THE 13th conference of CITU’s Tamilnadu state unit was held in the pearl city of Tuticorin on September 9-12. The conference called upon the working class of Tamilnadu to consolidate the unity among various sections and forge a militant fight against the central and state governments that pursue neo-liberal economic policies against the interests of the workers.

The reception committee was constituted in April with K Kanagaraj as its president and R Russel as secretary and V Balasubramaniam as treasurer. The committee conducted conventions on the issues of fisheries industry and environmental situations prevailing in Tuticorin. The conference was organised at AVM Kalyanamandapam, named after veteran leader P M Kumar. Red flag was brought from Trichy and flag post from Kanyakumari in the memory of J Hemachandran. The Red flag was hoisted by nonagenarian leader K Vaidhyanathan amidst sloganeering by delegates. Floral tributes were paid by the leaders and participants of the conference to the martyrs who laid their lives for the working class.

The open session was presided over by CITU state president A Soundarrajan. The reception committee president welcomed the gathering. CITU all-India general secretary Tapan Sen inaugurated the conference. Leaders from INTUC, AITUC, LPF, AICCTU, AIUTUC and HMS greeted the conference which was attended by 696 delegates and eight observers elected from districts and federations and 12 special invitees. Steering committee, credential committee and minutes committee were formed for smooth conduct of the conference. V Kumar moved the condolence resolution.

Sen, in his inaugural address, stressed the importance of the expansion of the unions and increasing their membership. The unity achieved among the vast majority of the workers in the recent strike should be consolidated. He greeted the working class of Tamilnadu for their historic participation in the September 2 strike and showing their anger against the anti-labour policies of the central and state governments. Workers should be vigilant against the attempts of the Modi government that patronise the communal forces to divide the workers and weaken the struggle.

Parliamentarian T K Rangarajan, in his address, called upon the delegates to explore new avenues and strategies to approach the workers, to understand their problems, to intervene and address their issues. He laid emphasis on the need to address the social issues that prevail in the working class areas. P Shanmugam of AIKS and J Lazer of AIAWA greeted the conference and laid stress on the unity of the workers and agricultural workers.

G Sukumaran placed the report on work and organisation. Malathi Chittibabu placed the treasurer’s report. 106 delegates, including 27 women, deliberated on the reports. The reports were unanimously adopted. The resolution committee headed by R Karumalaiyan moved 30 resolutions on central and state issues like minimum wages, price rise and unemployment. S S Subramaniam placed the credential report. The conference elected A Soundarrajan as president, G Sukumaran as general secretary and Malathi Chittibabu as treasurer. Sixteen vice-presidents, three assistant general secretaries, sixteen secretaries and 104 state committee members were elected.

CITU all-India President A K Padmanabhan in his concluding address called upon the new leadership to take newer steps to build the organisation to combat the newer situations that emerge out of the retrograde policies of the central government, particularly the strategic sale of CPSU and the invasion of FDI in defence and pharmaceutical sectors.

The harbour city witnessed a huge, colourful and vibrant rally by thousands of workers from all over Tamilnadu. Around 300 red volunteers marched ahead of the rally in an impressive manner. The rally commenced at Kamaraj College, moved through the main streets of the city and concluded at the VOC Grounds, named after the veteran leaders of the working class of India R Umanath and Samar Mukherjee. It was followed by a large public meeting. The meeting was presided over by R Russel and V Balasubramaniam welcomed the gathering.

Padmanabhan introduced the newly elected office-bearers and called upon the working class of Tamilnadu to forge a militant fight against the central and state governments that pursue the neo-liberal policies. He said the need of the hour is to mobilise all sections of the working class and to conduct struggles against the casteist, communal forces. A Soundarrajan, the newly elected president, gave a clarion call to the workers of Tamilnadu to undertake a campaign in the coming months that would culminate with picketing the State Secretariat in the second week of March, 2017 on a seven-point charter of demands.

General Secretary G Sukumaran, Treasurer Malathi Chittibabu, Assistant General Secretary R Karumalaiyan and working women coordination committee convenor Mahalakshmi addressed the meeting and vote of thanks was given by state committee member R Krishnaveni. In the conference, Rs 1,49,000 was collected  to help the family of Thiruvudiyan, a powerloom worker who died in an accident at the age of 41.