In this Issue
ILC: Defending Workers During Meltdown or Countdown for Elections?
The 42nd Session of Indian Labour Conference (ILC) was held recently in Delhi. While at the inaugural session Labour Minister Oscar Fernandes took the opportunity to extol a range of Congress leaders down the generations, and to showcase the ‘achievements’ of the UPA Government, such as NREGA. As workers face a crisis of survival due to the meltdown, the ILC was being used as a platform for a countdown to elections! Instead of any review of the sorry record of implementation of schemes like NREGA, the ILC was instead being used to project these schemes. Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee prescribed austerity and ‘wage cuts’ as an alternative to job cuts. Obviously such ‘austerity’ was not meant by the FM to apply to rich CEOs who, as recent reports show, continue to earn obscenely high salaries and indulge in unabated conspicuous consumption and lavish lifestyles. These latter continue to get huge sops and subsidies unabated – while the FM preaches ‘wage cuts’ for workers! This, while the Government’s own Arjun Sengupta Committee revealed that 77% of India’s people survive on Rs.20 a day.
As a result of the made-in-USA crisis being imported by the Indian ruling class onto Indian shores, at least 20 lakh workers have been rendered jobless in just a few months. Several industries face ruin – particularly export-oriented ones like textiles, diamond etc., as well as automobile, steel, construction; and workers all around face severe wage cuts and increased workload. For the past several years, lakhs of farmers have been committing suicide – a haemorrhaging wound refusing to heal in spite of some band-aids applied by governments time and again. Now, there are ominous signs of this trend shifting to workers too – seventy-one laid-off diamond workers have committed suicide in Gujarat (see HT, February 19, 2009): the state admiringly hailed as a ‘development model’ by the corporate class.
Meanwhile there is an all-pervading contractualisation of jobs in the name of promoting competitiveness - even in public sector units like steel, coal, oil and government departments like Railways, and core and perennial jobs too. The Central government, which used to be termed the ‘model employer’ has emerged as the greatest violator of contract labour laws. Through the ILC, the Government should have at the very least promised to implement their own laws regulating contract labour with the utmost strictness. Instead, for the last five years the Government has been pushing for amending the labour laws – thereby sending a clear signal to the employers that it condones their violations of the law of the land, and wants to turn those violations into policy!
Even the Government’s showpieces like the Unorganized Workers’ Act is far from adequate (with no provision of permanent fund and empowered boards) to address the needs and aspirations of the unorganized workers: the largest component of workforce. The crying need of the situation is that the Government must come out with a declaration to halt retrenchment/lay offs, wage cuts and closure on the pretext of financial crisis; and take measures to increase the purchasing power of common people.
Nothing less than reversing the disastrous economic policies – that favour corporates at the cost of the labouring poor – and delinking from the disastrously sinking ship of US imperialism – can correct the course and benefit the working people of India. No amount of window-dressing or manipulation of platforms like the ILC can change this fact.
Participation of AICCTU in the 42nd Session of Indian Labour Conference (ILC)
The 42nd Session of Indian Labour Conference (ILC) was held on 20-21 February 2009 in New Delhi. It was inaugurated by the Minister of External Affairs, Mr. Pranab Mukherjee and the Presidential address was delivered by the Minister of State (IC) for Labour & Employment, Mr. Oscar Fernandes. The representatives of workers, employers and the central & various state govts./UTs and central ministries/departments participated in the conference. The agenda of the conference was- Agenda- Item no. 1 (a): All Issues connected with contractualisation of Labour (b): Issues related to Migrant Workers. Item no. 2: Role of Social Partners in appropriate skill development for employability. Item no. 3: Issues relating to Sales Promotion Employees in India. Item no.4: Global Financial Crisis – its effects viz., large scale downsizing, layoffs, wage cut and job losses, etc. On behalf of the All India Central Council of Trade Unions (AICCTU), General Secretary Com. Swapan Mukherjee addressed the inaugural session. Led by him three more representatives participated in the different agenda items of the conference, namely Com. RN Thakur on agenda regarding issues related to contractualization and migrant labour; Com. S. Balasubramanian on global financial crisis, etc. and Com. Santosh Rai on issues of sales promotion workers in India.
