As part of the run-up to the 18th Conference of the Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU), Flag Day was observed by the entire organisation with revolutionary fervour and organisational resolve on 15^th December 2025

The red flag of CITU was hoisted at the CITU offices in the major organisational centres in all states across the country and also atop the houses of thousands of CITU cadres and members. In Delhi, CITU flag was hoisted by its president Hemalata, at BT Ranadive Bhawan and HKS Surjeet Bhawan. Swadesh Dev Roye, national secretary of CITU hoisted the CITU flag at the P Ramamurty Trade Union Education and Research Centre (PR Bhawan). CITU flags were also hoisted at the Vimal Ranadive Awas in Delhi by M Saibabu, treasurer and R Karumalaiyan, national secretary of CITU

The call to hoist CITU flags as run up to its 18^th conference at all offices of CITU and its affiliated unions, at work places and houses of CITU cadres and members on 15^th December, the death anniversary of its founding general secretary as run up to the 18^th conference was given by the CITU secretariat.

The contribution of P Ramamurty, one of the tallest leaders of the trade union movement in the country, to the steer the working class movement in the direction to strengthen class unity and class struggle was remembered by the CITU.

Speaking on the occasion, Tapan Sen, general secretary of CITU said that the 18^th conference of CITU would discuss the challenges before the working class in the face of the systemic crisis engulfing the capitalist world today and work out strategies to unitedly face these challenges. In the background of the BJP led government notifying the labour codes for implementation, the CITU conference will plan effective measures to prepare the working class for higher form of united struggles including the general strike in the month of February 2026 as decided by the joint trade union platform. Carrying forward the unity of the workers and peasants and strengthening united struggles of workers and peasants will also be discussed by the CITU conference. Tapan Sen said that the CITU conference will also discuss in a special session, alternative to neoliberal capitalist system and the role of the working class in achieving an exploitation free society.

Leaders and cadres of several fraternal and mass organisations participated along with the CITU cadres, members and common workers on the flag hoisting programmes across the country

Issued By
Tapan Sen
General Secretary

The Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) denounces the utterly retrograde move of the Central Govt to virtually dismantle the Mahatma Gandhi RURAL Employment Guarantee Act and totally dilute the right of the rural households to employment guarantee for 100 days in a year leaving it to the mercy of the executive/govts through introducing a new Bill called Vikasit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) Bill 2025.

The new Bill proposes to ensure 125 days employment instead of 100 and that is nothing but an utterly deceptive exercise and the purpose of the Bill to totally dilute the demand-based provision under the MNREGA to exclude large section of entitled rural folk from the coverage of the guaranteed employment scheme on ground so called rationalization of job-cards to be decided by the bureaucrats/govts.  Added to this is making digital-attendance mandatory for the job-seeker, which will promote further exclusion of the entitled people seeking job under the scheme. Promoting multi-prong perverse method to ensure exclusion and hence the obligation of the Govt is one of the central motive behind the Bill.

Further sabotaging measure through this Bill is the fund allocation by Centre, it being a central scheme as per the enactment. The hundred percent centrally funded demand-based scheme of employment guarantee under previous MNREGA is now proposed to be a scheme based on 40% cost to be transferred to state govts  in addition to  the funding responsibility of paying unemployment allowance and delay compensation by the states, although decision making power will remain with the centre. Introduction of so called “normative allocation” with statewise expenditure ceiling imposed by the centre and excess expenditure burden on the states—will further lead to exclusion and also curtailment of benefits committed under the previous MNREGA.

In the background of  increasingly centralised control on financial resource management in the country trampling the basic character of federalism and arrogant violation of resource sharing norms between the centre and the states, leading to discriminatory treatment to several state govts, the retrograde provisions under proposed VB-GRAMG Bill will  make the rural job-seekers under the MNREGA  the tragic victim of exclusion and deprivation in already crisis-ridden rural economy.

CITU condemns the inhuman atrocious project of the Modi Govt to sabotaging and dismantling MNREGA scheme and demands scrapping of the Bill forthright. CITU calls upon the working people to unite, oppose and resist.

