COLLECTIVE bargaining must not be viewed as a mere exercise for achievement of economic benefits in isolation from the perspective of class struggle. Collective bargaining must be understood as a measure of relief to economic exploitation and fillip to the fight for complete emancipation of the working class from capitalist class exploitation through path of class struggle.DAY-TO-DAY STRUGGLE IS PART OF CLASS STRUGGLECollective bargaining and for that matter day-to-day struggles on economic issues is certainly integral part of class struggle.

ON the eve of the 10th state conference of the Jammu and Kashmir CPI(M) committee, a public rally attended by thousands of participants with red flags in their hands,  was held at Jammu which was presided over by Sham Prasad Kesar, senior leader of the Party in the state.  Sitaram Yechury, CPI(M) Polit Bureau member and MP, Mohd Saleem, Central Committee member and MP and MY Tarigami, state secretary of the Party and MLA, were among others who addressed the rally.Sitaram Yechury, while addressing the rally said that the Party has been playing an important role at the national level to thwar

ROAD transport workers, under the banner of various centrally affiliated federations and also those independently functioning have been called upon to observe a countrywide one day strike on April 30. This strike will involve all sections of passenger traffic – autos, bus, both private and public – and also goods transport of different sections. This is the first time such a countrywide strike has been called in the road transport sector.

CONDEMNING the spurt in cases of murder, many of them due to caste issues, in Thirunelveli and Tuticorin districts of Tamil Nadu, CPI(M) cadres observed one day's fast on March 31. Led by Party state secretary G Ramakrishnan, more than 2,000 cadres observed the fast at Jawahar Grounds, Palayamkottai in the city of Thirunelveli.Nearly 100 brutal murders have taken place in both the districts in the past 10 months. Of these, 25 per cent were due to caste related issues.

THERE is a common perception that with the government accepting the recommendation of the Fourteenth Finance Commission to raise the share of the states in the divisible pool to 42 per cent, there has been a substantial increase in the resources available to the states; and that a new “progressive” era has dawned in the Indian economy, since the states, which are the main spenders on welfare and social sector activities, will now have more resources at their command.                This perception is the very opposite of the truth. The Finance Commission’s raising the share of the