This is the first time AICCTU officially participated (as delegates) in the ILC after getting national recognition (in the last session it participated in observer category). The participation was organized and effective. Com. Swapan addressing the inaugural session lambasted the Congress Party for using the ILC as election propaganda platform while prescribing wage cuts for workers. The delegation submitted its concrete suggestion on various items with effective participation on discussion on item nos. 1, 3 and 4.
Health Workers’ All India Strike
Recently, 2.5 lakh health workers across the country united to form the All India Health Employees and Workers Confederation, and have launched a spirited struggle to defend the public health sector against privatisation and contractualisation. The health workers are up in arms against the recommendations of the 6th CPC in respect of health sector, namely: (1) Paramedical staff have been kept in the PB-I category which is the pay band for upgraded group-D (2)HPCA/PCA, which health workers were getting for last 22 years, has been snatched. (3) Group D services have been contractualised, inviting privatization of the health sector which will seriously deteriorate the present public health services.
They are demanding: (I) HPCA/PCA should be continued, should be at par with Nursing Allowance and may be part of the basic pay as being done in the case of NPA for all health staff including nursing personnel. It should be extended to all health institutions in country and all levels of health employees. (II) The pay scale of Paramedical services should be placed in PB-II instead of PB-I. We demand constitution of a Paramedical Services Council of India. (III) Outsourcing and contractualisation in any form and at any level should be stopped immediately in the Health Sector. Where contractualisation has already taken place, all the posts/works should be replaced by regular staff.
On the initiative of Central Health Employees Federation (CHEF) a convention was held in Delhi on 10 December, 2008 to discuss the situation before health sector and the Convention unanimously decided to unite under the banner of a Confederation and to spearhead the struggle. All major health institutions of Central and Delhi Government’s Health Ministry, NDMC and MCD, Railway hospitals, Ordinance factories hospitals are part of the confederation. They petitioned the Health Minister and Prime Minister. On 16 January, the Confederation demonstrated before Parliament in thousands and also at local head offices outside Delhi. From 2 to 6 February, a relay hunger strike was carried out at every health institution. On 13 February, the Confederation led a massive demonstration before the Chief Minister of Delhi. On 17 and 18 February, employees organized partial strikes for 2-hours at their institutions. When the Government failed to initiate dialogue, 2.5 lakh health employees from 86 institutions from all over India were forced to begin their strike. 23 February, first day of the strike was successfully observed.
Kosi Sangharsh Yatra of Flood Victims
The All India Kisan Sangharsh Samiti (AIKSS) organized Kosi Sangharsh Yatra covering the areas that suffered devastation during the Kosi floods. The Yatra started on February 15 at Kusaha where the embankment had breached last year and culminated at Dhamdaha on 24 February. En route, the Yatra covered more than 50 villages in the entire flood-affected belt. The Yatra was led by KD Yadav and other AIKSS and AIALA leaders.
More than 20 well attended public meetings were held during the Yatra. Everywhere it was apparent that people’s fury in the Kosi belt has only increased because of the hollow claims of relief and rehabilitation. The flood victims maintained that after the first instalment of rations they were never given a second one! And relief donated by international and national humanitarian agencies and individuals continue to rot in godowns. Not only that, claims of having repaired the embankment at Kusaha also proved false. Rather, the apprehension of danger has grown. The river’s course has not fully changed. The current level of water in Kosi is already touching the brim and a sudden flood in the Kosi can again breach the embankment causing the tragedy to repeat.
