December 14, 2014
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Central TUs Observe National Protest Day:

A K Padmanabhan

COMING days will be days of massive struggles – this was the message that emanated from different parts of the country on December 5 from the huge gatherings of workers and employees.  The national protest day was observed on December 5 by the joint platform of all central trade unions and national federations. Various state level trade union organisations also joined these programmes in different states.

 

All the state capitals and the national capital saw huge mobilisation of men and women, from different sectors, public and private, organised and unorganised.  In addition to state capitals, in many states, there were district level mobilisations also.

Delhi

 

                In the national capital, workers and employees from the region mobilised in thousands to register their protest against the anti-people, anti-worker policies of the government.  The mass dharna at Jantar Mantar was addressed by national leaders of the central trade unions.  A presidium consisting of state leaders of eleven central trade unions conducted the proceedings.  It was addressed by Vrijesh Upadhyaya (general secretary, BMS), Ashok Singh (vice president, INTUC), Gurudas Das Gupta (general secretary, AITUC), H S Sidhu (general secretary, HMS), Tapan Sen (general secretary, CITU), Satyavan (vice president AIUTUC), Devarajan (vice president, TUCC), Monali (secretary, SEWA), Rajiv Dhimri (secretary, AICCTU) Abani Roy (general secretary, UTUC) and M Shanmugham (general secretary, LPF).

 

                One after the other, the central trade union leaders lambasted the government for its policies. They pointed out that these policy offensives will be resisted by the working people in the country. In the name of `Make in India’ and `easing for investors’ workers are turned into slaves. The amendments to labour laws, they pointed out, were actually taking out more than 80 percent of the factory workers from the purview of all labour legislations.  Already the workers are denied the right to form a union of their choice.  It was pointed out that 147 workers of Maruti Suzuki are languishing in jail for the last two and a half years without even bail being granted. And most shockingly, the reason for denial of the bail is that the MNCs will fly away from the country if they are given bail !

 

                Leaders pointed out that at sectoral levels also, strikes and struggles are continuing.  Banks and BSNL employees organised countrywide strikes.  Various sections of workers, employees and officers are organising protest actions and marches to parliament.

                Speakers warned the government that just because the major ruling party has absolute majority on its own, they should not think that they can do whatever they want to do. These polices, they said, will be resisted by the working class.  In view of the continuous offensives by the central and also many state governments, the central TUs will be meeting in the coming days, to chalk out future programmes, to heighten the resistance programmes.

 

                Reports from different states also show that there was massive participation of workers and employees in the protest programmes.

 

Kerala

 

                Lakhs of workers, belonging to central TUs, state level central organisations and affiliates of national federations participated in the demonstrations in the state capital and at all the other district centers.  Senior leaders of different organisations led the demonstrations. In Thiruvananthapuram, the march to Raj Bhawan, with more than 25,000 participants, was inaugurated by CITU state general secretary Elamaram Kareem.  In Kollam, AITUC general secretary Rajendran, in Alappuzha, INTUC leader Suresh Babu, in Pathanamthitta, HMS leader Thampan Thomas inaugurated the rally.  In the hill district of Idukki, three rallies were organised.  In Vandiperiyar, CITU national vice president Mercikutty Amma inaugurated the rally.

 

West Bengal

 

                An impressive and massive Rally was held at Rani Rashmoni Avenue in Kolkata. All the central trade unions and industrial federations of workers and employees participated.  A presidium consisting of Shyamal Chakraborty, Saral Deb and others guided the proceedings.  Among those who addressed were Shyamal Chakraborty, Dipak Das Gupta (CITU), Ramen Pandey (INTUC), Shakti Pathak (BMS), Ranajit Guha (AITUC) and others from UTUC, TUCC, AIUTUC, HMS, AICCTU and 12th July Committee.

 

                Other than criticising the central government for its anti-labour policies, the rally adopted a resolution in support of taxi workers strike on December 19.

 

Tripura

 

                Powerful and massive demonstrations were held in 23 centres in Tripura.  In Agartala city alone, more than 30,000 workers and employees participated in the rally.  CITU, AITUC, TUCC, UTUC and central and state government, bank, telecom, insurance employees also participated in the rally, in which nearly half of them there women.

