One of the key demands being raised by workers across the country and for which they are going on strike on 2 September 2016 is price rise. Like a slow burning fire, prices of all essential commodities have been steadily increasing over the past years. But food items, especially such essentials like pulses, milk and vegetables have risen steeply destroying family budgets of all except the rich. The Modi government has been claiming that prices are not rising by pointing at wholesale prices. But the common workers don’t go and buy dal and vegetables from wholesalers in mandis. They buy it from their local stores. These prices are somewhat more accurately reflected in the consumer or retail prices that are also available with the government but it refuses to look at them. This is another example of how the government is simply trying to fool the people rather than seriously tackle price rise.
There is another side to the story of sky-rocketing price-rise. This is to do with earnings of working people. The reason why price-rise hurts so much is that earnings never rise as much as prices of items that you buy. That is why price-rise is actually a hidden way of robbing the working people. Even if some increase in wages or salaries takes place, prices of essential commodities rise more than that and the working person’s family end up losing more than they gain.
Let us take a look at two examples. In rural areas, between March 2014 and March 2016, prices increased by 11% according to the government’s Consumer Price Index for Agricultural Labourers. This is, of course, an underestimate, but still it gives us an idea of how prices are increasing. Now have a look at the increase in wages for different kinds of work in rural areas, both agricultural and non-agricultural.

For non-agricultural work, wages increased by just 9% in two years while for general agricultural labour wage rates increased by 13%. Compare this to the price rise: it was 11% in these two years. So wage increases are barely compensating for price rise. For construction and ploughing operations the wage increase is the same as price increase. In some other kinds of work wage increase is just a couple of percentage points above the price increase rate.
Here it needs to be kept in mind that wages are shockingly low, just allowing the family to survive. For example, in the data given above, all wages are roughly in the range of Rs 6000 to Rs 7000 per month, but not for the whole year. Most agricultural work is seasonal and even if there are two crops being grown, that may mean 6-8 months of work for a laborer’s family. If one adjusts for this seasonality of work, the monthly wage will drop to just Rs.4000 to Rs.5000.
Govt. data on industrial wages is scant and much delayed. The only kind of data available regularly is for textile industry. But it can be taken to represent general industry trends. Analysis shows an equally dismal situation. Prices have increased by about 8% over two years according to the Consumer Price Index for Industrial Workers but monthly wages have increased by just 7% in this period. So, industrial workers are actually losing out because of relentless inflation. Industrial workers get about Rs.8000 per month but this is for regular employees. Contract and casual workers may get as little as two-thirds of this amount according to trade union activists, with none of the other benefits given to regular workers.
This is the experience across the country from workers in big industries to small units, from agricultural labourers to cultivators. Where there are unions, or where the govt. feels it needs to prevent unrest (as in govt. employees) wage increases are linked to price rise. But for most of India’s 50 crore working people price rise continues to be a weapon of robbery.
It is for this reason that the workers are demanding that at least Rs 18,000 minimum wage be fixed for workers and that there should be linkage with price rise so that this robbery ends.

Savera

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27th August 2016

Dear Shri Bandaru Dattatreya ji,

This refers to your D.O No. 21(24)/2016-IR dated Nil requesting reconsideration of the proposed strike call on 2nd September 2016 given jointly by the Central Trade Unions in view of the “proactive steps undertaken by the Government to address the charter of demands raised by the Central Trade Unions”. Your letter has been received by us on 26thAugust 2016 through e-mail.

At the outset, we are constrained to mention that we find no tangible ‘proactive steps’ in the details furnished by you, either in your letter or in the enclosed updated status of action taken, in favour of the workers so far as the 12 point charter of demands of the Central Trade Unions is concerned. In fact the ‘updated status’ enclosed with your letter is almost the same as that you circulated exactly one year ago, in the joint meeting with the central trade unions held on 26th and 27th August, on the eve of the general strike in 2015.

