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Monday, 19 April 2021 11:15

2020 May

इस मई दिवस 2021 पर, सीटू

पूरी दुनिया के मजदूर वर्ग और मेहनतकश वर्गों के उन सभी लोगों को सलाम करता है, जो भारी व्यक्तिगत नुकसान झेल रहे हैं और अपनी जान जोखिम में डालकर अर्थव्यवस्था को फिर से पहियों पर लाने और दूसरों के जीवन की रक्षा करने का प्रयास कर रहे हैं।
कोविद-19 महामारी के कारण जान गंवाने वाले लाखों लोगों के परिवारों और दोस्तों के साथ शोक संवेदना व्यक्त करता है।

इस मई दिवस पर, सीटू

दुनिया भर में मजदूरों और कामकाजी जनता के साथ बिरादराना एकजुटता को व्यक्त करता है, जो एक ओर कोविद महामारी का मुकाबला बहादुरी से कर रहे हैं और दूसरी ओर आजीविका, अधिकारों और काम की परिस्थितियों पर शासक वर्गों और उनके सत्तासीन एजेंटों के हमलों से जूझ रहे हैं।

कोविद महामारी जो कि डेढ़ साल से जारी है, क्योंकि यह पहली बार 2019 के अंत में दिखाई दी जिसने 
पूँजीवादी व्यवस्था के बदसूरत, क्रूर और बर्बर चेहरे को उजागर किया है जो एक व्यवस्था के तौर पर, विज्ञान और प्रौद्योगिकी में अभूतपूर्व प्रगति के बावजूद, अधिकांश जनता की बुनियादी जरूरतों को पूरा करने और उनके जीवन की रक्षा करने में विफल रही है; एक व्यवस्था जहाँ स्वास्थ्य नागरिकों का मूल अधिकार नहीं है, लेकिन केवल उन लोगों के लिए आरक्षित है जो इसे खरीद सकते हैं। स्वास्थ्य, शिक्षा, आवास, भोजन तेजी से गरीबों की पहुँच से बाहर होते जा रहे हैं। महामारी के दौरान कामकाजी गरीबों की संख्या में वृद्धि हुई है। लाखों लोग अपनी नौकरी खो चुके हैं। उन्नत पूँजीवादी देशों के साथ-साथ, दुनिया का सबसे धनी और सबसे शक्तिशाली देश, संयुक्त राज्य अमेरिका इस बात का एक शानदार उदाहरण है कि कैसे सार्वजनिक स्वास्थ्य देखभाल की उपेक्षा और निजी बीमा आधारित स्वास्थ्य देखभाल को बढ़ावा देने के कारण महामारी से, हजारों रोके जा सकने वाली मौतें हुईं। भारत आज उन्ही के साथ में खड़ा है।

आज, कोविद के टीके कुछ उन्नत देशों द्वारा नियंत्रित और सुव्यवस्थित किए जा रहे हैं। कई गरीब देशों को टीकों के उपयोग से वंचित किया जा रहा है।
कोविद-19 महामारी के अनुभव ने फिर से समाजवादी व्यवस्था की श्रेष्ठता को उभारा है, जो पूँजी से अधिक जनता को प्राथमिकता देता है। कोविद-19 के प्रसार को प्रभावी रूप से रोका जा सका है और सार्वभौमिक सार्वजनिक स्वास्थ्य देखभाल और शीघ्र सरकारी हस्तक्षेप प्रदान करके समाजवादी देशों में मृत्यु दर में कमी आयी है। चीन, वियतनाम और उत्तर कोरिया ने इस बीमारी पर काबू पाने और जनता के स्वास्थ्य, जीवन और आजीविका की रक्षा करने का रास्ता दिखाया है। चीन और वियतनाम भी अपनी अर्थव्यवस्थाओं को पटरी पर लाने में सफल रहे हैं।

