A joint meeting of the central leadership of All India Kisan Sabha, All India Agricultural Workers’ Union and Centre of Indian Trade Unions was held on 9 June 2020 at B T Ranadive Bhawan, New Delhi. The meeting discussed in detail the current situation of acute distress in the country due to the economic crisis, Covid-19 pandemic, the lock down and the policies and measurers by the BJP government led by Modi.
The meeting took serious note of the aggressive measures to complete the neoliberal process taking advantage of the lockdown – paradigm shift in agricultural economy, finishing off peasant agriculture to benefit the landlord corporate clique through ordinances, endangering food security; near total elimination of public sector; totally liberalised FDI in crucial and strategic sectors of the economy finishing off our self reliance; annulment of all labour laws to impose slavery on the working class and so on. Instead of taking effective measures to contain the pandemic, the BJP government is aggressively trying to centralise entire governance through authoritarian measures and fascistic intent. At the same time RSS led forces are communalising even the Corona pandemic.
The lockdown has created a situation of reverse migration, acute unemployment, deepening absolute poverty and total lack of health facilities, particularly in the country side. It is only the LDF government in Kerala, which has been making internationally acclaimed efforts in containing Covid 19 but also addressing the issues of migrant workers as an alternative to the neoliberal policies.
The discontent of the people against the government is growing, which is reflected in their participation in the independent and joint calls of each sector against the policies of the government. The actions called by CITU on 21 April, 1 May, 14 May and 30 May and by the joint platform of central trade unions on 22 May 2020, the Kisan Samman Diwas on 16 May and protest on 27 May 2020 by the AIKSSCC and the All India protest Day on 4 June 2020 by the AIAWU received magnificent response.
It was decided that AIKS and AIAWU will support the calls of the CTUs, of all India protest day on 3 July 2020 and for non cooperation and defiance.
In this situation, the meeting concluded that there was an urgent need for joint, more direct and visible movements at all levels, especially at the grass root level on burning issues of the people in general, which must be stepped up to combative countrywide united struggles against the anti-people, anti-farmer, anti-worker neoliberal policy regime. There must be more countrywide struggles with series of local struggles preceding and succeeding it.
The meeting decided to launch a nationwide joint campaign on the major immediate demands of the people - health, food, income and employment along with others, highlighting the following demands:
- Free universal healthcare for all
- 10kg Free food grains per person per month to all for 6 months
- Rs.7500 per month for all non tax- paying families for next six months
- 200 days work in MNREGA @Rs600/- as wages per day or unemployment allowance; Enact and implement urban employment guarantee
- Rescinding the Ordinances/executive orders on Essential Commodities, Farm Trade, Electricity Act and Labour Laws'
It is also decided to address the issues of migrant workers on priority basis.
On these demands, CITU, AIKS and AIAWU who have organised many militant independent and joint struggles in the past including the Kisan Long March in Maharashtra, Mazdoor Kisan Sangharsh Rally in front of Parliament on 5 September 2018 to name a few, will conduct joint campaign to culminate in massive militant actions
Ø joint campaign up to village level during June – July 2020
Ø Local/village/sub-divisional level action and mobilisations on 23 July 2020
Ø Massive countrywide militant mobilisation and action on 9 August 2020
We will strive to develop massive joint struggles of the trade unions, peasant organisations and organisations of various class mass and social organisations against these anti-national policies in the coming days.
Issued by
Hannan Mollah B Venkat Tapan Sen
General Secretary General Secretary General Secretary
AIKS AIAWU CITU