(Tapan Sen )
General Secretary

THROUGH ITS PRESS RELEASE DATED 21 NOVEMBER 2025
REITERATES DEMAND FOR REPEAL OF ANTI-WORKER LABOUR CODES

The Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) vehemently debunks the utterly deceptive claims made through the PIB Press Release (PRID 2192463) on the Four Labour Codes dated 21st November 2025. The press note of the Government of India attempts to portray these Codes as “pro-worker” and “modernizing,” while in reality they constitute the most sweeping and aggressive abrogation of workers’ hard-won rights and entitlements since Independence, aimed at facilitating corporate exploitation, contractualisation and unrestrained hire-and-fire.

CITU places below its point-wise response to the false claims propagated by the Government.

1. On the claim of “simplifying 29 laws into 4 Codes”!
The so-called simplification has been used as a cover to dilute, abolish and dismantle protective provisions of existing labour laws such as the Industrial Disputes Act, Factories Act, and Mines Act Contract Labour (Regulation and Abolition) Act etc. Rather than strengthening rights, the Codes dismantles job security, dilute the role of labour departments pushing it to negative direction, and push the entire workforce into precarious employment. With more than 90% workforce in unorganized sector, who will provide and guarantee the issuance of appointment letter?

2. On “Universal Social Security for all, including gig and platform workers”!
The Social Security Code does not guarantee universal coverage in any sense. Sections 109–114 merely talked about schemes for gig and platform workers, without mandatory timelines, defined benefits or allocations. The proposed aggregator contribution of 1–2% of turnover is too inadequate to fund pension, PF or health benefits; Aadhaar-based portability etc are all meaningless unless employment relations and employers’ obligation is ensured through statutory provisions and employment records and proper enforcement machinery - which are all absent in the Code. The social security code has not decreased the threshold number of employees in the EPF, ESI & Gratuity provisions from the existing threshold of 20 and 10 respectively and wage ceiling in the EPF & ESI for the coverage. But in the PIB statement it is deceptively claimed that all workers will get PF, ESIC, insurance and other social security benefits.

3. On “minimum wage coverage for all and a national floor wage”!
The Wage Code does not provide a scientific living wage as per 15th ILC norms and Supreme Court Judgment. An abysmally low national floor level wage, which too varied in different regions, will lead to forcing many states to reduce existing minimum wages. Moreover calling it “National Floor Level” is a substandard deceptive tactics since it differs from region to region as stated in the Wage Code. With weakened inspection and enforcement systems, over 45% of workers already earning below minimum wages (PLFS 2023) will continue to remain outside any meaningful protection. Moreover, a huge section of workforce like scheme workers is still outside the purview of this minimum wage.

4. On Preventive Health Care
Instead of extending the ESIC facilities to all the employees and ensuring health care facilities with the contribution of employers to ESIC without any threshold limit of workers and wage ceiling, the code talks of only statutory health check up after 40 years at the employers cost. It is another fraud on the employees and workers. For the coverage of establishments below 10, it is optional and voluntary for employers’ which most don’t do, and violation even in mandatory is rampant as seen presently.

5. On Timely wages !
The code on wages which has removed the existing provision of imposing fines up to 10 times even for the first time delay in payment of wages and illegal deduction, deceptively claims of ensuring timely wages which is a cruelty meted to the workers just to favour employers. Further the provisions of payment of wages which were applicable to MNREGA are now made non applicable through code on wages just to abdicate the Govt liability for timely payment of wages to the most vulnerable rural sections of workers. The central share of wages of millions of scheme workers is pending for months even as of now, but the govt claims of timely payment of wages to all through implementation of codes under which scheme workers are not covered.

6. On “fixed-term employment ensuring equal benefits”!
Fixed-term employment legalizes permanent temporariness in perennial and core jobs. Employers/corporate are endowed with unrestricted power to replace permanent jobs with short-term contracts. Gratuity after one year does not compensate for the loss of continuity of service, seniority, and actual benefits. This provision is aimed at destroying stable employment and weakening unionization.

7. On “equal opportunities and safer conditions for women workers”!
Allowing night shifts without enforceable safeguards and consent leads to coerced consent in a distressed labour market. The Codes do nothing to address the real problems faced by women workers, i.e., contractualisation, unequal pay, harassment, unsafe workplaces and denial of maternity benefits. Prohibitions on gender discrimination remain meaningless without strong enforcement, which the Codes dismantle completely.

