THE All India Road Transport Workers’ Federation held its office bearers and general council meetings in kolkata on August 11 and 12, 2024. The meetings were presided over by a presidium comprising president Nepaldev Bhattacharjee, working president K K Divakaran, and senior vice president A Soundarrajan. Tapan Sen, general secretary of CITU, inaugurated the meeting. AIRTWF general secretary R Lakshmaiah presented the report, and national secretary of CITU, Karumalaiyan, addressed the meeting.

The meeting was attended by 170 delegates from 16 states. The discussions focused on the current state of the road transport sector and the conditions of its workers. Over the past decade under the Modi regime, the sector has faced significant challenges. Key issues include the unreasonable and unlawful increases in diesel, petrol, and gas prices, as well as rising insurance premiums and toll charges, which have severely impacted the industry.

The conditions of road transport workers, particularly those in the unorganised sector, are extremely dire. These workers are not covered by any labour laws and lack access to social security benefits, despite the government of India generating Rs 5,00,000 crores annually from this sector. Compounding the issue, the introduction of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita-2023, which includes severe penal provisions with imprisonment terms of up to 5 years, came into effect on July 1, 2024. This legislation is likely to result in drivers spending more time in prison than on the roads.

The government has remained unresponsive to the representations and protest actions organised by the All India Road Transport Workers' Federation (AIRTWF) and the All India Coordination Committee of Road Transport Workers’ Organisations.

At this juncture, the meeting unanimously resolved to intensify and broaden the struggles. A nationwide campaign will be launched to raise awareness and mobilise workers for more vigorous actions at the national level.

The delegates voluntarily contributed a substantial amount to the Wayanad relief fund. The meeting also called on all affiliated unions and federations to promptly collect and contribute to the Wayanad relief effort.

The meeting appealed to all road transport workers' organisations and other stakeholders to unite on a common platform to combat the government's regressive policies, and safeguard the sector and improve the conditions of workers. The meeting directed the respective state committees, federations, and unions to make all necessary preparations for the upcoming struggles.