May Day Celebrated in Telangana

                                                                   M Venugopala Rao

MAY Day was celebrated in Telangana by the CPI(M), CPI, CITU, AITUC and several other trade unions where leaders had lashed out at the central and state governments for trying to hoodwink the working class by shedding crocodile tears on the one hand, even while not implementing various laws intended for the benefit of the workers and suppressing their rights and struggles, on the other. The leaders had given a call to the working class not to give credence to the dishonest utterances of the rulers but to fight unitedly for achieving and protecting their rights. They had asked the working class to participate in the all-India strike on September 2 for which Central Trade Unions had given a call and to make it a grand success.

At the programme organised at M B Bhavan in Hyderabad, Polit Bureau member of the CPI(M), B V Raghavulu hoisted the Red flag. Senior leader of the Party Sarampally Malla Reddy presided over the programme. Speaking on the occasion, Raghavulu took the chief ministers of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, K Chandrasekhar Rao and N Chandrababu Naidu, to task, pointing out that they had no moral right to greet the working class on the occasion of May Day by giving advertisements in the media and posing themselves as benefactors of workers, as their governments have not been implementing the laws intended for the benefit of the workers, but have been suppressing their rights and struggles. Union minister B Dattatreya, while supporting anti-labour policies of the NDA government, is shedding crocodile tears for the workers, Raghavulu said and asked the minister to resign if he has honesty in supporting the working class.The ruling classes and even the capitalists are greeting the workers on May Day to pollute it, he said.  He questioned the CM of Telangana as to why his government has not been implementing the recommendations of the state advisory council on minimum wages for the last 23 months. In the background of controversy on ‘skull symbol,’ though about seven lakh beedi workers had lost their livelihood, it is deplorable that KCR had not made even an appeal on the issue to the Modi government at the centre, Raghavulu said. In AP as well, hundreds of workers have been retrenched from Brandix in Visakhapatnam and from several companies producing chilly powder in Anantapur. Prime Minster Narendra Modi, who has been stressing on growth rate, should decide the share of toiling masses and workers in the development itself, Raghavulu said.

Tammineni Veerabhadram, secretary of Telangana state committee of the CPI(M), pointed out that after the formation of the TRS government in the Telangana state, it had resorted to severe repression on the workers in the initial days and has been continuing such measures till date. Along with the CM, his cabinet colleagues are also reviling the workers and their struggles in harsh language, he said. Veerabhadram criticised the CM for suppressing the struggles of ASHA workers, anganwadi workers, and other workers of village panchayats, municipalities, 108 and 104 ambulances, etc and made it clear that he had no moral right to greet the workers.

Flagged off by eminent educationist Chukka Ramaiah, a rally under the banner of CITU was taken out from its office at Golconda cross roads to Sundarayya Vignana Kendram where a meeting was addressed by several leaders.  Justice Chandra Kumar, retired judge of the High Court of Hyderabad, stressed on the need for implementing various labour laws honestly and providing quality education to the children of workers. While the workers and other toiling masses are creating wealth, their rights are being suppressed, he said. T Veerabhadram, secretary of CITU R Sudha Bhaskar and other leaders participated in the programme.

JAMMU & KASHMIR

CITU holds impressive rally on May Day, greets working class

Calls upon workers to defeat anti-worker policies

THE Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) held a massive rally at Chinar Park, Sonwar, Srinagar on the eve of May Day. It extended revolutionary greetings and solidarity to the working class and toiling masses. Large numbers of workers from different sectors carrying banners, placards and shouting slogans in favour of their demands marched from the venue towards Lal Chowk.

May Day was born out of struggle and is the only event that transcends all divisions of religion, race, nationality or any other prejudice of the past amongst the human beings, said CITU state president Mohammad Yousuf Tarigami while addressing the rally. The onslaught on labour class is too severe and can only be met with united struggle, he said adding that labour laws across the state were being brazenly flouted and the destitute  engaged in government and private sector as ad-hoc, casual, seasonal, need based, contingency paid workers and contract workers are facing its brunt. “Isolated efforts can’t be effective, be united and bold enough to safeguard the democratic rights of the workers and defeat the anti-worker policies of successive governments” Tarigami stressed upon the workers.

ASHA’s under NRHM, anganwadi workers and helpers, CPWs, Mid-day meal workers, MGNREGA employees, contract workers, construction workers, need based, seasonal, casual labouers, daily wagers are neglected and their long pending demands are not met. The traditional artisans and weavers who reap little benefits of their hard toil and who were badly hit in the last floods are still awaiting rehabilitation. He demanded immediate revocation of SRO 105 that deprives livelihood to hundreds of labourers associated with quarrying and construction business.  Drastic cuts on allocations by the central government in the welfare schemes like ICDS, Mid-day meal, NHM with the motive of finally doing away with such pro-people schemes and programmes altogether has desperately disillusioned the human resource working tirelessly and being meagerly paid under these schemes.