8. On “improved protection for MSME, plantation, mine and construction workers”!
Self-certification and exemption mechanisms and above all increase in the threshold level for coverage, undermine rather negate the safety and labour standards in MSMEs leaving the labour totally unprotected. Construction Worker Welfare Funds continue to remain underutilized (besides promoting large-scale evasion of cess payment by employers - over ₹38,000 crores unspent (CAG 2022); and the Codes provide no mechanism for transparency or guaranteed payouts. The dilution of inspections in hazardous sectors like mining and plantations will worsen India’s already alarming workplace fatality rate.

9. On “strengthened, faster industrial dispute resolution”!
The Industrial Relations Code cripples the right to strike by imposing various conditions, for all sectors, banning strikes during and after conciliation and extending restrictions across all establishments. Raising the retrenchment, lay off and closure threshold to 300 workers for prior government permission enables hire-and-fire in more than 90% of the Indian workplaces. More than 12 lakh disputes are now pending for adjudication; average disposal period of disputes-adjudication is ranging from 3 to five years for more than 75% of the disputes. Implementation of Labour Codes will make the situation worst since the Govt, vide its Shrama Shakti Niti already put in public domain, has already confirmed the abdication of its mandatory responsibility of implementing labour laws by “repositioning itself from compliance of laws to role of a facilitator of employment”.

10. On “inspector-cum-facilitator improving transparency”!
Replacing independent inspectors with facilitators, and shifting to algorithm-based inspections, and dismantling complaint-based inspection are direct moves towards deregulation. Centralised Random inspections and compliance on self-certification will fuel violations of wages, safety norms, working hours and social security provisions. Workers lose an essential legal mechanism to fight exploitation.

11. On “labour flexibility creating more jobs and investment”!
The claim is absolutely fraudulent. There is no evidence, national or international, that diluting labour rights creates employment. Rajasthan’s labour law changes (2014–15), often cited by the Government, failed to increase jobs and instead accelerated contractualisation. India continues to face record unemployment and increasing informalisation, rather precarisation of employment relations even in formal sectors and consistent stagnation/decline in employment generating investment which cannot be denied by even official reports including from RBI. These Codes will worsen the crisis manifold by replacing secure jobs with disposable contract labour, apprentices/trainees and interns.

12. On “extensive stakeholder consultation”!
Indian Labour Conference (ILC), the highest tripartite official forum in the country has not been convened since last ten years despite consistent persuasion by the trade unions. All Central Trade Unions, including CITU, AITUC, INTUC, HMS, SEWA, AIUTUC, AICCTU, UTUC, TUCC and others, unanimously opposed the Codes in every consultation with concrete irrefutable arguments supported by documentary evidences. The Government ignored every major objection raised by trade unions. The Codes were pushed through Parliament without the opposition present, making a mockery of democratic procedure.

The four Labour Codes are an instrument of corporate-driven labour market deregulation, aimed at: destroying job security, suppressing the right to strike, dismantling labour inspection, expanding contractualisation and fixed-term employment, weakening unions and collective bargaining and limiting social security to token schemes - all aimed at a mad drive of minimization of labour cost and also dismantling of labour rights.

CITU demands the repeal of all four Labour Codes.
CITU calls upon the Working Class of India to join the united call of joint platform of central trade unions to combatively defy and resist such atrocious anti-people measures through militant united struggle both at sectoral and national level – asserting collectively the rights being attempted to be snatched away.

CITU salutes the workers for the immediate spontaneous protests, and urges its unions, workers across sectors, industries and regions to intensify united struggles, join broader joint trade union actions, and build powerful resistance to defend labour rights, social security and democratic freedoms - rise with full strength on 26 November 2025.

The working class of India has fought and defeated anti-worker policies before; it will do so again.

Issued by,
Tapan Sen
General Secretary

Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) expresses shock at the tragic Railway accident near Bilaspur on 4^th November 2025, where a MEMU local train collided with the rear of a stationary goods train.

CITU condoles the death of nine people including the loco pilot Sri Vidyasagar in the accident. It shares the grief of their families and friends.