Party Class for Women Activists in West Bengal
A state level party class of leading women cadres was held in Kolkata on 18-19 February. A set of two papers - "Women's Movement And Communist Party: Basics Revisited" and " Direction Of Work And Policies Of Women's Organisation" - were presented respectively by comrades Mina Pal and Chaitali Sen, both members of the party's West Bengal state committee and state women's department. The first one basically summarised comrade Arindam Sen's paper with the same title discussed at the all-India women's education camp for women cadres held in Bardhaman on July 26-27, 2008. The second consisted of two parts: first dealing with the general orientation and overall policies drafted in light of comrade Kavita Krishnan's paper in the Bardhaman camp and the other dealing with policies for the peculiar conditions obtaining in West Bengal.
Inaugurating the session, West Bengal state secretary Partha Ghosh congratulated the recently formed state women's department for encouraging initiatives: fixing up pockets of concentrated work for the department members and independently organising this class. Incharge of the state women's department Chaitali Sen then explained the political and organisational context of the class. She also said the central women's department in its recent meeting has observed that in future responsible male comrades should also be invited to attend such classes on the women's question. Both the papers generated a very lively collective discussion and debate on various aspects of theory and practice. In all 21 comrades working in urban and rural areas participated; they said they gained much political energy and ideological clarity from the discussions.
Comrade Arindam Sen, who participated in the interactive sessions, also delivered the closing speech. Supporting the comrades who expressed the desire of organising such classes in their own districts, he said they must stick to this resolve and ensure that the special task of training up women activists is not "forgotten" under the pressure of other "more important" party tasks. After conclusion of the main session, a short discussion of the international financial crisis was held.
AIPWA Foundation Day Celebrated
AIPWA units all over the country observed the anniversary of AIPWA’s foundation on 12 February. In Jharkhand, AIPWA held its third district conference at Ranchi on this occasion in the form of a Mahila Rozgar Sammelan on the theme of Women’s Employment. They raised the issue that the economic downturn is being used as an excuse to reduce wages and to strangle all opportunities for employment for women. Migration of Jharkhandi women in search of work sets new records each year. Between 8 February and 8 March, AIPWA has organised a series of programmes and agitations as part of the Mahila Rozgar (women’s employment) campaign in 15 districts. The Conference elected Shanti Sen as District President and Singi Khalkho as District Secretary, along with a 17-member committee.
CPI(ML) Condemns the Arrest of Activists in Urai
CPI(ML) and the All India Agricultural Labourers’ Association (AIALA) have condemned the arrest of nearly a dozen activists of the Party and AIALA and an effigy of the Mayawati government was burnt in Urai. During the last few weeks agricultural workers were on a hunger strike at the Block Office in Sitapur in connection with demands related to the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA). Among them, a Dalit youth, Keshav (aged 30) died at the dharna on the night of 12 February. In response to the government’s insensitivity to the death of the Dalit youth, AIALA had called for a state-wide protest on 16 February. The protesters were demanding that the family of the deceased be compensated and that the state register a case of murder against the concerned BDO and other officials. Among those arrested are AIALA state councillor Kashiram Varma, and K. S. Rana, State Secretary of the Revolutionary Youth Association. There was also a protest outside the Vidhan Sabha in Lucknow, and a memorandum was also given to the Governor. Protests were also organised in other districts of the state.
Cadre Meet in AP and Orissa
On 15-16 February, CPI(ML) held a cadre meeting in Kakinada. The cadre meet called for an intensive campaign demanding from the Government to confiscate all lands from corrupt corporates like Satyam, as well as those lands grabbed by MNCs and other corporations for SEZs and to be redistributed among the poor. The meet called for militant land struggles to restore such land to the poor, should the Government fail to do so. The campaign would also demand a white paper on the underhand relations and political patronage between Satyam, Chandrababu Naidu and YSR Reddy. The campaign will take place between 21 February-7 March, involving padyatras, meetings, and street corner meetings. Party Polit Bureau member Com. Swadesh Bhattacharya as the main speaker at the cadre meet said that in AP, CPI(ML) had on several occasions been part of loose formations of Left platforms ranging from CPI and CPI(M) to various ML groups. In the forthcoming elections, he said the party would call on all Left forces to strengthen the Left by cooperating with each other. However, he said, it seemed that the CPI and CPI(M) were yet to make up their minds and still seemed to be making a choice between tailing behind TDP on the one hand and Chiranjeevi’s Prajarajyam on the other. At the same time, he said the Maoists, who had in the last Assembly polls, supported the Congress, and this time too, it was a matter of common discussion that they might support one of the ruling formations. He reminded that after all, Prajarajyam too consisted of former Congress and TDP leaders – and all these forces stood tried, tested, and exposed among the people of AP. Cadre meets were also held between 17-19 February at Pippili (Puri), Satyavadi, Chilika and Kendrapada in Orissa.
