first phase of vaccination itself. The new vaccine policy of Modi government stipulates that the state governments have to procure the vaccines from the open market with higher price of Rs 400/Rs 600 per dose as announced by the two vaccine companies in India. They will be thrown into unhealthy competition with each other and also with the private sector hospitals which are also free to procure the vaccines at Rs 600/ Rs 1200. More such notorious announcements are expected to pour in the days to come with the Govt-corporate nexus. It is atrocious that the Serum Institute which has announced Rs 400 per dose of vaccine for the state governments and Rs 600 for private hospitals in India.

Covisheild is priced at 1.78 Euro (Rs 160) in Europe and at $4 (Rs 300) in the US and Bangladesh, at Rs.237 in Brazil, at Rs. 226 in UK.

This  pro-corporate deregulation on vaccine and other essential ingredients of pandemic management will further facilitate hoarding and black marketing which is already going on in case of essential medicines like Remdesivir and oxygen. Overwhelming majority of our people who cannot afford the huge price of the vaccine would be excluded. Policies of exclusion have now become the hallmark of the Central government.    

The local and regional lockdowns and curfews being imposed in several states are creating uncertainties about the work and income among the working people, the migrant workers and workers in the unorganised sector in particular. Reminiscent of the migrant workers’ march around one year back, migrant workers are again heading to their native places. None of the orders under Disaster Management Act issued so far by various authorities on curfew or scaling down of operation by industry etc had cared to concretely direct the employers to protect employment/livelihood of workers, their incomes and residences. It is again an attempt by the governments, as last year, to sacrifice the lives and livelihood of the workers and the toiling people to safeguard the interests of the employers’ class.  

 The Joint Platform of Central Trade Unions and Federations demands the government to withdraw the new pro-corporate as well as discriminatory vaccine policy and take immediate measures to ensure 100% procurement of the vaccine, adequate supply of vaccines to the states, free of cost, utilising the PM care fund. The government, sufficiently empowered by Disaster Management Act must not abdicate its responsibility of prioritising protection of the lives of the people during this grave pandemic, over profiteering by vaccine-pharmaceutical barons.

 The joint platform of Central trade unions and Federations point out that it is the public sector companies that are, as ever, coming to the rescue of the nation in this critical situation. It is the public sector steel companies that are producing and supplying oxygen; it is the Indian Railways that is transporting Oxygen to the needy states. We also remind the government that it was the public sector financial institutions in our country that have protected the country against the 2008 world crisis. The joint platform of trade unions demand that the government must immediately stop its mindless privatisation drive. We demand that immediate measures be taken to strengthen the existing public sector medicine and oxygen production units which are already playing a frontline role in producing/supplying oxygen and other necessities and establish new ones to ensure universal and comprehensive public health care.

The Joint Platform also demands that the Govt must ensure that any order issued by any authorities under Disaster Management Act imposing restrictions in movement, curfew etc must accompany strict enforceable orders to all employers and all concerned banning retrenchment, wage-cut and eviction from residences etc. It cannot be just an advisory but a stringently enforceable direction and the Disaster Management Act adequately empowers the Govt to issue such orders and enforce.

The Joint Platform calls upon the workers and toiling people to observe the forthcoming May Day, the international working class solidarity day through jointly organizing agitation in as many locations throughout the country to press for the following demands, while expressing solidarity with the working class movement going on throughout the world:

Ramp up vaccine production and ensure universal free vaccination within a definite time frame. Ensure free supply of oxygen in the crises as in present situation.

1. Ensure adequate hospital beds, oxygen and other medical facilities to meet the Covid surge
2. Scrap anti-people discriminatory pro-corporate Vaccine Policy
3. Strengthen public health infrastructure including recruiting the necessary health personnel
4. Any order under Disaster Management Act issued by any authority imposing restrictions in movement, curfew etc must accompany strict order on all employers and all concerned banning retrenchment, wage-cut and eviction from residences etc and same must be strictly enforced.
5. Scrap anti-worker Labour Codes and anti-people Farm Laws and Electricity Bill
6. Stop privatization and Disinvestment
7. Cash transfer of Rs 7500 per month for all non income tax paying families
8. 10 kg free food grains per person per month for the next six months
9. Ensure non Covid patients get effective treatment in government hospitals
10. Ensure availability of protective gear, equipments etc for all health and frontline workers and those engaged in pandemic-management work including ASHAs and anganwadi employees along with comprehensive insurance coverage for them all

Covid protocols – wearing masks, maintaining physical distance etc should be strictly followed by all our leaders, cadres, activists and members to safeguard their own health and the health of their comrades, colleagues and family members.

            INTUC                               AITUC                             HMS                              CITU                                 AIUTUC

               TUCC                        SEWA                                AICCTU                               LPF                             UTUC

And Sectoral Federations/Associations