But the government has definitely taken several proactive steps, totally ignoring the opposition of the entire trade union movement and totally against the interests of the workers, during this period. To mention just a few: 1) Introduction of Fixed Term Employment in apparel manufacturing sector through an executive order, 2) Increase the permissible limit of overtime work from 50 hours per quarter to 125 hours through an amendment to the Factories Act, 3) Divert workers’ money in the EPF for investment in the share market, 4) Attempts to appropriate huge amounts of workers’ money in the EPF for other purposes unrelated to them, 5) Introduce the Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Bill with atrocious provisions attacking the road transport workers en masse. All these ‘proactive’ initiatives are against the basic interests of the workers and their rights. All the central trade unions have vociferously opposed these measures.

Your argument that ‘the running theme of the Labour Reforms is to ensure employment security, wage security and social security to all workers’ is totally contrary to reality and the experience of the workers. In fact, the focus of the so called ‘labour reforms’ has been to push the overwhelming majority of workers in the organised sector out of the purview of all basic labour laws including those providing social security. They empower employers to ‘hire and fire’ at their whims, legitimise contractorisation of regular jobs and deployment of apprentices/ trainees etc on payment of a small fraction of minimum wages. It is crystal clear to anybody objectively examining the entire ‘Labour reforms’ programme that it is designed to impose conditions of slavery on the workers. The conditions of even the miniscule proportion of workers in the organised sector who are at present entitle to a few benefits will become insecure, in terms of their employment, wages, social security etc. No trade union worth its salt can mortgage the interests of the workers by accepting such retrograde measures lying down.

Moreover, we cannot accept the claim that all your moves on labour law reforms are the outcome of tripartite consultations. It is a matter of record that all the central trade unions, repeat all, have unanimously opposed many of your proposals of labour-law-reforms and opinions of the trade unions have been totally ignored undermining the spirit of tripartism. Ignoring labour’s opinion on the measures by which labour will be affected most cannot be construed as consultation, which we urge upon you to appreciate.

We request you to verify your claim that ‘labour inspection system through the Shram Suvidha Portal has improved efficiency and transparency and expanded coverage’ with facts. Your own statement that only 12 lakh units have been issued Labour Identification Number (LIN) itself contradicts and refutes your claim. This is only an insignificant percentage of the total number of establishments in the country. While the data of establishments and workers captured by your Shram Suvidha Portal itself is insignificant compared to the total, routing inspection through this portal on the basis of 10% randomised selection is nothing but an attempt to minimise inspection and allow more freedom to employers to violate labour laws with impunity. It is strange, to say the minimum, to claim this as expanding coverage. To give a few examples: The total number of subscribers to EPF is only 3.71 crore while as per gross estimate another 3 crore workers in the organised sector itself, mostly contract workers are not covered by EPF, despite being legally eligible. ESI coverage is even less at 2.03 crore despite the fact that all establishments employing 10 or more are entitled to be covered by ESI while it is 20 in the case of EPF. These are just two examples of the horrible state of affairs related to implementation of labour laws and social security coverage. The basic purpose of the ongoing ‘labour reforms’ is to legalise and legitimise violations to ensure ‘ease of doing business’. You will kindly appreciate that no trade union worth its salt can sell out the interests of the workers by accepting this situation lying down.

Claims are being made to extend coverage of social security schemes like EPF and ESI to scheme workers since last more than a year. But what has actually happened till date? For example, ESIC proposed to cover the scheme workers viz., anganwadi and mid-day-meal workers to provide limited benefit on payment of Rs250/- per month which means 8.33% of the paltry honorarium of anganwadi workers, 16% for the helpers and 25% for the mid-day-meal workers. Whereas for other workers covered under ESI Act, the contribution is only 1.75% of their monthly wages for full ESI benefits. Can the anganwadis and other scheme workers afford such high burden of contribution out of their paltry honorarium ranging from Rs 1000/- to Rs 3000/-? This is nothing but a posture made by the Govt for publicity and real game is to deny them the actual coverage through backdoor.