Tragic rail accidents are recurring amid big claims of improved safety in Railways by the Minister. CITU strongly condemns the attitude of the Railways, of prematurely accusing the diseased loco pilot for jumping the danger signal even before the commencement of the statutory enquiry by the Railway Safety Commissioner, thereby prejudicing the enquiry.

CITU and several unions of Railway employees like the AILRSA have been highlighting the negligent attitude of the Railways in ensuring safety of the passengers as well as the Railway employees, under the neoliberal regime. There is severe shortage of loco pilots in South East Central Railways. It is reported that as on 1^st January 2025, there were 2556 vacant posts amounting to around 39% of the posts in Bilaspur division itself while in the entire zone 4330 posts, i.e. 37% posts are vacant. In the last 10 months around 500 loco pilots retired or left their jobs. This creates unbearable workload and pressure on the existing staff, who are denied rest and weekly leaves

CITU demands that the Railways address the real problems in the Railways that have been resulting in frequent accidents and deaths of hundreds of passengers and Railway employees particularly loco pilots and track maintainers. The Railways should immediately take measures to upgrade the safety standards matching the increasing numbers of trains, their frequency, speed, load and length. Single person working of MEMU/ EMU/ DEMU etc must be withdrawn and train protection warning system has to be installed all over the Railways network.

Issued by
Tapan Sen
General Secretary

Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) opines that the terms of reference 8th Central Pay Commission raise serious doubt about the very intention of the Govt aimed at furthering austerity measures detrimental to the legitimate interests/entitlements of employees and economy at large.

The Modi led Govt took almost a year to appoint the chairman and a part time member to the commission and to approve terms of reference that too with an eye on Bihar Elections while the initial announcement of CPC was made just before Delhi elections.

The much-delayed decision on the chairman and the terms of reference shall make the employees to wait for almost two years to get the benefit, if any, of the recommendations, of the commission.

The terms of reference and the inclusion of the phrases of 'unfunded noncontributory old pension','fiscal prudence and economic feasibility' etc, having its own different mis-interpretable connotations and mal-intentions under the present policy regime by this Union Govt and several State Govts, may have negative impact on the upward revision of the pay, perks, pension and others benefits the employees are entitled to.

The terms of reference in the background of the Validation Act enacted by the Union Govt as part of Finance Bill 2025 will be disastrously destructive on the pension benefits and others benefits of the Pensioners. It must be repealed forthwith as integral part of the Central Pay Commission exercise.

The Union Govt which has doled out lakhs of crores of rupees to corporate, domestic and foreign through Production Linked Incentive (PLI), Capex Incentive, Employment Linked Incentive (ELI),  Electronics Components Manufacturing Incentive and other concessions of tax cuts, and waiver of bank-loans to the corporate, is trying to curtail the entitlements and benefits of the employees.

The terms of reference may be effectively used to bring in total pension regime change to suit the interests of neo liberalism, eyeing on huge quantum of pension fund, affecting both old and future pensioners.  Having failed to persuade the employees under NPS to shift to UPS, the Union Govt has desperately come up with the obnoxious offensive terms of reference to scuttle whatever OPS is existing. The terms of reference are weaponized against the employee’s movement urging for nothing less than OPS rejecting both NPS and UPS.

CITU urges the Union Govt to amend the terms of reference to unconditionally ensure all-round upward revision of wages and other benefits and entitlements of the employees and all pensioners(to be brought under OPS) for which the Central Pay Commission is meant for, in the interests of the employees and also the national economy. 

The CITU stands with the central and state Govt employees struggles against the neo liberal austerity measures.

Tapan Sen
General Secretary

The Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) flays the Union Govt for not holding consultative meeting with the representatives of workers group in preparing the Govt of India response and submissions to the Second World Summit for Social Development organised by UNO at Davos of Qatar on 4-6 November 2025 and not including workers group representatives in the Indian Delegation to the Summit.

The Resolution on the 2nd World Summit for Social Development adopted on 9th June 2025 by the 113th International Labour Conference of ILO held at Geneva has a advisory to all the member states Govt's to involve the representatives of the Employers and Workers in the preparation of response and submissions to the Summit and also to include the representatives of employers and workers group in the Govt delegation to the Summit.