चीन ने फरवरी 2021 में अंतिम 9 करोड़ 89 लाख 90 हजार ग्रामीण निवासियों को गरीबी से निकालकर गरीबी पर ‘पूर्ण विजय’ हासिल कर ली है। यह संयुक्त राष्ट्र के 2030 एजेंडा में सतत विकास के लिए निर्धारित गरीबी उन्मूलन लक्ष्य के निर्धारित समय से लगभग 10 साल पहले पूरा किया गया है। यह उस स्थिति में और भी अधिक महत्वपूर्ण है, जहाँ यूएनडीपी के अनुमान के मुताबिक, महामारी के दीर्घकालिक प्रभाव के परिणामस्वरूप 2030 तक दुनिया भर में 20 करोड़ 70 लाख लोग अत्यधिक गरीबी के गर्त में गिर सकते हैं।
अमेरिकी साम्राज्यवाद द्वारा अमानवीय नाकाबंदी और प्रतिबंधों के बावजूद, क्यूबा ने एकजुटता की एक अनुकरणीय कार्रवाई में महामारी से निपटने के लिए, न केवल अफ्रीका और लैटिन अमेरिका में, बल्कि इटली जैसे उन्नत पूँजीवादी देशों में दुनिया भर के 51 से अधिक देशों की सहायता के लिए डॉक्टरों और पेशेवर स्वास्थ्य कर्मियों की अपनी टीमों को भेजा है। सीटू की माँग है कि दुनिया भर में निस्वार्थ चिकित्सा सेवाओं के लिए क्यूबा के डॉक्टरों को नोबेल पुरस्कार दिया जाए।

जबकि उन्नत पूँजीवादी देश अन्य देशों की जनता को उनके द्वारा विकसित किए गए टीकों को उपलब्ध कराने के लिए तैयार नहीं हैं, चीन 53 देशों को कोविद वैक्सीन की आपूर्ति कर रहा है। क्यूबा भी ईरान, वेनेजुएला और अन्य जरूरतमंद देशों को टीके की आपूर्ति कर रहा है।

को अंतर्राष्ट्रीय वित्तीय पूँजी और अमेरिकी साम्राज्यवाद के बहुआयामी साजिशों का सामना करते हुए समाजवादी व्यवस्था को बनाए रखने और बचाव के लिए समाजवादी देशों की जनता का सीटू गर्मजोशी से अभिनन्दन करता है। इस मई दिवस पर, सीटू समाजवादी देशों के साथ अपनी एकजुटता दोहराता है।

अमेरिकी साम्राज्यवाद द्वारा विशेष रूप से लैटिन अमेरिका, फिलिस्तीन, मध्य-पूर्व और एशिया प्रशांत क्षेत्र को लक्षित करते हुए अपनी दबंगई कायम करने के लिए बढ़ते आक्रामक शड्यंत्रों को चिंता के साथ सीटू नोट करता है। यह विकासशील देशों पर अपने आर्थिक और राजनीतिक अधीनता के लिए दबाव बढ़ा रहा है। अभीे हाल ही में लक्षद्वीप के तट पर पानी भारत की सहमति के बिना ही अमेरिकी युद्धपोतों के सातवें बेड़े द्वारा भारत के विशेष आर्थिक क्षेत्र (ईईजेड) में घुसपैठ है, जो भारत की संप्रभुता के लिए गंभीर चुनौती है। सीटू इस तरह के साम्राज्यवादी अहंकार की निंदा करता है और भाजपा सरकार से ऐसे अमेरिकी घमंड के खिलाफ हमारे देश के मजबूत विरोध दर्ज करने की माँग करता है

Friday, 16 April 2021 09:01

MAY DAY MANIFESTO 2021

On this May Day 2021, CITU

Salutes the working class and all sections of toiling people across the world who, suffering huge personal losses and risking their own lives, have been striving to bring the economy back on wheels and safeguard the lives of others

Condoles the families and friends of the millions who lost their lives due to the Covid 19 pandemic

On this May Day, CITU

Extends fraternal solidarity to the workers and working people all over the world, who are bravely fighting the Covid pandemic on the one hand and the attacks of the ruling classes and their agents in governance on their livelihood, rights and working conditions, on the other

The Covid pandemic that continues its rampage one and a half years since it first appeared in end 2019 -  

Has exposed the ugly, cruel and barbarous  face of the capitalist system – a system which despite unprecedented advances in science and technology, fails to meet the basic needs of most of the people and protect their lives; a system where health is not a basic right of citizens but reserved only for those who can buy it. Health, education, housing, food are increasingly going out of the reach of the poor. The number of working poor has increased during the pandemic. Millions have lost their jobs. The richest and most powerful country in the world, the USA, along with the advanced capitalist countries is a glaring example of how neglect of public health care and promotion of private insurance based health care resulted in thousands of preventable deaths due to the pandemic. India today stands in their company.

Today, the Covid vaccines are being controlled and cornered by a few advanced countries. Many poor countries are denied access to the vaccines.