Your statement that ‘disinvestment is being made to bring in efficiency’ and FDI ‘for infusion of capital’, is also unacceptable since that does not stand the test of rationality. The government today is, clearly, not confining itself to ‘disinvestment’. It is reported that NITI Ayog has prepared a list of 74 PSUs including the highly profit making ones for total sell out in the name of ‘strategic sale’. The government has not issued any rejoinders to these reports. No patriotic trade union, for that matter, no patriotic organisation can accept this policy of sell out of PSUs which hold the foundation of our national economy. Similarly, unrestricted FDI in defence, railways, banks and insurance and retail trade cannot be accepted by us, as it is against the greater interest of our people and the national economy.

In view of the above, it is not possible for us to reconsider the decision to go for countrywide general strike on 2nd September 2016, which we request you to kindly take note of.

In this connection, we also convey our strong protest against the discriminatory treatment meted out to the central trade unions by the government, while openly patronising one. It is highly regrettable and shocking that the Group of Ministers formed by the government to discuss with the central trade unions on the 12 point charter of demands, of which you are also a member, is patronising and confiding with one union which is not a party to the call for general strike by holding discussions with it, while the central trade unions which have given the strike notice are ignored. We denounce such undemocratic bias on the part of the government, which is unprecedented in post independent India.

With regards,
Yours sincerely,

( TAPAN SEN )
General Secretary

26th August 2016

Foil the Conspiracy to Distract the Countrywide United Struggle

Centre of Indian Trade Unions denounces the dubious conspiratorial move by the Govt to sabotage the countrywide General Strike on 2nd September 2016 called jointly by almost all the Central Trade Unions in the country alongwith all the independent national federations of the employees of banks, insurance, defence, telecom state and central govt departments against the anti-worker, anti-people policies of the Govt pushing the lives of the working people at large as well as the national economy to the path of disaster.

Despite continued persuasion by all the Central Trade Unions for sorting out the 12 point charter of demands involving demands of not only the workers but the entire common-folk, the Govt of India adopted an arrogant non-responsive attitude while unilaterally taking one after another step towards imposing retrograde changes on the rights and working conditions of the workers, ignoring the oppositions of all the Central Trade Unions and federations including BMS.

Despite announcement for countrywide General Strike on 2nd September 2016 as back as on March 30, 2016 by all the Central Trade Unions and National Federations in the country except BMS, the Group of Ministers formed by the Govt for the purpose did not bother to even call the concerned Central Trade Unions for any discussion. On the other hand, the Govt started confiding on the same issues of the General strike with its non-striking ally, seeking to create an impression as if the Govt is responding to the demands of the workers. This is nothing but a conspiracy to create confusion and foil the forthcoming strike. It must be retorted back effectively.

On so called Labour law reforms which are designed to push overwhelming majority of workers out of the coverage of basic labour laws, introduce “hire and fire”, legitimize contractorisation of regular work and promote work at payment of less than minimum wage, etc, the Govt repeated its stale statement that same will be done through tripartite consultation. In fact does such tripartite consultation make any sense where the unanimous opinion of all the central trade unions including BMS is totally ignored and decision is taken by Govt-employers unholy gang-up? In this process only, Factory(Amendment)Bill was introduced in Parliament, Small Factories Bill has been given Cabinet approval, “fixed term employment” is being introduced through executive order, Provident fund money has been parked at stock market for gambling, ESI Act is being sought be amended for replacing ESI by mediclaim products, Motor Vehicles(Amendment) Bill has been introduced in Parliament to impose atrocious conditions on the road-transport workers enmasse. Side by side, through the BJP-ruled state govts, mass scale retrograde changes in all labour laws have already been put in place in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Haryana, Maharashtra etc. Hence all talks of tripartite consultation is nothing but a fraud and farce.

The entire trade union movement of the country, irrespective of affiliations condemns and denounces such anti-democratic conspiratorial design of the Govt and calls upon the working people of all affiliations to give a fitting reply to such dubious conspiracy of the strike breakers by making the Countrywide General Strike on 2nd September 2016 a massive success.
Issued by


(TAPAN SEN )
General Secretary

CITU strongly denounces the anti labour measures in the so called special package for the textile and garment sector approved by the Union Cabinet without any consultations with the trade unions.

