On this May Day being observed in the centenary year of the Great October Revolution, CITU
Extends its revolutionary greetings to the working class and toiling people across the world and in our own country, India
Expresses solidarity with the working class and people of all the continents in their fight against the exploitative international finance driven neoliberal capitalist order
Greets the people in the socialist countries and extends solidarity with their struggles in defence of socialism
Reaffirms its full confidence that imperialist conspiracies to undermine socialism and restore capitalism in these countries would be decisively defeated; that the defensive struggles of today will get heightened into struggles aiming at the emancipation of the working class and the toiling people from the exploitative capitalist system
Reasserts its commitment to socialism and its resolve to continue its struggle for a society free from exploitation by one human being by another
Reiterates its support and solidarity with the heroic struggle of the Palestinians on their just demands; condemns the continuing killing, torture and arrests of Palestinians by Israel; demands recognition of independent sovereign state of Palestine with 1967 borders and Jerusalem as its capital
Strongly denounces US imperialism led wars in different parts of the globe including in Afghanistan, Syria, Yemen, Libya, Iraq etc killing and maiming hundreds of thousands of unarmed people, most of them women and children, to establish US hegemony over the strategic natural resources and areas in the world; millions have been rendered homeless and destitute and forced to seek refuge elsewhere
Reaffirms its determination to fight imperialism and its aggressive interventions with all its might; reiterates its conviction that the fight against imperialism is an integral part of the class struggle against exploitation
Recalls the contributions of the World Federation of Trade Unions in leading the international working class struggles against imperialism; commits itself to effectively carry out the direction of the 17th Congress of WFTU and supports all its efforts to defend the rights of the working class and attain its emancipation from all exploitation.
On this May Day, CITU
Notes that the global economic crisis continues unabated; growth has not picked up; whatever growth is there, its gain is wholly expropriated by the capitalists; unemployment, particularly youth unemployment continues to be at alarming levels; inequalities are growing to dangerous levels ; eight richest men in the world own the same wealth as half of the world’s population; the persistent attempts of the ruling classes to tide over the crisis, to protect and increase their profits, by attacking the working and living conditions of the toiling people and their the hard won rights, by promoting loot of national assets by the national and multinational corporations, have ultimately proved to be futile and counterproductive
Observes that the impact of the global crisis on the conditions of the common people and the poor is expressed in the political developments in different countries as Brexit, and the uncertainty of some other countries like Italy and Greece continuing in the European Union, the rise of right wing forces in countries like France, Austria, the Netherlands etc; attacks on emigrants’ and migrant workers’ livelihood and rights by various regimes in the West, the USA in particular with a racist overtone have increased
Emphasises that this systemic crisis exposes the total failure and inability of the capitalist system in the full and proper use of the precious human resources to improve the well being of humanity; the unfettered exploitation of natural resources without any concern about its impact on environment and livelihood of millions of people, large numbers of them indigenous and tribals, by the capitalist class indicates the incapability of the system for sustainable development
Points out that the benefits of the huge advances made in science and technology have remained inaccessible for the vast sections of people, particularly the poor because of the greed for profits which is the driving force of the capitalist system; millions of people across the world suffer from poverty, illiteracy, ill health, lack of housing and other basic necessities of life even in this 21st century; new technologies like robotics, artificial intelligence etc are utilised to replace millions of workers, not to lighten their burden, despite the huge increase in productivity, thus worsening the already alarming unemployment situation
Demands that the working hours be brought down to 35 hours per week, with four shifts a day to promote employment generation and as an immediate means to address the serious unemployment across the world, particularly among the youth
Observes that the increasing discontent and anger of the people against the impact of the pro-corporate and pro-rich neoliberal policies, against the widening income disparities have led to their growing participation in struggles to defend their working conditions and livelihoods; increasing sections of people – workers, peasants, youth, unemployed, women - are getting gradually disillusioned with the capitalist model of development even in the advanced capitalist countries; according to a recent survey by Harvard University 51percent of young people between the ages of 18 and 29 in the US do not support capitalism; 33 percent supported socialism; as per another survey in the UK, 39 percent viewed capitalism unfavourably and only 33 percent viewed it favourably while 36 percent viewed socialism favourably and 32 percent viewed it negatively
Notes with utmost concern that right wing, retrograde, reactionary and racist forces are gaining ground in several countries including our own country India in the absence of a strong progressive and Left alternative; disgruntled youth are being lured into terrorist activities; attempts are being made by these right wing forces to divert peoples’ anger into fratricidal fights against one another, to prevent it being channelised into united struggles against the discredited neoliberal regime and the capitalist system itself
Pledges to direct all its resources and energies to spread awareness among the working class about the real face of the exploitative capitalist system and the forces that seek to sustain it; reiterates its commitment to rouse the working class to the urgent need to uproot the capitalist system and to prepare it for the ultimate struggle to end all exploitation
On this May Day, CITU
Expresses deep concern and alarm at the rising authoritarian tendencies in our country, growing intolerance in society, the increasing attacks on all rational, scientific thought and dissenting voices by the communal forces and branding all opposition as ‘anti national’
Extends support to the surging struggles within the country against the attacks on democratic rights; condemns the attacks on students and universities expressing differing opinions or encouraging debate; supports the students, youth, dalits and other sections of the people asserting their fundamental rights of freedom of expression
Salutes the working class and other toiling people of West Bengal for continuing to heroically resist the inhuman attacks of the TMC government and its goons on the democratic rights and livelihood of the people
Warns the people of our country, about the dangerous combination of neoliberal and venomous communal agendas being pursued and promoted by the BJP led Modi government at the centre aimed at creating slave like conditions for the workers to benefit the domestic and foreign corporates and big business on the one hand and weaken the struggles against the neoliberal policies by dividing people on the basis of religion, region, caste, etc and disrupt their unity, on the other
The Modi led government is extending bonanzas to the national and multinational corporations and big business houses through tax concessions and exemptions from labour laws and other laws of the land; it is rewarding the tax and bank loan defaulters; it is handing control over the nation’s wealth – our public sector, our lands, our mines, our seas, our hills and our forests, and most of all, our people to the profit greedy corporates, both domestic and foreign, for unbridled exploitation.