The experience of Covid 19 pandemic has again highlighted the superiority of the socialist system, which prioritises people over capital. Spread of Covid 19 was effectively contained and deaths curtailed in the socialist countries by providing universal public health care and prompt government intervention. China, Vietnam and North Korea have shown the way in curtailing the disease and safeguarding the health, lives and livelihoods of the people. China and Vietnam have also been able to bring their economies back on track.

 China has also achieved ‘complete victory’ over poverty in February 2021 by lifting the last 98.99 million rural residents out of poverty. It met the poverty eradication target set out in the United Nation’s 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development around 10 years ahead of schedule. This is even more significant in a situation where, according to UNDP estimates, an additional 207 million people around the world may fall into extreme poverty by 2030 as a result of the long term impact of the pandemic.

Despite the inhuman blockade and sanctions imposed by US imperialism, Cuba, in an exemplary action of solidarity has sent its teams of doctors and health professionals to assist more than 51 countries across the world, not only in Africa and Latin America but also to advanced capitalist countries in Europe like Italy, in dealing with the pandemic. CITU demands that the Nobel Prize be awarded to the Cuban doctors for their selfless medical services across the world.

While the advanced capitalist countries are not ready to provide the vaccines developed by them to the people of other countries, China is supplying Covid vaccine to 53 countries. Cuba too is supplying vaccines to Iran, Venezuela and other needy countries.

CITU warmly greets the people of the socialist countries for upholding and defending the socialist system in the face of the manifold machinations of subversion by international finance and US imperialism. On this May Day, CITU reiterates its solidarity with the socialist countries.

CITU notes with concern the increasing aggressive manoeuvres by US imperialism to establish its hegemony across the world, particularly targeting Latin America, Palestine, the Middle-east and the Asia Pacific region. It is mounting pressure on developing countries seeking their economic and political subjugation. The most recent happening is the American Seventh Fleet warship’s intrusion into India’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) waters off the coast of Lakshadweep without India’s consent, which is gratuitous challenge to India’s sovereignty. CITU condemns such imperialist arrogance and demands the BJP government to register our country’s strong protest against such US arrogance. 

CITU extends its solidarity with the people in various countries, particularly in Latin America fighting against US imperialist interventions in their countries and in defence of popularly elected governments. It conveys solidarity to the people of Venezuela fighting against US machinations to destabilise the popular democratically elected government of President Maduro. CITU stands in solidarity with the people of Palestine fighting for their right to their homeland. It strongly condemns Israeli aggression and continuous expansion of its settlements in Palestine and supports Palestinians’ demand for their homeland with the 1967 borders and East Jerusalem as its capital. CITU condemns the military coup and the attack unleashed by the military junta in Myanmar on the people protesting with the demand to restore democracy in the country.

CITU deplores the manner in which the BJP government in our country has been utilising the pandemic and the related restrictions as a “never before opportunity” to aggressively pursue its neoliberal agenda, to satisfy the lust for profit of the landlord-capitalist class, jeopardising the livelihood and survival of the mass of the people. It is during this period that the BJP government passed the three Farm Bills suspending the MPs who asked for division; passed three Labour Codes when the entire opposition was absent in Parliament. It is going ahead with its plan of wholesale privatisation of the public sector. Under the misleading and deceptive slogan of ‘Atmanirbhar (self reliant)’ Bharat, the BJP government is mortgaging the entire country, its wealth – its natural resources and public sector as well as the real wealth creators - the workers and peasants, to the big corporates, domestic and foreign. The country and its people are being sought to be pushed back into colonial exploitative conditions of 19th century.

The three major public sector vaccine manufacturing units in the country being closed down under the neoliberal regime, vaccine manufacturing is now left to private companies for whom the government of India is one of the buyers. India, once a pioneer in vaccine manufacturing is facing a serious shortage of Covid vaccines today. It has failed in ramping up vaccine production and providing universal access to the vaccines. It has declined the requests from several state governments as well as the Indian Medical Association to expand coverage. Instead, the union health minister resorted to a blame game with the state governments.

One year ago the country witnessed the heart wrenching pictures of tens of thousands of migrant workers with their families walking away in silent protest against the employers who have abandoned them to hunger and homelessness, after prospering through decades of their labour. The Inter State Migrant Workers’ Act, 1979 that provided the migrant workers with some protection now stands repealed, ostensibly subsumed under the Code on Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions but sans most of the protective provisions. The draft National Policy on Migrant Workers has nothing on their labour rights or on matters related to industrial relations. Its thrust is to establish a mechanism to ‘enable voting’ which is claimed as ‘political inclusion’. It is nothing but a dubious exercise with an eye on their votes

With another faster spreading wave of Covid ravaging the country and the prospect of lockdowns staring at their face, crores of migrant workers find their lives crumbling before their eyes. Fearing another round of lockdowns, thousands of migrant workers are again going back to their native places.

