THE working committee of CITU which met in Shimla from July 14-16 has called upon the working class of the country to intensify struggles against the anti-people anti- national policies of the BJP led government. It also extended full support and solidarity to the struggles of the farmers in various parts of the country and called upon its committees at all levels to actively support their struggles in all possible forms.

Hemalata, president, CITU hoisted the CITU flag and presided over the meeting. Rakesh Singha, chairman of the reception committee welcomed the 110 working committee members from 20 states who attended the meeting and others.

In her inaugural address, Hemalata highlighted the attacks of international finance led neo-liberal policies on the working class and the struggles against these attacks across the world. She said learning about these struggles and from their experiences would create confidence among the workers in our own country that they are not alone; that they are part of the international struggle against the attack of capital.

RISING INEQUALITIES

Quoting from several sources she said that inequalities were increasing at a faster pace across the world including in India, under neoliberalism. Inequality is a feature of all class societies. In the capitalist system, organised working class tries to bring down these inequalities through its united struggle though exploitation still continues. Neoliberalism attacks the basic right of the working class to organise, divide the workers by different means, perpetrates existing divisions in society on the basis of various identities including religion, race, caste, gender etc and facilitates appropriation of wealth created by the workers and toiling people, by a few corporates. Despite the huge advances in science and technology and the immense wealth generated by the toiling people, hundreds of crores of people are deprived of the basic necessities of life like food, housing, health and education etc.

Hemalata gave several examples of how the advances in technology and increase in productivity were being used to cut down the share of labour in the value added. Unemployment in the US and Europe has reached pre crisis levels. It has increased to a five year high under the BJP rule. This situation of increasing inequalities, unemployment and job losses and worsening living conditions are creating discontent and anger among the workers which is reflected in the big struggles including strikes that have been taking place in various countries in Europe, the USA, Latin America etc and in India as well.

People, particularly the young in advanced capitalist countries like the USA and the UK are increasingly getting disillusioned with the market economy and the capitalist system and are getting attracted towards socialism. But in the absence of credible Left alternative in several countries, the right wing forces were gaining influence. The betrayal of some of the Left and social democratic parties in Europe, which have abandoned their pro-worker and pro-people stand and embraced neoliberalism, was one of the factors contributing to the growth of rightist forces. At the same time, Left parties gained wherever the Left led consistent struggles against the neo-liberal policies.

World Federation of Trade Unions (WFTU) is the only global trade union which is trying to organise the workers with a class approach and is fighting for an alternative exploitation free system. Efforts should be made by the industrial federations affiliated to CITU and associated with it, working in the Trade Union Internationals (TUIs) of the WFTU, to play a more pro-active role in developing coordinated movements and struggles at the international level.

Hemalata pointed out that the experiences of the working class and the people in our country were also similar with some specific features. She said that BJP government and the RSS have launched a combined onslaught of neo-liberal policies and ‘Hindutva’ on the people. Attacks on minorities, dalits and women have increased. Authoritarian tendencies and branding all those who oppose government policies as ‘anti-national’ are on the rise. At the same time the growing united struggles of workers in different sectors was a positive feature which should be utilised to strengthen joint and independent struggles by the CITU with conscious efforts to ‘link up the day-to-day issues of the workers with the policies of the government and expose the politics behind the policies’. She called upon the working committee members to discuss the general secretary’s report and the tasks proposed with a critical and self critical approach so that concrete measures to unify the class and intensify struggles by strengthening the organisation, could be formulated in the meeting.

Tapan Sen, general secretary of CITU placed the report on the political economic situation in the country and of the working class, the activities of CITU during the last seven months since the fifteenth conference and proposed certain tasks related to joint and independent campaigns and struggles of CITU and increasing its organisational strength. He pointed out that the pace of neo-liberal policies have increased under the BJP regime during the last three years which has been compromising the national interests and the interests of the people. In addition to the working class all sections of toiling people are adversely affected. Communal divisive machinations of the RSS have increased after the UP assembly elections.

Slow down in the economy in the country continues. Every segment of the economy including manufacturing and services is on consistent decline. Demonetisation resulted in immense miseries for the people, particularly the farmers, unorganised workers, small traders and micro small and medium enterprises. There is drastic decline in new employment generation.

DANGEROUS MOVES AGAINST NATIONAL INTERESTS

Privatisation has gained unprecedented momentum. Measures are being taken to privatise steel plants in Durgapur, Salem and Bhadravati, NALCO, Bridge and Roof Company, Bengal Chemicals and Pharmaceuticals, Hindustan Antibiotics, Air India and several other PSUs. Most dangerous exercises against national interests were being made in the defence and railways. 182 out of the 273 products being produced by defence public sector units are being handed over to private sector. Small arms producing ordinance factories are directed to enter into private public partnership. High value products like combat aircrafts, helicopters, submarines etc being produced by PSUs are being offered to private corporate sector in partnership with foreign companies. The entire idea is to destroy the country’s defence production infrastructure and facilitate its takeover by the foreign armament and equipment industry. This is the true face of the BJP’s brand of ‘nationalism’!

Management of railway stations is being privatised; tenders have been floated for 23 major railway stations including Delhi, Howrah, Mumbai, Chennai, Bangalore, Secunderabad etc. Railway Development Authority is being set up to provide access to private train operators in both passenger and goods segments and decide passenger and freight charges. Private players will be allowed access to all existing infrastructure. Tapan Sen emphasised that the fight against privatisation is not the fight of the public sector employees alone. Entire working class and the people in general should be made aware of the anti- national character of the privatisation drive of the BJP government and involved in the struggle to protect the public sector.

There is drastic cut in social sector spending. The attacks on labour laws continue. The government has released the draft of the third of the four proposed Codes, the Code on Social Security. This is nothing but a measure to dismantle the existing social security structures and place all their funds at the disposal of the National Council on Social Security and make them available for speculation. Repression on the trade union movement has increased. There is also an increase in authoritarian tendencies.

The report noted the surging struggles by various segments of toiling people in the face of such overall attack on their living conditions. The farmers in several states including Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, and Rajasthan etc have come out in struggles. Various sections of working class – public sector workers, BSNL employees, bank employees, central government employees, road transport workers, scheme workers, medical representatives, etc are on the struggle path.

He stressed that these struggles, both joint and independent, need to be intensified further and taken to new heights. Every joint campaign and struggle should be preceded and followed by independent campaign with the aim of ‘reaching the unreached’. CITU cadres up to the lowest level of the organisation have to be actively involved in the planning and implementation of all the decisions. CITU committees have to be alert and actively intervene against any attempts to divide the working class by the communal and casteist forces and to protect the unity of the working class. Campaign against the danger of communalism has to be an integral part of the day-to-day activities and struggles of CITU. Active solidarity and support has to be extended to the struggles of the farmers, at all levels and in all forms.

The report reviewed the national workshop on sexual harassment conducted in Chennai and proposed that all state committees, and wherever possible district committees of CITU should hold such workshops to sensitise the CITU cadres, particularly the male cadres of CITU, on the issue.

47 members participated in the discussion and provided rich inputs while endorsing the report. The report along with the 21 tasks that were proposed was unanimously adopted after Tapan Sen summed up the discussions and replied to certain issues that were raised.

The working committee of CITU unanimously passed a resolution on GST calling upon its committees to actively intervene and participate in the protest actions of the people against the pro corporate GST.

Vijender Mehra, secretary of Himachal Pradesh state committee of CITU thanked the CITU for providing an opportunity to host the meeting. Hemalata made concluding remarks and thanked the Himachal Pradesh state committee of CITU for the excellent arrangements.