After announcing sweeping changes in the FDI norms, the government has come out with this ‘special package’ for the textile and garment sector. It is atrocious that the Finance Minister tries to woo investors by pointing out at the ‘rising wages in China’. It is clear that by this that he invites investors to utilise the cheap labour in our country with a veiled commitment to make that cheaper, so that they can reap more profits. It is even more appalling that these measures are claimed to ‘help in social transformation through women empowerment’ while what they would actually lead to enslavement of the workers in the garment sector. Can hypocrisy and deception go further ?

The government has put forward the bogus argument that the garment industry is ‘seasonal’, to find a plea to introduce the ‘fixed term employment’ and facilitate ‘hire and fire’ of workers as per the convenience of the employers. It is to be recalled that the erstwhile NDA government issued the notification on fixed term employment which was strongly opposed by the entire trade union movement and had to be rescinded during the UPA regime in 2004. CITU condemns the attempts of the BJP government to introduce fixed term employment once again. Increasing the overtime cap from existing 50 hrs in a quarter to 96 hours and simultaneously talking loud about employment generation is another deceptive and fraudulent manoeuvre sought to be perpetrated on the people and the workers.

As per this special package, Provident Fund would be made optional for the employees earning less than Rs 15000 per month, indicating the persistent attempts of the government to pave the way for demolishing this time tested social security scheme .

The package also provides other concessions to the employers like the government utilising people’s money in national exchequer to pay the employers’ share of PF contribution, flexibility of labour laws, duty draw back etc. It is nothing but part of the neoliberal design of the BJP led government that seeks to promote the interests of the big corporations and multinational companies by imposing burdens and attacking the rights of the workers.

CITU demands the government to immediately withdraw the anti worker measures in the ‘special package’. It calls upon all the workers to oppose these measures of imposing slavery on the workers through massive participation in the joint countrywide general strike on 2nd September 2016.

Issued by:
Tapan Sen
General Secretary

21st June 2016

CITU strongly denounces the sweeping changes made by the Modi led BJP government to ease FDI in nine key sectors including defence, aviation, pharmaceu tical and food processing.

The decision to ease norms to increase FDI in strategic and sensitive sectors like defence, aviation etc shows the subservience of the government to the interests of the big multinational corporations and international finance capital and its willingness to sacr.ifice the interests of our own country and its people. The PMO has proudly proclaimed that India has now become the most open economy in the world for FDI.

The argument that this would 'provide major impetus to employment and job creation' is totally spurious and false.

Experience in our country has shown that despite all the concessions and relaxations given to attract FDI and the hype that is generated, the amount of FDI that has come to the country is nominal. Most of the foreign money that has come into the country is only for purchasing equity in the existing companies; not to invest in any new production. It has not generated any new employment. Rather, the opening of our markets to the products of multinational companies to appease them has proved disastrous to our domestic industry resulting in the closure of many of our own industries, particularly in the small and medium scale sector, which provide the largest employment, as these industries are not in a position to compete with the big multinational corporations. Thus instead of any job creation what has resulted is loss of employment and deceleration in employment generation.

It is to be noted that the entire trade union movement has been demanding withdrawal of the government decision to increase FDI in insurance, defence and allowing FDI in railways and included it as part of its 12 point charter of demands. The joint trade union movement has given the call for a countrywide general strike on 2nd September 2016 preceded by massive Satyagraha on 9th August to press for these demands. The decision of the government not only shows its total apathy to the unanimous demands of the trade union movement but also its eagerness to satisfy the multinational corporate at the cost of our national interests.

CITU demands withdrawal of the decision to ease the FDI norms.