The Labour Codes, enacted during the pandemic are tool kits gifted to the big corporates by the BJP government to enable unfettered exploitation of workers, on the pretext of promoting ‘Ease of Doing Business’. On the one hand the labour codes legalise the hitherto illegal violation by the employers of what were the laws of the land; on the other they criminalise the workers collective actions to assert their basic trade union and labour rights. Even the universally accepted right to “eight hours’ working day” synonymous with May Day is being sought to be diluted. They all are meant to denude workers of the only weapon they have - organised trade unions and collective actions. The Labour Codes are meant to impose conditions of slavery on the working people, depriving them of all their hard won rights, with the sole objective to severely weaken and crush collective opposition by the working class to the aggressive and barbarous capitalist exploitation.   

The public sector, which is the nation’s wealth, is being handed over to the corporate cronies of the BJP. During the period when crores of workers lost their jobs and incomes, when they and their families were compelled to go hungry, when India’s GDP is estimated to contract by 7%, Gautam Adani’s wealth doubled. He has climbed 20 places to become the 48th richest person globally and second richest in India. Mukesh Ambani’s wealth increased by 24% and he has become the 8th richest person in the world. Oxfam reported that the wealth of Indian billionaires rose by 35% during the pandemic. This phenomenon exposes the single-minded pursuit of the barbarous policies of facilitating loot of the country’s resources, exchequer and the financial system as a whole by the government in favour of big-business corporate class, both foreign and domestic at the cost of the people. On the whole, the corporate/big-business class across the world multiplied their wealth phenomenally during the same period when global GDP turned negative. Unemployment in many countries including India has reached explosive proportions exposing the systematic destruction of the employment-absorption capacity of the economy by the destructive neoliberal capitalist policies.

The public sector banks where the common people of our country save their money, the public sector life and general insurance companies, where the common people invest their meagre savings to be protected from adversities, are sought to be handed over to such corporate giants. Defence production, the railways, telecom, civil aviation, ports, electricity, steel, mines etc are set to be given away to the private corporates including foreign monopolies. The entire economy including services like health, education, welfare-schemes are being targeted for privatisation. These have severe negative and destructive bearing on country’s employment-generating productive and service capabilities as a whole.  Our production capacities are being destroyed, ironically, in the name of ‘Make in India’. ‘Na khaoonga, na khane doonga’ now stands nakedly exposed with the latest revelations in the French media about middle men and payment of commissions in the Rafale deal, signed with the involvement of the PMO itself.

Not only industry and services; the BJP government led by Modi has also opened up our agriculture to absolute corporate control. The three Farm Acts are meant to facilitate corporate takeover of our agriculture hitherto dominated by small farmers. They promote corporate farming, withdraw regulations including remunerative prices and procurement that protect the farmers and expose them to the vagaries of international food markets. This would lead to the dismantling of the public distribution system, threatening the food security of our people, particularly the poor. Majority of the farmers would face the threat of eviction from lands.

CITU congratulates the working class, the farmers and all sections of toiling people for their heroic resistance against these anti-worker, anti-farmer, anti-people and anti-national policies of the BJP government. The farmers’ protests against the ‘black’ Farm Laws at Delhi borders are not only continuing for over four months, but have also gained support from all sections of toiling people all over the country. Despite exhausting all its tool kits to divide the farmers, malign them, mislead the people by spreading lies, divert people’s attention etc, the BJP government, could not succeed in weakening the struggle. The farmers are continuing their united struggle. CITU salutes their courage and determination. It is proud to be part of their struggle by mobilising thousands of workers in the entire country in solidarity.

CITU also congratulates the working class for its tenacious and sustained struggle to protect its rights and working conditions from the onslaught of big capital and their present representative in governance, the BJP government led by Modi. Not to be cowed down by the restrictions to its movements and activities due to the pandemic and the associated lockdown, the working class utilised every opportunity to raise its voice against the anti worker, anti people policies of the government. Raising its voice from roof tops and balconies at the peak of the lockdown, it gradually stepped out to step up the struggle and went on a successful strike on 26th November, despite the serious constraints due to the ongoing pandemic. CITU is proud of its role in initiating these protests and congratulates the workers for the huge response. The coal workers, the steel workers, the bank and insurance employees, workers of private organised sector, the scheme workers and lakhs of workers from almost all sectors have been on the struggle path.