 

                Manik De, president and Sankar Dutta, secretary of the CITU and other leaders addressed the Agartala rally.

 

Andhra Pradesh

 

                Vijayawada witnessed one of the largest processions and public meetings organised by the trade unions.  Men and Women, totalling more than 20 thousands, marched through the streets, which culminated in a public meeting.  Workers and employees from different parts of the state representing all the central TUs and local unions participated.  Among those who led the march and addressed the public meeting were K Hemalata, national secretary, CITU, M A Gaffoor state president, CITU, Chandrashekhar (AITUC), Kranti Kumar (INTUC), Shankar Rao (HMS) and Muthiyal Rao (BMS).

 

                In Vishakhapatnam, all the Central TUs organised a rally of PSU employees. Ch Narasinga Rao (CITU) among others, addressed the rally.

 

Telangana

 

                Nearly ten thousand workers and employees participated in a rally in Hyderabad.  Along with the central trade unions, both sections of IFTU, TRSKU (of TRS) and TNTUC (of TDP) also participated.   Various middle class unions and the Co-ordination Committee of PSUs in Hyderabad also participated. The rally was addressed by leaders of various organisations, including CITU state general secretary, Saibabu, Chukka Ramulu (president), Ratnakar Rao (AITUC), Prakash Goud (INTUC).  Leaders of BMS, HMS, AIUTUC, TRSKU, TNTUC, IFTU, AIDEF, PSU Co-ordination Committee and Pensioners association also addressed the rally.

Assam

 

                In Guwahati, more than 5000 workers and employees including those from neighbouring districts participated in the rally.  It was addressed by Deben Bhattacharya (CITU) and also leaders of HMS, AIUTUC, AICCTU, UTUC, INTUC and AITUC. The rallyists marched to local DC office and submitted a memorandum addressed to the prime minister.  Similar rallies were organised in some other districts also.

                                               

Maharashtra

 

                Azad Maidan in Mumbai, witnessed a massive demonstration.  Rallies were held in other industrial centers like Nashik, Raigad, Thane, Sholapur, Ichalkaranji, etc.

 

                In Mumbai, the rally was addressed by Vivek Monterio, state secretary, CITU and leaders of AITUC, INTUC, BMS and others.

 

Rajasthan

 

                Jaipur witnessed the largest rally of workers in the recent period.  More than ten thousand men and women, from different parts of the state assembled. All the central trade unions participated.  Among those who addressed the rally were JS Majumdar, CITU national vice-president, Ravindra Shukla, CITU state president, Raj Bihar Sharma (BMS state general secretary), Mukesh Galav (HMS), DK Chandan (AITUC), Jagdish Srimali (INTUC).

 

 

 

 

 

Tamilnadu

 

                In all district centers including Chennai, demonstrations were held, participated by thousands of workers.  All the central TUs, federations and also Working Peoples Council, a state level center, participated.

 

                Chennai demonstration was addressed among others by G Sukumaran (CITU), TM Murthi (AITUC), S Rathnasabapathi (LPF) and Dorai Raj (BMS).

 

                In Pondicheri also, all TUs jointly held a demonstration.

 

Madhya Pradesh

 

                In Bhopal, nearly ten thousand men and women, from different parts of the state participated in the rally, protesting against the central government as well as the state government for their anti-worker policies.  Senior leaders of INTUC, BMS, AITUC, CITU, HMS, AIUTUC, SEWA and all central government, insurance, bank and BSNL employees addressed the rally.  Pramod Pradhan, state general secretary addressed on behalf of the CITU.

 

Karnataka

 

                Mass demonstrations were held in more than 28 centres in the state including Bangalore.  More than 2000 from BMS, AITUC, CITU, AIUTUC, TUCC, AICCTU and also employees from central government, insurance, bank, BSNL participated in the demonstration. The demonstrations were addressed by state and district leaders of participating organisations.

 

Punjab, Chandigarh

 

                More than 3000 men and women participated in the rally in Chandigarh, which was addressed by leaders of CITU, AITUC, AICCTU and CTU (Punjab) including Raghunath Singh, state general secretary, CITU.