Issued by:
Tapan Sen
General Secretary

PressCommunique 14th June 2016

CITU SECRETARIAT MEETING ON 13-14 JUNE 2016 CALLS FOR
· Countrywide Massive Solidarity Mobilisation In support of the peoples’ struggle against barbarous attack by Trinamool Congress Goons
· Extensive campaign for the Countrywide General Strike on 2nd September 2016

The National Secretariat of Centre of Indian Trade Unions in its meeting held on 13-14 June 2016 at New Delhi has taken the following decisions:

1. CITU congratulates the working people of Kerala for ensuring resounding victory of the Left Democratic Front in the just concluded Assembly elections

2. CITU also expresses serious concern and severe indignation at the barbarous attacks being unleashed by the Trinamool Congress goons on the people, particularly supporters of Left forces, trade unions and other mass organizations with active patronage of the state administration. CITU also has been targeted for this attack, assault and intimidations. Hundreds of offices were captured, ransacked even burnt, members and sympathisers are being assaulted and threatened to leave the organisation. A demonstration of inhuman barbarism throughout the state is going on with direct state-patronage and the purpose is to eliminate and mime the Left opposition through a reign of terror. It has reached to such heinous height that the TMC goons while carrying on physical assault on the people did not spare a pregnant woman and her baby was killed in the womb itself. Our comrades in West Bengal have not given the walk-over to such barbaric assault on democratic and human rights of the people and have been bravely fighting such assaults through mobilising people in different parts of the state. While extending solidarity to the people of West Bengal in heroically resisting the barbaric onslaught on democratic rights, with the toiling peoples’ organisation at the forefront of that battle, CITU already called upon the state committees to organise solidarity protest against the attack on democratic rights and reign of terror in West Bengal.. CITU Secretariat now calls for widespread countrywide campaign against ongoing barbarous attack on the people of West Bengal by the TMC goons with Govt support to culminate in massive demonstration/mobilizations in all the states and industrial centres on 28th June 2016. 

3. CITU Secretariat has reviewed the preparatory campaign activities being undertaken in the states and industries for the call of countrywide General Strike on 2nd September 2016 against the anti-people and anti-worker policies of Narendra Modi Govt which is also aimed at imposing slavery on the working people in the country at the behest of corporate and big-business houses, both domestic and foreign. The call for General Strike was given jointly by almost all the central trade unions in the country from the National Convention of workers held on 30th March 2016 at New Delhi. The urgency for the countrywide strike action has become crucially important in view of the all round decline, disaster and gloom in the national economy as well as on the lives and livelihood of the common people brought about by two years’ rule by the BJP Govt at the centre. The media-hype sought to be created by the Modi Govt about the so called successes of its two years’ rule through its lie-campaign, must be given a fitting rebuff by the working people of the country through making the united call for countrywide General Strike on 2nd September 2016 a massive success. CITU Secretariat has called upon all the state committees, federations and unions to intensify the campaign for making the strike action aimed at reaching the widest sections of the workers and the people in association with other central trade unions.

4. The 15th All india Conference of CITU is going to take place on 26-30 November 2016 at Puri, Odisha in which around 2500 delegates from all over the country and across the industries and services are going to take part. The Conference will be preceded by the All India Convention of Working women to be held in Andhra Pradesh. The Secretariat discussed organizational details on the conference preparations including holding of the state level conferences in all the states.

(Tapan Sen )
General Secretary

4th June 2016

Few days back the Narendra Modi Government has amended the Public Sector Recruitment Rules retrospectively providing appointment of candidates from private sector in very senior management positions in CPSUs and also in the PESB (Public Sector Enterprise Selection Board). Obviously profit-making Blue chip PSUs are the target of the Modi Govt in this regard. The argument from the Government is that this will help CPSUs in getting ‘capable and efficient’ hands from private sector. An expectation is generated that such steps of the Modi Government shall help in achieving better performance in the CPSUs.

CITU totally rejects such ill-motivated move of the Govt to induct private sector agents into the management of highly efficient and profitable CPSUs with huge resource and asset base operating in core and strategic sector of the economy.

It is very important to note that experience and expertise developed in CPSUs have been captured by private sector through various means. Take for example the energy sector. The management of Private enterprises in Oil & NG, Coal & Power etc. are all crowded with senior executives and many former CEOs from CPSUs. Very important technical and commercial classified information are smuggled by private sector from CPSUs. Without such resources from CPSUs the private big business in the many such industries would not have easily attained such so much success. Let us not go into the unethical practices of the private sectors here.