The growing solidarity between the two major sections of our toiling people, the workers and the peasants, that produce the wealth of this country, is a matter of great significance. CITU has always been making efforts to develop such solidarity and unity of workers and peasants. In the midst of the pandemic, the workers and peasants not only continued and intensified their struggles on their own demands, but also consciously tried to synchronise their actions and physically participated in each others’ actions. CITU believes that strengthening such unity of workers and peasants and taking joint struggles to a higher level involving broader sections of the masses will provide historic opportunity to advance the struggle against not only neoliberal policies but against the exploitative capitalist system itself.

CITU urges the workers all over the country to strengthen unity of workers, peasants and other sections of toiling people, overcoming the divisive machinations of the communal and casteist forces bent upon disrupting people’s unity in order to serve the interests of the ruling classes. CITU reiterates its commitment to strive for strengthening unity workers, peasants and all sections of toiling people and intensifying the struggle to protect their interests and save the nation.

CITU strongly condemns the BJP government’s attempts to suppress dissent and opposition to its policies by dubious means. The Constitutional and democratic rights of the people and Parliamentary norms are violated. The BJP government is using draconian laws like the UAPA, NSA etc and its machinery in ED, Income Tax, CBI, etc and the Delhi police under its administration to intimidate, threaten, arrest, imprison and subject to harassment all those who oppose its policies and protest against its actions. Hundreds of students, women, journalists, trade union activists and human and civil rights activists etc have been arrested under UAPA and NSA and are languishing in jail for years without even being granted bail. It is regrettable that Institutions like the Supreme Court are also increasingly toeing the line of the government. The recent developments as in the case of the elections to the five state assemblies show that the Election Commission is also following the same line.

The aggressive attacks of capital and its representatives in the governments, on the workers and other toiling people, are not specific to India alone. In the midst of continuously aggravating economic crisis that predates the Corona pandemic, the ruling classes across the world have been trying to maximise their profits and amass wealth by squeezing the workers and working people and by grabbing control over natural resources and public properties and services. Changes in labour laws curbing hard won rights of the workers, particularly their right to organise and collective bargaining, attacks on democratic rights are being made in several capitalist countries. The ruling classes are promoting the growth of right wing forces to achieve their objective and divide people on the basis of religion, race, ethnicity, region etc. Despite the failure of the discredited neoliberal model, the capitalist system has nothing to offer to come out of the systemic crisis, except imposing further burdens on the people, which are bound to prove counterproductive.

As a response to the continuously aggravating economic crisis of this capitalist system, the ruling class are desperately trying to centralise and authoritarianise the entire governance- of the economy and of the political system. They are destroying all the democratic components with a clear fascistic intent. Wholesale privatisation of industry, services including health, education etc, mineral resources and infrastructure to establish unregulated private control, opening up of our country’s economy and markets for foreign monopoly corporates and promoting corporate takeover of our agriculture are all components of this desperate response to the capitalist crisis, intended to maximise corporate profits and amass wealth by the Super rich.

Attack on rights of the working class through Labour Codes, the brutal attacks on the democratic rights, on freedom of expression, dissent, opposition and protest etc, trampling underfoot the Constitutional provisions, bypassing Parliamentary norms, onslaught on the rights of the state governments under the existing federal structure, are all integral to this authoritarian project. Use of communal, divisive issues to disrupt unity of the people and weaken their struggles to serve the interests of a handful of corporates, both domestic and foreign, is also a part of their political agenda with the same purpose.

Workers in our country and all over the world are increasingly realising the failure of the system to protect their interests. The real ‘Corporate-subservient’ character of the BJP government is getting increasingly understood by the people. This understanding has to be widened further. Now is the time to create awareness among the vast masses of workers and other toiling people about the link between their day to day issues and the policies being pursued by successive governments at the centre; to help them identify their friends and foes; mobilise them to unite with their friends and together fight with their enemies.

In view of comprehensive all round onslaught on the people, the economy,  democratic system, societal harmony and the national integrity as a whole, the fight back by a class oriented working class has to base itself on comprehensive understanding of the character of these attacks of the ruling class, in all its expressions, linking one with the other. It has to be the united battle of the working class along with the people to defend the rights and dignity of the workers and the people, their livelihood, defend the democratic system and values, defend the national economy and resources and above all to defend the unity of the people.    

This requires consistent and continuous efforts to expose the inherent exploitative character of the capitalist system, its inhuman machinations and the politics that promote it. This May Day let us pledge to take up this task in right earnest.

