CONCLUDING ADDRESS

BY THE PRESIDENT

We are at the end of our successful Conference. We have been able to conclude the Conference in time to due to the co-operation of all delegates.

The Reception Committee had made excellent preparations for the Conference, which contributed a great deal in fruitful culmination of the Conference. Despite facing several difficulties, Karnataka CITU State Committee and all active cadres have toiled day and night to make the Conference a grand success. At the outset, we must express our gratitude towards the remarkable work done by the Reception Committee and all affiliated unions in Karnataka.

The well-drafted Report of the General Secretary reviewed the developments during the last three years and highlighted the challenges faced by the trade unions in India and how the united movement is organising effective resistance to the attacks launched by the capitalist class. The discussion on the report underlined the common understanding evolved during the Conference. Though some speakers confined themselves only to reporting of local activities, by and large the comrades participating in the discussion dealt with the issues raised by the General Secretary in his Report.

With growing attacks on working and living conditions of the workers and on trade union rights the united movements of the trade unions must be strengthened manifold to put an end to these attacks. With the Central Government surrendering more and more to the dictates of World Bank and the IMF the CITU has to play an important role in the forthcoming class battles.

UPA SUBSERVIENT TO US IMPERIALISM

The UPA Government is becoming subservient to U.S. imperialism, which was clearly seen in the recent nuclear deal with USA. The nuclear slavery will adversely affect the independent development of our nuclear energy, which has to be opposed by us resolutely.

Our united movement must popularise all over the country the need for strengthening Shanghai Co-operation in which Russia, China and India can play a major role. This will be a powerful weapon to check the U.S. imperialist machinations to impose a unipolar world on our planet. Without a concerted action by the working class and the toiling people in a sustained manner, the UPA Government will not agree to effectively participate in Shanghai Co-operation.

Without preparing the working class ideologically its participation in forthcoming struggles cannot be ensured. Therefore, CITU has to intensify its ideological campaign among the working class so that all the false propaganda unleashed by the capitalist class and its hirelings can be exposed before the mass of workers. Without defeating the illusions sought to be created by the capitalist class to blunt the edge of the class struggles, the trade union movement cannot be advanced in today’s situation. The Conference, has therefore, rightly emphasised the need for such a struggle all over the country to equip the working class ideologically to fight against the policies of globalisation.

The Six Commission papers on which we have concluded our in depth discussion will be instruments to make extensive campaign among the workers to popularise the correct policies of the CITU. We have to strive to build unity of the working class on these issues, which can guide them in the class battles that would be launched by us after the Conference.

I attended all Commission meetings and found that our rank and file comrades participated in the discussion dispassionately and taking their grass root level experience it was possible for the leaders guiding the discussion to work out common understanding on these issues, which are uppermost in the minds of our working class. The Secretariat of the CITU will finalise the commission papers in the light of the discussion in the meetings. We must popularise these papers extensively among the workers so that proper policy orientation is evolved among the working class of our country.

ACTIVITIES AMONG WORKING WOMEN

The 12th Conference correctly emphasised the need for strengthening our activities among working women in the light of conclusions we arrived at the Special Convention of Working Women held at Visakhapatnam. Though we are making good progress in our activities among the working women, we have yet to make advance in bringing them in leading positions at all levels. Many women activists belonging to our fraternal organisation come enthusiastically in our activities. While welcoming them, we must strengthen participation of our own women workers in the activities of the co-ordination committee. We must take note of the fact that the participation of women delegates in the Conference is much less than what we decided in the General Council meeting prior to the Conference.

We have adopted important resolutions in our Conference, which are meant to be acted upon in the forthcoming period. We should not allow them to remain in our files but act on them so that our activities should reflect the resolve we have made in this Conference. The resolution on Pension clearly pointed out how the Government of India is making systematic attempt to curtail our social security benefits and how the united movement should strive its best to defeat the vile designs of the ruling classes to reduce the benefits that the working class had achieved through bitter struggles in the past.

The Jute workers in West Bengal are fighting a grim battle against the non-implementation of the commitments given by the jute barons and against their attempts to deny the legitimate standard of living for the jute workers. Our unions must campaign to express solidarity with jute workers, so that they in the end achieve success in their united struggle.

We must seriously take note of the resolution on the unorganised workers who are the worst victims of the economic policies of the UPA Government. The draft Bill proposed by the Government does not give any worth while benefit to the vast multitude of our working class and CITU should mobilise the organized working class in support of the unorganised working class. We must work hard to prepare for one day strike of the unorganised workers all over India so that their problems are properly focused. All CITU unions and committees should give top priority to this task so that the unorganised workers are given necessary solidarity support.

We have adopted resolution on expression of solidarity with working class of Cuba, Palestine, Iraq, Lebanon and other countries, who are engaged in fighting against U.S. imperialism. We must continue organise solidarity with the fighting working class all over the world.

We have been discussing the question of strengthening our organisation and movement in Hindi speaking heartland. We have been holding periodic meetings of leaders of Hindi speaking region and taken some steps to improve the organisational network. Though some progress has been made, it is far from adequate. Unless the T.U. movement is properly developed there, our All India movement cannot take the required shape. The CITU Centre will have to pay more attention to this area so that this vast region is brought into the mainstream of our nationwide movement. The potential for developing our activities in the region is quite assuring.

