THE sixth state conference of CITU Jharkhand committee was organised in Ranchi on September 26-27, in the backdrop of historical nationwide strike of coal workers on September 24, 2019 against 100 per cent FDI proposal in the coal sector by the BJP led government at the centre.
THE convention declaring ‘Right to Employment’ was held at a time when the slowdown in manufacturing and various other sectors is snowballing into a deep economic crisis and our country is facing an epidemic of unemployment. Inaugurating the convention, noted economist Jayati Ghosh said that unemployment is on a rise and decent wages are declining drastically. She told that around 5-6 per cent of the GDP is given as tax concession to big corporates in a country where the amount allocated to social expenditure is a bare minimum and that too is underspent.
THE Dalit Shoshan Mukti Manch, in a statement issued on November 11, has expressed deep sorrow at the death of PS Krishnan (retd) IAS. Shri Krishnan was a tireless fighter in the cause of social justice. His commitment to the struggle against caste oppression was unparalleled. His knowledge of the laws, policies, etc concerning the SC ST and OBC sections was encyclopaedic and he never hesitated to share his knowledge.
THE third version of the Code on Social Security 2019, which will subsume eight laws related to social security of both organised as well as unorganised workers, has been circulated for stakeholders’ consultations on September 17. The CITU has raised serious objection to this codification exercise being undertaken on pretext of “universalizing” social security benefit as it unleashes a frontal attack on all social security schemes meant for workers.
IT would be humorous if it was not so tragic, but it is another winter in Delhi and North India as a whole, and has brought with it, yet again, another prolonged spell of terrible air pollution. The usual media commentaries have been appearing, providing partial explanations for the pollution, its many causes and the possible impacts of the measures being taken to tackle it.
ALL India Federation of Anganwadi Workers and Helpers (AIFAWH), the biggest trade union federation of anganwadi employees is holding its ninth conference from November 17-20, 2019 at Rajamahendravaram (Rajahmundry), Andhra Pradesh. Around 700 delegates from 25 states and union territories representing around five lakh members will attend the conference.
THE Supreme Court verdict has provided a final resolution to the Ayodhya dispute. This judicial route was the only way to settle the matter in a secular republic governed by the rule of law as there was no possibility of a negotiated settlement. That is why the verdict has been generally accepted even though there may be serious reservations, or, even objections to it.
THE news of the hacking of WhatsApp accounts of various activists, journalists and politicians in India through the use of the Pegasus spyware owned by an Israeli company NSO is disturbing and condemnable. The government of India has to explain how this hacking and breach of privacy had occurred and who was responsible. While the government has not come out with any explanations, more facts that point at government complicity in the hacking and surveillance have now become public.
THE Centre of Indian Trade Unions, in a statement issued on November 6, has expressed deep concern at the mass retrenchments of employees in the IT sector. IT majors like Cognizant, Infosys, and Capgemini have reportedly announced retrenchment of thousands of workers. While Capgemini has already laid off around 5000 workers, Cognizant is reported to be laying off 7000 of its workers.
OCTOBER 31st, marked the United Nation’s World Cities Day and the theme for this year is “Changing the world: innovations and better life for the future generations”.