Thus, on this May Day, CITU appeals to all workers and toiling people in our country and around the world to:

Unite and demand universal free vaccination against Covid 19 as well as universal free public health care

Unite to fight against the capitalist onslaught on the livelihood and hard won basic rights of the workers and all toiling people

Unite and fight for a pro people alternative

Unite and fight to defeat all attempts of the ruling classes to divide the working class and the people

Long Live May Day
Long Live Working Class Solidarity
Long Live Worker Peasant Alliance
Long Live Socialism
Down With Capitalism

 

The Centre of Indian Trade Unions extends full support to the ongoing strike by the state transport workers in Karnataka (KSRTC) demanding immediate settlement of their long-overdue wage revision. The workers and their unions made all efforts to resolve the issue through more than a year long persuasion with the concerned authority and the Govt. But nothing did happen owing to negative approach of the authority concerned towards the genuine and legitimate demands of the workers which compelled them to go in for strike action.

Most unfortunately, the BJP Govt and the concerned authorities of KSRTC run by the Govt, instead of resolving issues through bipartite dialogue/negotiations with the striking workers and the unions, have resorted to repressive measures to break the strike and victimizing the workers in an authoritarian manner. Prohibitory order against the strike has been imposed and different sections of workers throughout the state are being threatened with victimization and also private transport agencies are being sought to be utilized to break the strike. But no initiative has been taken either by KSRTC management or the Govt to initiate discussion on the legitimate demands of the workers for resolving the long pending periodical wage revision.

Workers, trade unions and the people at large in Karnataka therefore extended support to the striking workers which is being demonstrated through solidarity agitations by the trade unions and democratic people at large in every district of the state.

CITU demanded upon the Chief Minister of the State to intervene urgently to ensure that all prohibitory/repressive/vindictive actions are withdrawn and also initiative is taken to open discussion with the striking workers and their organizations with a positive approach to resolve the issues to the satisfaction of all concerned.

 Issued by
( Tapan Sen )
General Secretary

The Centre of Indian Trade Unions condemns the hasty move by the Govt in announcing sharp reduction in all small savings instruments including Public Provident Fund (PPF), Kisan Vikas Patra and other term deposits on Wednesday through a notification. CITU also noted the hurried announcement today by the Finance Ministry saying that such announcement on interest rate cut has been done by mistake ‘due to oversight’ with a clear  intent to avoid criticism in the run up to assembly elections. But the cat has come out of the bag on the real intention of the Govt.  The atrocious decision has been just put on hold and the Govt is destined to go ahead with the retrograde measure after the elections.

Just one year before, around the same days in 2020 the BJP Govt made similar move in reducing interests on all small savings instruments by around 140 basis point as a follow up of similar drastic reduction in June 2019, immediately after assuming power at the centre for the second round.  Now within a year’s span same atrocious onslaught on common peoples’ savings has been repeated and the extent of reduction in interest rate is ranging from 40 to 110 basis point.

Such a move will affect the common people most, particularly the employees and very severely  senior citizens and superannuated persons who practically survive on return on their life-time savings. The Govt in its single minded pursuit of its policies to only benefit the big-business/corporate entities through cut in corporate taxes, rebates in various other financial obligations, allowing  deliberate tax default leading to huge accumulation of tax  dues to over Rs 6 lakh crore, patronizing default in bank loans by corporates followed by writing off debt obligation liberally etc, has been simultaneously seeking to neutralize a part of such huge burden of liberal concessions and giveaways to their corporate masters through increasing unbearable burden on the common people and this interest rate reduction on small savings is one of those atrocious measures.

Moreover, the consistent reduction in return on small savings instruments almost every year is also aimed at diverting savings and deposits of common people away from the banking system towards various deceptive and fraudulent speculative instruments, chit funds and similar businesses promising huge returns to finally cheat them. These businesses have mushroomed  in a big way with the patronization of those in governance.     

CITU condemns such anti-people move of the Govt by way of consistent reduction of interest rates in small savings instruments. CITU reiterates its demand that interest rates on social security savings and small savings instruments must be treated differentially from other commercial deposits and maintained at a higher level. CITU calls upon the working people to voice their united protest against such onslaught on the life-time and social security savings of the common people. 

Issued by
( Tapan Sen )
General Secretary

 

Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) heartily congratulates the bank employees and officers of the country who went on a total two days’ strike on 15-16 March 2021 against the BJP government’s moves to privatise public sector banks. Around 10 lakh bank employees and officers participated in the strike called by the United Forum of Bank Unions (UFBU), paralysing the entire banking sector.