CITU condemns the NDA Government for the atrocious action. It is an act as well as conspiracy of conspicuously undermining the excellent record of physical and financial performance of CPSUs and their contribution in economic reconstruction of post independent India. Thousands of crore of rupees is collected from CPSUs by the Government through various instrumentalities including measures of privatisation and dividend, taxes and duties etc. Now the present design is to sabotage those successful CPSUs from within as supplementary to its grand-plan of strategic sale of CPSUs announced in this year’s budget. Also the step in question is to push more exploitative, repressive and authoritarian management system of private sector in the CPSUs by the corporative captive Modi Government.

CITU demands withdrawal of the amendment and restoration of age old time tested practice. At the same time CITU calls upon the trade union movement and the public sector employees as a whole irrespective of rank and affiliations to raise the powerful voice against the brazenly anti-public sector step of the Government and mobilize employees to stop entry of private management in our CPSUs.
Issued by

(TAPAN SEN)
GENERAL SECRETARY

On this May Day, CITU

Greets the working class and toiling people of the entire world and our own country, India;

Expresses solidarity to the fight of the working class and people of all the continents against the exploitative international finance driven neoliberal capitalist order;

Extends solidarity to the people in socialist countries and their struggles in defence of socialism in their countries; reaffirms its confidence that imperialist conspiracies to undermine socialism and restore capitalism in these countries would be decisively defeated

Reasserts its commitment to socialism and its resolve to continue the fight to end the exploitative capitalist regime

Reiterates its solidarity and support to the valiant struggle of the Palestinian people against the illegal occupation of their country by Israel backed by the USA, defying world opinion; demands recognition of independent sovereign state of Palestine with 1967 borders and Jerusalem as its capital

Strongly denounces US imperialism led wars in different parts of the globe including Syria, Afghanistan, Iraq etc to establish US hegemony over the strategic natural resources and areas in the world; hundreds of thousands of people, most of them civilians, women and children have been killed, rendered homeless and destitute as a result of these imperialist military aggressions forcing them to leave their homes and seek refuge elsewhere

Upholds the principle that the fight against imperialism is an integral part of the class struggle against exploitation; reaffirms its determination to fight against imperialism and its aggressive interventions

Recalls the contributions of the World Federation of Trade Unions in leading the international struggle of the working class against imperialism; asserts its faith that the 17th Congress of WFTU in October will be another milestone in WFTU’s efforts to mobilise the world working class against imperialist onslaughts on the toiling people across the world

Stands in solidarity with all the people across the world in their struggles against exploitation and onslaught on their rights

Extends support to the surging struggles within the country against the attacks on democratic rights; condemns the attacks on students and universities expressing differing opinions or encouraging debate; supports the students and youth asserting their fundamental rights of freedom of expression

Salutes the working class and other toiling people of West Bengal for heroically resisting the inhuman attacks of the TMC government and its goons

On this May Day, CITU

Notes that, all the clamour about recovery notwithstanding, the global economic crisis continues unabated, with signs of aggravation in several parts of the globe since the last over eight years; the
CITU.....

attempts by the ruling classes to come out of the crisis by aggressively shifting the burdens on to the common people – by attacking their lives and livelihoods and curbing their hard won rights in the name of ‘austerity’ while protecting corporate profits and promoting their loot on the common people and national assets - have not only proved futile but also counter productive; in fact they carry the seeds for the next, in all probability a more devastating, crisis; unemployment and job losses have attained intolerable proportions exposing the total failure and inability of the capitalist system in the full and proper use of the precious human resources to improve the well being of humanity

Demands that working hours be reduced to 35 hours a week and working day to comprise four shifts, as a means for employment generation and an immediate measure to address the serious unemployment situation in the world