The 10 central trade unions including CITU have jointly written on 12th July 2025 to the Hon'ble Minister for Labour & Employment and urged for an immediate consultative meeting based on the advisory of the Resolution of 113th ILC and requested to include workers group representatives in the Indian delegation to the 2nd World Summit for Social Development.

The Modi led NDA Govt of India is deliberately not discussing with the workers groups on policy issues in spite of pointer by the central trade unions and ILO directions as per the ILC Resolution to which Govt of India is also a party as member state.

The Govt of India not holding consultative meetings with workers group representatives in framing the response and submissions to the 2nd World Summit for Social Development and excluding the workers groups representatives in the Indian Delegation to the Summit is violation of the Convention 144 - Convention on Tripartite Consultation (International Labour Standards) Convention 1976 which is ratified by India.

This practice of not consulting the Trade Unions is part of Modi Govts deliberate policy of not holding Indian Labour Conference and having tripartite consultations on labour issues all through the Modi Govt's rule for last 11 years.

Issued by,
Tapan Sen
General Secretary

Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) denounces the revised consolidated guidelines as per the Govt correspondence dated 4.10.2025 issued by the Secretariat of the Appointments Committee of the Union cabinet to open up the management positions in Public Sector Banks, Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) and non-life insurance companies to private sector candidates. CITU urges the Union Govt to immediately with draw it and to uphold the public character of these national institutions to secure the economic sovereignty of the nation.

The CITU expresses its grave concern about serious threat the said guidelines poses to the security and integrity of the Public financial institutions built upon for decades with the finances of common Indian people. Further allowing private sector executives to be considered for the posts of Managing Director, Executive Director, Whole time Director and chairperson through such a consolidated guidelines of Cabinet committee is only a means of serious transgression into the constitutional powers of Parliament and pave the way for their privatization and/or utilizing those premier public sector institution for the benefit of the private corporate class at the cost of national interests and the people.

These public sector financial institutions are statutory institutions established by the statutes enacted by the Parliament exercising the sovereign will of the people through State Bank of India Act 1955; The Banking Companies (Acquisition & Transfer of Undertakings) Acts 1970 & 1980, and the LIC Act 1956 which have the established practice of recruitment to the top posts from the respective industry as a part of internal succession systems. This transparent accountable process of public recruitment shall be done away through these opening up to private players/sector leading to the cronyism.

The Modi led Union Govt, out of its desperation due to the resistance put up by the employees, workers and people’s combative movement against the privatization of public sector financial institutions, has come up with this dangerous and retrograde move to open up the top posts to private sector. This reflects the anti national pursuit of destructive restructuring of the public sector financial institutions by the BJP led dispensation just to benefit the corporates both domestic and foreign in tune with the neo liberal policies. CITU extends its support and solidarity to the employees opposing and resisting the revised consolidated guidelines to defend the public sector financial sector institutions. CITU calls upon the working class movement to strongly oppose such retrograde design of the Govt at the centre.

Issued by,
(Tapan Sen)
General Secretary.

The Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) expresses its deepest condolence at the passing away of veteran trade union and communist leader of West Bengal, Comrade Dipak Sarkar, who passed away on October 13, 2025, at the age of 85. He died at his home in Midnapore, West Bengal.

Born in 1940, Inspired by the legendary communist leader Sukumar Sengupta, he joined the Communist Party in the 1960s. Although he began his life as a political science professor, his dedication to the cause led him to become a full-time activist in 1985.

Comrade Sarkar joined CITU in 1970 and was instrumental in organizing road transport workers in the Midnapore district. He rose to become a prominent leader, serving as the district president for the undivided Midnapore district and, later, for the West Midnapore district for decades. He also served as a former State Secretariat member and All India Working Committee member of CITU. His immense contributions to building the road transport workers' union will be remembered always.

A frontline leader of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), Comrade Sarkar became a member in 1966. He served as the district secretary for the undivided Midnapore district from 1992 and later for the West Midnapore district until 2015. He was also a State Secretariat member of the CPI(M) in West Bengal.