The joint platform of central trade unions and almost all independent industrial federations in the country extended full support to the strike. Tens of thousands of workers participated in the demonstrations across the country, in support of the strike.

 CITU welcomes the decision of bank employees to intensify the struggle to save public sector banks from being sold off to corporates, both Indian and foreign.

 CITU and the joint trade union platform have already extended their support to the country wide strike of the General Insurance employees on 17th March and that of the LIC of India employees on 18th March, against privatisation. CITU members will actively participate in solidarity actions on these days

 CITU also congratulates the working class of the country as well as the thousands of farmers who have participated in the demonstrations held all over the country, mainly at the railway stations, to observe ‘Anti Privatisation, Anti Corporatisation Day’ 15th March 2021. The joint platform of central trade unions and independent industrial federations and the Samyukta Kisan Morcha spearheading the ongoing farmers’ struggle have jointly given the call for observing the Anti Privatisation Anti Corporatisation Day’.

 Demonstrations were held at over one lakh places including thousands of railway stations, in front of public sector units, banks etc. People including in rural areas spontaneously supported the call. In New Delhi, national leaders of trade unions and SKM joined the protests at New Delhi railway station and Central Electronics Limited.

 

CITU calls upon the entire working class, the toiling people and all sections of patriotic people of the country to actively support and join the struggle against the disastrous decision of the BJP government to hand over public assets, the people’s wealth to a handful of their corporate cronies. The fight to save the country from corporate greed shall intensify in the coming days.

 

Issued by: 

Tapan Sen

General Secretary

Monday, 01 March 2021 08:25

COMRADE M KRISHNAN IS NO MORE

Centre of Indian Trade Unions expresses profound grief and shock at the sudden passing away of Comrade M Krishnan, former Secretary General Confederation of Central Government Employees and Workers on 28th February 2021 night at a Hospital in Kerala. He was in hospital undergoing treatment for Covid 19. His demise is a very big loss to the trade union movement in the country at this juncture.

Comrade Krishnan joined Postal Services in 1974.With his active involvement in the trade union activities, from 1976 onwards he has been elected to various positions in the All India Postal Employees Union (Group C), National Federation of Postal Employees (NFPE) and CCGEW from Branch Secretary up wards. He served as the Circle Secretary of P3 Union, Convenor of Kerala Postal Union, President and General Secretary of P3 All India Union, Secretary General of NFPE and Confederation. Currently he was the Vice President of Confederation. He led many struggles at Circle to National level. Numerous strike struggles, particularly by the postal employees at national level, braving many attacks and atrocities during last couple of decades are the examples of his effective leadership in the employees’ movement.

 He also took initiative in organizing effective solidarity actions for many struggles of various sectors, including in Kerala.  He had been one of such leading personalities of central govt employees’ movement who contributed immensely during the span of around four and half decades of his active trade union life, to fully aligning and effectively involving the central govt employees movement with the united movement of the working class on all major policy issues thereby ,making the employees movement an integral part of the countrywide united struggles of the working class against neoliberal policy regime.   He had attended many international conferences of TUI Public Services and WFTU.

CITU pays respectful homage to the departed leader and convey heartfelt condolences to his family and comrades. Red Salute to comrade M Krishnan.

Tapan Sen
General Secretary

PRIVATISATION OFFENSIVE OF GOVT OF INDIA

HELL BENT BID TO SELL THE PUBLIC ASSETS AND DESTROY PRODUCTIVE CAPACITY

CITU CALLS ALL OUT RESISTANCE THROUGH UNITED STRUGGLE

The Centre of Indian Trade Unions expresses serious concern over the hell bent bid of fast tracking the privatisation of CPSUs across the sectors, with their huge asset base, to private hands, both foreign and domestic as being reflected in media reports almost every day. States are also being pushed to privatise State-PSUs. The national assets are being sought to be sold out to private foreign and domestic  corporate entities at a throw away price which will also act in destroying indigenous productive capabilities in almost all strategic and core areas of the national economy in a big way. And all these are being sought to be justified under their so called slogan of Atma Nirbhar Bharat. Almost all the CPSUs in the crucial sectors of the economy viz., Petroleum, Electricity, Steel, Coal, entire infrastructural sector like Port & Dock, Airports & Airlines, Railways & Public Transport, entire financial sector including banks and insurance, Defence Production etc are being targeted for privatization. The entire privatization programme of Modi Govt is actually meant for destroying the productive capability of the national economy, destroying the self reliance and making the country dependent on imperialist powers. 