The vast majority of workers and the peasants, the creators of wealth are being pushed into slavery and penury; they are denuded of their lands, their jobs, their rights and their livelihoods. Mockery is being made of all labour laws, hard won rights of the working class, by converting them into codes; claims of providing social security are being made while in reality existing statutory benefits like PF and ESI are being sought to be erased; expenditure on social welfare benefits like ICDS, MGNREGA, NHM, Midday meal programme etc are being drastically cut with the ultimate motive of dismantling them all; public sector is being dismantled; privatisation and rampant contractorisation deny the dalits and adivasis their statutory right to reservation; agrarian crisis and peasant suicides continue unabated; despite all the hype of ‘Make in India’, ‘Start Up India’ and ‘Stand Up India’, employment generation has, in reality, slowed down and in many areas declining
There is a serious attack on the basic democratic rights of the people. Dissent is sought to be curtailed. Voices that question are being suppressed. The victories in the recent assembly elections have further emboldened the RSS and its various communal outfits which have been going on rampage physically attacking people, particularly the Muslim minorities on the pretext of ‘cow protection’, ‘anti Romeo squads’ etc; those who hold views opposed to theirs, those who stand for progressive, rational and scientific thinking are being branded ‘anti national’.
It is the irony of our times that RSS, an organisation which had consciously kept itself aloof from the nation’s independence struggle, today seeks to appropriate to itself the right to certify patriotism and nationalism; it is ironical that BJP, the party heading a government that is selling off the public sector, which was instrumental in our country attaining the present stage of industrial development, practically putting the entire national economy and asset on sale to corporate looters, a government acting thoroughly against our national interests, questions the patriotism of those who oppose such anti-national policies! It is also an irony that the present Modi led government, which is succumbing to imperialist manoeuvres, which is surrendering and compromising our independent foreign policy lays claim to be the sole proprietor of nationalist credentials! And it is the greatest mockery of our times that this BJP led government, which has become a junior partner of US imperialism in its strategy to establish its hegemony in Asia Pacific region, by entering into Logistic Support Agreement with USA, in a shameless compromise of our national interests, claims to be the sole upholder of national pride.
On this May Day, CITU
Asserts that majority and minority communalism and fundamentalism thrive on each other; both divide people, disrupt their unity, divert their attention from their real day-to-day issues, weaken their struggle to improve their lives; ultimately both help the exploiting classes; the communal acts of the Hindutva forces, in turn, increase the danger of minority fundamentalism and terrorism
Reiterates its conviction that the struggle for defending, widening and consolidating working class unity and unity of the people against the communal, jingoist and disruptive forces is integral to the united struggle against neoliberal economic policies and their political proponents
Stresses the need for unity of the workers, poor peasants and agricultural workers to unite to fight the neoliberal order and the capitalist system that subjects all of them to intense exploitation
Is conscious that this conviction places upon its shoulders the task of uniting all sections of toiling people in the struggle against neoliberalism, communalism and fundamentalism and the politics that promote these; the task of advancing the struggle to achieve a comprehensive change in the correlation of class forces in favour of a Left Democratic Alternative
Exhorts the working class of the country to take the lead in uniting all sections of toiling people - the peasants, agricultural workers, unemployed and youth; to take the struggle against the neoliberal agenda of the ruling classes to new heights; and to resist all attempts to disrupt their unity, whether in the name of religion, caste, region or gender
Assures the working class and the people that it will continue to be in the forefront in all the efforts to protect the unity of the workers and the people and in all the efforts to safeguard the interests of the country and the nation
On this May Day 2017, CITU appeals
To the working class of India
To widen and deepen its unity irrespective of the existence or non existence of unions and trade union affiliations; irrespective of religion, region, caste, language, gender etc; to strengthen united struggles against the anti-worker, anti-people and anti-national neoliberal policies of the government
To strengthen bonds of solidarity across sectors and states and stand as one to resist and defeat the attacks on their rights, on their jobs, on their livelihoods and living conditions
To take the struggle against the neoliberal regime to new heights to inflict its decisive defeat by forging unity with all the other sections of toiling people, the peasants, agricultural workers, artisans and other rural workers
To identify the real enemy of the working class and all sections of toiling people – the capitalist system and the politics and forces that promote the system; and to prepare themselves for the struggle to change this exploitative system
To be aware of the attacks on the democratic rights of the people and thwart the authoritarian tendencies
To be vigilant against all attempts to divide and disrupt its unity and the unity of the people, in whatsoever garb or colour it is presented and to promptly intervene to thwart all such attempts
On this May Day 2017, CITU
Raises its banner in support of
International Solidarity of the Working Class
Unity Against all Exploitation and Oppression
Down With Capitalism and Imperialism
Down With Imperialist led Neoliberal Globalisation
Long Live Socialism
Workers of the World Unite