Gopalganj Riots
At Gopalganj on 4 February, local feudal forces close to the JD(U) and BJP whipped up communal violence. People were mobilized to ‘teach Muslims a lesson’ and Muslim homes and property were attacked – leading to incidents of counter-violence too. At the end of the day, poor people of both communities suffered horrible losses. The violence took place in broad daylight, and in the presence of the DM and SP who did nothing to stop it. A CPI(ML) fact-finding team found that the main perpetrator – Jalalpur Mukhia Ramashankar Sharma, is a special friend of JD(U) District President Manjit Singh. The riots have been followed by severe police repression – where innocents from poor families of both communities are being arrested, harassed and tortured. The CPI(ML) has demanded the arrest of Ramashankar Sharma, and the release of the falsely implicated innocents. The CPI(ML) launched an intensive padyatra in the neighbouring areas led by CPI(ML) MLA Satyadev Ram. On 18 February, a very well-attended protest meeting was held, addressed by Comrades Dhirendra Jha, Amar Yadav and Satyadev Ram.
Protest Against Violence on Women Students
On 16 February, AIPWA held a dharna at the Lucknow Vidhan Sabha in protest against police violence against women students of Dr. B. R. Ambedkar Law College. These students, while protesting on 14 February against mismanagement of examinations, were met with Mayawati’s police who beat them up and tore their clothes. AISA also held a protest march against this incident on 20 February.
CBI Enquiry Demanded to Probe Arindam Manna’s Death
The body of Arindam Manna(31),a sub-inspector with Dum Dum Government Railway Police(GRP),who was the first investigating officer and a key witness in the Rizwanur Rehman death case, was found beside railway tracks near Mankundu station on 11th February. Even before the investigations could start, Home Secretary Ardhendu Sen concluded that it was a case of suicide. The death of a key witness in a case as sensitive as the Rizwan death case under such mysterious circumstances led to demands for a transparent and impartial probe from many sections of the people and media of West Bengal. On 12th February, a team of AISA activists led by Com. Debolina Ghosh, state president, AISA, visited Manna's home at Dasnagar, Howrah. His mother insisted that his son could not have committed suicide and that it was a case of murder. The AISA team submitted a memorandum to the District magistrate demanding a CBI inquiry into Manna's death. On 13th February, AISA, RYA and AIPWA activists led by Com. Malay Tewari, State Committee member, CPI(ML)Liberation, demonstrated in front of Kolkata Police headquarters at Lalbazar. They subsequently courted arrest.
Protests Building up All Over the World – Let’s Join Them !
The people of the US (through their vote for Obama and ‘change’) and Muntadar al-Zaidi alike may have given Bush (and all he stood for) the boot – but the Congress wants to give Bush the Bharat Ratna! Congress spokesperson Abhishek Manu Singhvi, addressing the annual general meeting of the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI), declared, “…Give Bharat Ratna to Bush. I don't know what the rules are but I will officially do something.” The ruling Congress and its UPA Government’s continued servility to Bush and the disastrous neoliberal model is entirely against people’s mood – not just in India but even across the world. It is also an insult to the self-respect of Indians that the Congress should want to confer the country’s highest civilian honour on the most hated man in the world.
All over the world, there is anger at the economic recession imposed by corporate greed and US imperialism – and it is erupting in new ways every day.
•Iceland: Iceland's government was forced to step down on January 26 following months of protests against politicians and central bankers. Crowds on the streets, including thousands of women and even children, banged pots and pans to tell their government to quit.