Comrade Sarkar’s political life was a testament to his unwavering commitment to the principles of the trade union and communist party. He was admired for his steadfast adherence to organizational discipline. During the turbulent times in Bengal, Comrade Sarkar's leadership and resilience were instrumental in resisting brutal violence and terror unleashed by TMC-Maoist axis in the Jangal Mahal Area of West Bengal.  His demise is a significant loss to the CITU and the democratic movement.

CITU pays its most respectful homage to Comrade Dipak Sarkar and extends its heartfelt condolences to his family and comrades.

Comrade Dipak Sarkar Amar Rahe!

Tapan Sen
General Secretary

The Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) strongly opposes the newly released Draft Electricity (Amendment) Bill, 2025. Despite repeated failures to implement various versions of the Amendment Bill since 2014, the Modi Government is again attempting to push through the same discredited exercise in the name of so called reforms. The 2025 version of the Bill, more aggressive than earlier drafts, aims to privatise, commercialise, and centralise India’s power sector. It threatens public utilities, consumer rights, federalism, and the livelihoods of lakhs of electricity workers. If implemented, it will dismantle the integrated and socially driven electricity framework built over decades, handing profitable areas to private corporations while burdening state DISCOMs with losses and social obligations.

The Bill allows multiple distribution licensees in the same area using the same public-funded network, enabling private firms to cherry-pick high-paying consumers while public DISCOMs serve low-revenue rural and domestic consumers. This will cripple public finances, destroy cross-subsidies, and increase tariffs. Smart metering, promoted by the Centre, is the technological tool for this privatisation drive.

The proposed removal of cross-subsidies within five years will cause massive losses to public utilities and push tariffs un-affordably up for poor and rural consumers. Cross-subsidy is a social necessity, not an inefficiency. Its removal will deepen inequality and distress among farmers and workers.

By promoting speculative power markets, the Bill converts electricity—a basic human necessity—into a tradable commodity. Such deregulation will lead to price volatility, unreliable supply, and the weakening of public control over energy security.

The Bill gives the Central Government sweeping powers over state energy policy, including control over state regulatory commissions and renewable targets. It is a direct assault on the federal character of the Constitution and will hit opposition-ruled states already facing fiscal stress due to biased GST and fund allocations.

Privatisation and open access will lead to large-scale job losses, contractualisation, and outsourcing. By allowing private licensees in defence zones, the Bill also jeopardises national security in the name of “ease of doing business.”

CITU reiterates that the Bill is part of a wider neoliberal strategy to hand over the entire electricity supply chain—from generation to distribution—to private monopolies. Experiences from Odisha, Delhi, and other states prove that privatisation only increases tariffs, weakens service, and causes job losses.

CITU demands immediate withdrawal of the Electricity (Amendment) Bill, 2025 and guarantee of electricity as a social right, not a commodity - stop all forms of privatisation and franchising in generation and distribution, protect federal powers and strengthen state utilities.

CITU calls upon all workers, farmers and people in general to unite in resistance. We will launch nationwide campaigns and coordinated actions with other trade unions and people’s movements to demand the complete withdrawal of this anti-people Bill.

Issued by:

Tapan Sen
General Secretary

The Centre of Indian Trade Unions is extremely grieved at the sudden demise of Comrade Mithilesh Singh, President of Jharkhand State Committee of CITU and a former General Council member, today on 11^th July 2025 after prolonged ailment at the age of 70 years.

Right from his early youth Comrade Mithilesh Singh had been active in organizing the working class in coal and other section of unorganized workers particularly in the North Chhotanagpur area from undivided Bihar days. He had been a frontline leader of the coal workers in both BCCL and CCL and led many militant struggles of the coal workers against privatization and also on workers’ legitimate demands. Despite his ill health he always remained active in trade union movement and used to play crucial role in strengthening CITU and unity of the working class in the field of struggle.

At his death, the working class movement, in Jharkahnd in particular, lost a senior experienced and popular leader, creating a void difficult to cover up.

CITU conveys its heartfelt condolences to his bereaved family members and comrades and pays its homage of respect to the great contribution of departed comrade to the cause of the toiling people.

RED SALUTE TO COMRADE MITHILESH SINGH……

Tapan Sen
General Secretary