Tarigami observed that labour laws in the state are not in tune with the interests of workers in organised and unorganised sector and there was imminent need to amend and update these. The (Regulation of Employment and Conditions of Services) Act, 1996 to protect the rights of labourers working in construction projects has failed to benefit them. The Building and Other Construction Workers Act 1996 too has been a failure, the CITU president observed.

High levels of unemployment being a cause of serious concern have not been addressed seriously by the successive governments thereby putting our youth in a state of despair and worry. Widespread under-employment is also gaining momentum as highly qualified and skillful youth are doing low end and unskilled jobs. The government seems to be in no mood to take measures to maximise employment opportunities; Tarigami demanded the government to formulate a comprehensive employment policy in the state to guarantee employment avenues under public and private sectors and harness the talented human resource.

Paying rich tributes to Zaldagar martyrs of 1865, Tarigami said that they laid the edifice of a struggle against the exploitation and atrocities on the artisans, a prominent section of working class. He said that the shawlbaff protest launched at Zaldagar against the ruling class has given vent to numerous movements of working class which are awaiting successful culminations.

General Secretary CITU and Member of Parliament, Tapen Sen in his address castigated the central government and said that the social security benefits like pension, provident fund, health insurance etc are hard won rights of the working class secured through decades of struggle. These gains are now being reversed through privatiszation of pension funds, provident funds and cuts in subsidies and welfare benefits and such measures being implemented across the world today specifically target the social security benefits in order to pass on the burden of the economic crisis to the working people. He observed that the subsidies on food, fuel and fertilizers meant for the common man is targeted to be brought down to the mere 1.75 percent of GDP, while as 5 percent of GDP is being provided for tax defaulters and moneyed class.

Extending warmest revolutionary greetings to the entire working class and the toiling masses on the occasion, CITU secretary and vice president of the All India Federation of Anganwadi Workers and Helpers, K Hemalata emphasised on the need to strengthen the unity among the trade unions. She drew attention to the global struggles of the working class against the growing attacks on their working and living conditions imposed by the neo-liberal policies of the ruling class. Warning against the dangers of the divisive forces that are trying to divide the working class on caste, religion, regional lines, she stressed the importance of the trade unions addressing the specific issues of the socially oppressed sections of the society to unify the working class.

Veteran Kisan leader Ghulam Nabi Malik in his speech said that May Day is not an occasion to only commemorate the sacrifices of labour class and resolve for protecting the rights of working class but those of the peasant class as well, whose rights have brazenly been infringed.

Underlining the necessity for immediate addressing of the demands of workers’ rights of various trade unions including Anganwadi Workers and Helpers Union, ASHA Workers Union, Centaur Hotel Employees Union, Chopan Welfare Association, CPW & Mid-day Meal Workers Union,  Footpath Vendors Union Srinagar, J&K Non-Gazatted Horticulture Employees Union, Kashmir Casual/Daily Wagers Forum, Kashmir Constructional Workers Union, Kashmir Handicraft Workers & Artisans Union, MGNREGA Employees Union, Aircel Land Owners and Care Takers Union, North Zone Insurance Employees Union, Stone Quarry Workers & Tipper Owners/Drivers Union, senior CITU leaders, Abdul Rashid Najar, Abdul Gani Bhat, Mohd Ismail, Reyaz Ahmad Nisar Ahmad Bhat , Jammela Sabri , Dilshada Akhter and Misra Ji urged upon the government to exhibit seriousness towards the demands of working class especially removal of pay anomalies, regularisation of the employees engaged under various categories.

May Day Observed in Punjab with Fervour

AT the call of the CITU, rallies were organised on May Day  in Chandigarh and in all districts of Punjab at more than fifty places. Impressive and militant rallies and demonstrations were organised in Chandigarh and in district Ludhiana, Ropar, Nawanshehar, Hoshirpur, Amritsar, Patiala Sangrur, Mukatsar Sahib, Barnala, Pathankot and Jalandhar etc. In these rallies, the workers pledged to further intensify and widen the struggle against anti-people and anti-worker policies of both the centre and the state government and to defeat   communal forces of all shades. Paying revolutionary tributes to the martyrs of May Day, the workers also pledged to make the August 9 satyagrahas and September 2 strike a grand success in Punjab and Chandigarh to give a befitting reply to the anti-people and anti- worker policies of the Modi and Badal government. The workers message of September 2 strike will be taken to the peasants, shopkeepers and all justice loving people. The campaign to make the September 2 strike unprecedented was launched today with resounding slogans.

Apart from Raghunath Singh, CITU state general secretary and Vijay Misra, president, Usha Rani, all India president of AIFAWH,  the rallies were addressed by all the state office bearers of Punjab CITU and members of the working committee and local CITU leaders.