The entire trade union movement in the country has been resolutely opposing such destructive privatization programme of the Modi Govt through numerous united protest actions including strikes. The need of the hour is to further heighten this united struggle for decisive resistance to this destructive game plan. The Joint Platform of Central Trade Unions and Sectoral Federations have already resolved to move in that direction. Besides, privatization is not the concern of the workers alone. Through privatization, the BJP government, which poses as the custodian of nationalism, is selling off the nation’s assets to the domestic and foreign corporates. This is the concern of all patriotic citizens of the country.

CITU welcomes the united resistance struggle is developing in many establishments against this retrograde privatization move. Ongoing united struggle against privatization move in Visakhapatnam Steel Plant along with solidarity actions in other steel PSUs, two day’s strike decision in the Banking sector on 15-16 March 2021 and strike in Insurance Sector on 18th March, continuous relay dharna in BEML, KGF, Karnataka, countrywide strike action by electricity employees on 3rd February 2021 and agitations in coal sector etc are some of the examples of emerging establishment/sector level struggles.

CITU calls upon the working people and the public sector workers in particular to take urgent initiative to launch again united protest against arrogant and hasty move of the Modi Govt and intensify establishment level struggle to resist privatization move in respective establishments to pave the way of its convergence in countrywide united resistance struggle against privatization in the days to come.

Issued by
(Tapan Sen)
General Secretary

Joint Platform of CTUs and Federations call upon the Workers to reiterate active support to the programmes announced by Samyukta Kisan Morcha

The Joint Platform of the Central Trade Unions and Independent Sectoral Federations and Associations reiterates active support and solidarity to the ongoing united struggles of the farmers demanding repeal of the draconian and disastrous Farm Laws and withdrawal of the Electricity Amendment Bill 2021. It calls upon the workers and employees in the entire county to participate en masse in the ‘Mazdoor Kisan Ekta Diwas’ called by the Samyukta Kisan Morcha to be observed on 27th February 2021, on Guru Ravidas Jayanti Day and also the Matyrdom Day of Shaheed Chandrasekhar Azad.

The Joint Platform of CTUs and Independent Sectoral Federations and Associations strongly condemns the utterly negative attitude of the pro-corporate government of India towards just demands of the farmers. The Central Government has been displaying the same attitude towards the workers and other sections of the toiling people as well. The joint platform of CTUs and Independent Sectoral Federations and Associations also condemns the malicious campaign being launched against the farmers’ struggle from the highest seat of governance.  

The Joint Platform of CTUs and Independent Sectoral Federations and Associations fully supports the other programmes announced by the Samyukta Kisan Morcha, in addition to the Mazdoor Kisan Ekta Diwas, as integral part of their ongoing struggles, which are:

  1. “Daman Virodhi Diwas” (Anti-Repression Day) on 24th February 2021
  2. “Yuwa Kisan Diwas” (Young Farmers Day) on 26th February 2021

The Joint Platform of CTUs and Independent Sectoral Federations and Associations calls upon the working people and the trade union movement as a whole to continue to extend full support to all the above programmes and ensure observance of “Kisan Mazdoor Ekta Diwas” on 27th February 2021 through mobilisations/agitations/rally etc in workplaces/block/district level throughout the country.

        INTUC                     AITUC                    HMS                     CITU                       AIUTUC

          TUCC                SEWA                      AICCTU                     LPF                    UTUC

The Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) condemns BJP-led Yogi government for issuing notice under the U.P. Goonda Act to the CITU Varanasi District President Shivnath Yadav. Shivnath Yadav was taken by police to district administration and was warned of issuing orders under the Act on restricting his movement, externment etc and filing cases under several provisions of IPC.

Earlier also the leaders of mass organisations, Left political parties and social activists were served with such notices under the Goonda Act.

Yogi Government’s authoritarian acts in Uttar Pradesh by indiscriminate use of police force to suppress all democratic movement and civil liberties are well known.

Varanasi being the incumbent Prime Minister’s parliamentary constituency, Yogi Government has been using all forces to prevent any protest by the trade unions and the people against Modi government’s policies.

CITU demands immediate withdrawal of all cases against the leaders and activists of CITU, other mass organisations and opposition parties; and stop using UP Control of Goonda Act and other repressive measures against the peaceful trade union and democratic movement.

Issued by
(Tapan Sen)
General Secretary

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