 

Odisha

 

                A massive rally with more than 10,000 was organised in front of the Odisha assembly in Bhubaneshwar. Starting from the railway station, men and women, with flags and banners, marched to the assembly, which was in session. Among those who addressed the rallyists were Lambodar Nayak, president, Bishnu Mohanti, general secretary of CITU, Laxman Munda, CPI(M) MLA, and leader of HMS, AITUC, BMS, INTUC, AIUTUC and AICCTU.

 

                A memorandum was submitted to the prime minister through the governor and to the state labour minister.  CPI(M) MLA from Bonai, Laxman Munda, who is also a leader of the CITU, raised the issue in assembly and staged a walkout protesting against the labour law amendments.

 

Himachal Pradesh

 

                The mass rally in Sabji Mandi ground was addressed by leaders of CITU, AITUC, BMS, HMS, INTUC, Insurance employees and other federations.  Among those who addressed were Kashmir Singh Thakur, Jagat Ram (CITU), Rakesh Sharma (BMS), Baba Hardeep Singh (INTUC), Jagdish Bharadwaj (AITUC), Devi Das (AIIEA) and Sanjay Chauhan, mayor of Shimla.

 

Manipur

 

                2000 strong rally was organised in Imphal, with participants from the CITU, AITUC, TUCC, UTUC and other independent TUs of Manipur. Workers and employees from anganwadi, ASHA, mid-day meal, construction, street vendors, agricultural workers, postal, BSNL and other sections participated in the rally. Among those who addressed the rally in THOU grounds were Kshetrimayum Santa, convenor, state CITU, Dr M Narasingh, AITUC.

 

Andaman Nicobar

 

                A mass dharna was organised in Port Blair in which workers from Port Blair and South Andaman participated.  Among those who addressed the mass meeting after dharna were B Chandrachoodan, general secretary of CITU state committee, D Ayyappan from government employees, Ashoka Babu, Sampath Rao, BSNL Employees Union and D Laxman Rao, CITU.

 

                Mass Dharna was also organised in Diglipur.

 

Marches, Struggles and Strikes

THOSE sections who have decided to go on struggle in the coming days include postal employees, electricity workers and engineers, transport workers, public sector officers, anganwadi workers and BSNL employees and executives.  Central government employees including railway and defence employees are organising a National Convention in Delhi on December 11, to chalk out future programme of actions.

 

All these workers, in thousands, will converge in the capital in the coming days to raise their voice, to call the attention of the government and demand that the government should look into their just demands. Many of these employees, under the banner of sectoral joint action committees, have decided on further struggles, including country wide strikes.

Bank employees and officers under the banner of UFBU, after their one day strike on November 12, had organised zonal level strikes from December 2-5.  BSNL employees had gone on strike on November 27 and along with executives will go on an indefinite strike from March 17, 2015. They will be organising a March to Parliament on February 25, 2015. The JAC of Postal employees have decided to go on an indefinite strike from May 6 after a countrywide campaign programme.  They organised a massive March to Parliament on December 4.

 

Electricity workers and engineers under the banner of NCCOEEE, organised a massive dharna on December 8 and submitted a memorandum on amending the Electricity Act 2003 and other demands to ensure quantity power supply at affordable rates. Officers in central public sector enterprises, banks and telecom under various federations and co-ordinating bodies – AIBOC, NCOA, AIPEF, SNEA, MTNLEA – organised a dharna on December 9 on demands like save public sector, no to privatisation, reviving sick PSUs etc.

 

Various federations from all over the country, affiliated to the central trade unions and also which are independent, in the road transport sector, are organising a `Delhi Chalo’ programme on December 18 protesting against obnoxious clauses in the new Transport Bill. 

 

Insurance employees under the leadership of AIIEA, are conducting extensive campaigns all over the country against Insurance Amendment Bill.  They will go on a protest strike, if the bill is adopted in the parliament.   LIC Agents, under LIC Agent Organisation of India (CITU) are organisng a massive march in Mumbai on December 10 with countrywide participation, against FDI in insurance and also on other demands.

 

            Railway employees, led by the recognised federations have declared that they will  go for direct actions, including indefinite strikes against opening up of railways for FDI.

 

            Defence civilian employees have also chalked out countrywide campaigns and struggles against FDI in defence and on various other demands.