The birth centenary of our founder General Secretary Com. P. Ramamurti commences from September this year. We must organise properly an intensive education programme all over the country and take steps to strengthen the CITU organisation. The CITU will chalk out a detailed programme of activities in the next meeting of the General Council and all of us must take steps to ensure full implementation of the programme. Our decision to start a permanent school in memory of Com. Ramamurti must be given a concrete shape during the centenary celebrations.

Com. P.R’s contribution in strengthening the CITU is immense. The centenary celebration should highlight his contribution, which alone can be a suitable homage to his revered memory.

I am happy to note that several speakers have emphasised the full implementation of the Bhubaneshwar Resolution on organization. It is true that the implementation has been extremely tardy though it has been discussed on several occasions. Even the CITU Centre has not been able to implement all the directives given in the Resolution. Reluctance to give up the old style of functioning is the root cause of this slow progress, while individual style of working is creating serious bottlenecks. We have to make further progress in ensuring democratic functioning of trade unions and check the tendency of bureaucratic methods of functioning. Collective efforts at all levels will alone give us more results in improving the matters. General Secretary’s call to increase the CITU membership to 50 lakhs by the next Conference must be given due importance. During Com. P.R’s centenary celebration we should make attempts in that direction, so that we can attempt to over fulfill our target by the time of the next Conference.

WORKER-PEASANT ALLIANCE

We have always been stressing the need for worker-peasant alliance in the democratic movement. After discussing with the leadership of the AIKS and AIAWU, it has been decided to launch a joint campaign all over the country on common issues facing the workers and the peasants viz. price rise of essential commodities, adoption of comprehensive Bills for unorganised workers and agricultural labourers, strengthening of the public distribution system, withdrawal of cut in custom duties that adversely affect our agriculture and traditional industry, opposition to land grab by corporation sector in SEZ and other demands.

I am happy to note that our Conference has welcomed this step. We will discuss with the leadership of AIKS and AIAWU to workout details of the joint struggle. All our unions must work seriously to make this programme a grand success.

The CITU’s initiative in focusing attention of the Government to the conditions in the IT sector has been well receive all over the country. A study conducted by the National Labour Institute has strengthened our contentions. The employees work for 12 hours a day, and the working conditions require lot of improvement in this new sector of employment. At present about 10 lakhs workers are working in this industry and the number is likely to exceed 20 lakhs in 3 year time. The CITU stands for T.U. rights for these employees, who should be empowered to have collective bargaining right as well as right to strike.

The profitability is extremely high in this industry but the labour laws of the land are not implemented in it. We should campaign for an all India legislation to govern the working and living condition of the employees in the IT sector.

Seventeen fraternal organisations have expressed their warm greetings to our Conference, which is indicative of growing unity of the working class and the toiling masses of India in the struggle against globalisation. We must strengthen our ties of friendship with them so that the unity in action will be strengthened in the days to come.

GROWING INTERNATIONAL SOLIDARITY

We have a proud privilege to receive a large number of foreign delegates, who have come from far away places to express their fraternal solidarity with our struggles. For the first time, a delegation also came from USA to strengthen our relations with the working class of America. The CITU has developed ties of friendship with over 45 countries and we are developing relations with all organisation irrespective of affiliations and ideological stand points. This will pave the way for the unity of the world working class in the common struggle against capitalist exploitation.

We welcome the upsurge of the Latin American working class against US imperialism. Latin America, which was considered to be backyard of US imperialism, has now become a bulwork of anti-imperialist struggle. We must try to develop more and more relations with them so that the we can express firm solidarity with their just struggles.

The world trade union movement is at crossroads today. While the struggle against globalisation are looming large, attempts to keep the struggle at a low key are being made to day. In this regard we must view the merger of ICFTU and WCL at Vienna recently. The new organisation ITUC does not appeal for unity irrespective of ideological differences, but talks of negotiating with MNCs and World Bank for a new understanding with them. We must fight against MNCs and their supporters so that their depredations can be checked in time. The growing inequality in the world is today adding to the number of people below the poverty line, while the rich has amassed huge wealth.

The new technology emerged recently has the capacity to provide shelter, education, medical facilities, jobs and social security for all the people in the world. However, it does not take place since the technology is used only for the benefits of the profit hungry MNCs. The process of globalisation is therefore unsustainable in the long run and the people of the world are bound to rise against it.

The World Federation of Trade Unions has made some sincere efforts to build a trade union movement on the basis of class struggle and anti-imperialism. A new central headquarters from Athens has started functioning. However, WFTU has no affiliated unions in all major capitalist countries. It is also facing shortage of resources to carry forward its international activities effectively. It is, however, trying overcome the challenges by relying on the strength of the working class.

We must also find out how the fighting organisation like COSATU (S. Africa), CUT (Brazil), CGT (France), GEFONT (Nepal), ZENROREN ( Japan), CGIL (Italy) are considering the need to associate with ITUC. We have good fraternal relations with these organisations and we want to further strengthen them.

The delegates to this Conference have correctly stressed the need for CITU to play more attention to the international TU movement. We take note of their feelings and assure to take steps to strengthen our international relations.

We have elected a new leadership of CITU unanimously in this Conference. The new leadership has a stupendous task lying ahead. We have to improve our central functioning and functioning of national committees so that we can discharge the responsibilities bestowed upon us by this Conference. Let us take the pledge to carry forward the tasks laid down by this historic Conference. If we are determined to fulfill our responsibility with revolutionary fervour, we can give a good account of ourselves when we meet next time in the Thirteenth Conference of CITU.

We shall overcome!
We are bound to win because we are right !