•Next in line was Latvia, the ruling coalition has collapsed, following weeks of protest with up to 10,000 people rallying in the Latvian capital of Riga and clashing with the police. Latvia and Iceland are both Baltic countries hailed not long ago as economic ‘miracles.’ Their people are angry because the same policies that gave them two-digit growth rates are now causing s severe crisis. The Latvian Government’s attempts to make the people pay for the crisis – through ‘austerity measures’ like mass layoffs, reduced social services and slashed public sector salaries, in the name of qualifying for an IMF emergency loan, as well as corruption in high places, made people revolt.
•In Greece, the angry protests in December were sparked off by a police shooting of a 15-year-old boy. But underlying the anger of the farmers, students, and workers who joined those protests was anger at the Government’s response to the crisis: bailout of billions for banks, with pension cuts for workers and nothing for farmers.
•In France, President Sarkozy's plans to drastically cut the number of teachers resulted in a very successful general strike that got the support of 70 percent of the French people.
•In Ireland, 120,000 protesters brought the Dublin city centre to a standstill on Saturday over government austerity measures.
•Italy’s students have been on the streets with the slogan “We won’t pay for your crisis!”
•Meanwhile, in Bolivia, a referendum moved by President Evo Morales for a new constitution won 60% of the vote. The new constitution expands autonomy of Bolivia’s indigenous majority, strengthens their rights over land, water and natural resources, and introduces some land reforms. These policies are totally against the grain of the neo-liberal policy thrust by the ruling class in countries like India: policies of state-sponsored grab of land and water, if necessary killing indigenous people and agrarian poor who stand in the way; privatisation of resources like water; and reversal of poorly implemented land reforms!
•In Venezuela too, a referendum moved by President Hugo Chavez won 55% of the vote. The referendum was on a proposal of the Venezuelan National Assembly to allow Venezuelans to elect Chavez to a third six-year term after his second term ends in 2012.Its victory can be said to be a vote for the vision of socialism espoused by Chavez and his party, the PSUV.
•Student movements across the world are reviving too – against the ruling class response to the crisis and also against events like the genocide in Gaza. In New York University, police and students are locked in conflict following student protests over the US policy on Gaza. In the UK, since January students have held occupations and sit-ins at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), LSE, Essex, King's College London, Birmingham, Sussex, Warwick, Manchester Metropolitan, Oxford, Leeds, Cambridge, Sheffield Hallam, Bradford, Nottingham, Queen Mary, Manchester, Strathclyde, Newcastle, Kingston, Goldsmiths and Glasgow, demanding disinvestment in the arms trade; scholarships for Palestinian students; a pledge to send books and unused computers to Palestine; and to condemn Israeli attacks on Gaza.
Meanwhile, USA’s new Director of National Intelligence, Dennis Blair, has briefed the Senate Committee on Intelligence that greatest threat to US security and hegemony is not the al-Qaeda but the world capitalist crisis that is triggering social unrest. The collapse of Wall Street, he added, "has increased questioning of US stewardship of the global economy and the international financial structure." In France, too, recent intelligence reports talk about a "new generation of activists" coming up in the wake of the global crisis, and possibly a "re-birth of the violent extreme left".
Even the US Intelligence establishment is recognising the “increased questioning of US stewardship of the global economy and the international financial structure” and the “increased criticism about free market policies” across the globe. But our rulers in India are stubbornly intent on taking India along the path of disaster. The Indian Government’s policy in the wake of the crisis has been identical with that of all those Governments in the world that are getting the boot from their people – ‘austerity’ and wage- and job- cuts for the people, and bailouts for banks and corporations. If our Government is doing all it can to bring the US-manufactured global crisis to Indian soil, let’s do all we can to bring the global wave of resistance to Indian shores! The spectre of “rebirth of the Left;” and of capitalism’s severely eroded credibility fuelling struggles for revolutionary change haunts the ruling classes of the US and Europe and India too – but their nightmare is our dream, that we can transform into reality!
|