Observes that the increasing discontent and anger of the people against the impact of the pro corporate and pro rich neoliberal policies, against the widening income disparities have led to their growing participation in struggles to protect their working conditions and livelihoods; increasing sections of people – workers, peasants, youth, unemployed, women - are getting gradually disillusioned with the capitalist model of development that has resulted in obscene levels of inequality and disparity with 62 richest people owning wealth equal to that of half the world’s population; 1% of people owning more than that by the other 99% combined; the wealth owned by the poorest 50% of population dropped by 41% between 2010 and 2015; in India, trend is almost the same, rather more obscene- richest 1% Indians own 53% of country’s wealth while the top 10% own 76.3%

Notes with utmost concern that in the absence of a strong progressive and left alternative, in several countries right wing, retrograde, reactionary and racist forces are gaining ground and trying to divert peoples’ anger into fratricidal fights against one another, to prevent it being channelised into united struggles against the discredited neoliberal regime and the capitalist system itself

Pledges to direct all its resources, energies and initiatives to spread awareness among the working class and the toiling people in general about the real culprit of their miseries and depravations – the exploitative capitalist system, to rouse them to the urgent need to uproot it and to prepare them for the ultimate struggle to end all exploitation

On this May Day, CITU

Warns the people of our country India, about the twin dangers that confront the working class and all sections of the common people today – the neoliberal policies zealously being pursued by the BJP led Modi government resulting in deterioration of the conditions of our working people on the one hand, and the vicious attempts to weaken the struggles against these policies by dividing people on the basis of religion, region, caste, etc and disrupt their unity, on the other

The Modi led government at the centre is pampering the national and multinational corporations and big business houses with bonanzas – tax concessions, rewards to tax and bank loan defaulters, and exemptions from laws of the land including labour laws. It is handing them control over the nation’s wealth – our public sector, our lands, our mines, our seas, our hills and our forests, and most of all, our people, for unbridled exploitation.

At the same time, the vast majority of workers and the peasants who produce wealth expending their sweat and blood are being pushed into slavery and penury; they are denuded of their lands, their jobs, their rights and their livelihoods. Laws are being amended to make the illegal legal, to legitimise corporate loot of our people and our national resources; expenditure on social welfare
CITU.....

benefits like ICDS, MGNREGA, NHM, Midday meal programme etc are being drastically cut; agrarian crisis and peasant suicides continue unabated; despite all the hype of ‘Make in India’, ‘Start Up India’ and ‘Stand Up India’, employment generation remains elusive, in fact, it is slowing down.

There is a serious attack on the basic democratic rights of the people. Dissent is sought to be curtailed. Voices that question are being suppressed. Driven by the communal fascistic ideology of the RSS, the various communal outfits of the Hindutva brigade are on rampage physically attacking and even killing those who hold views opposed to theirs, those who stand for progressive, rational and scientific thinking. All those who differ from their views are being branded ‘anti national’. Threats of ‘killing lakhs’ ‘cutting off the tongues’, ‘chopping off the heads’ etc emanate from people holding constitutional positions as ministers, MPs, MLAs etc of the ruling BJP, with the benign and tacit support of the government.

It is the irony of our times that RSS, an organisation which had consciously kept itself aloof from the nation’s independence struggle, today seeks to appropriate to itself the right to certify patriotism and nationalism; BJP, the party that leads a government pursuing policies detrimental to our national interests, question the patriotism of those who oppose such anti national policies!

On this May Day, CITU

Reminds the people of our country that the communal fascistic acts of the Hindutva forces, in turn, increase the danger of minority fundamentalism and terrorism;

Reasserts its strong belief that that majority and minority fundamentalism thrive on each other; both divide people, disrupt their unity, divert their attention from their real day to day issues, weaken their struggle to improve their lives; and ultimately both help the exploiting classes

Reiterates its conviction that the struggle for defending, widening and consolidating the unity of the class and the people against the communal, jingoist and disruptive forces is integral to the united struggle against neoliberal economic order and its political advocates

Is conscious that this conviction places upon its shoulders - the task of uniting all sections of toiling people in the struggle against both neo liberalism and fundamentalism and the politics that promote both; the tasks of advancing the struggle to achieve a comprehensive change in the correlation of class forces in favour of a Left Democratic Alternative

Exhorts the working class of the country to be in the forefront to unite all sections of toiling people - the peasants, agricultural workers, unemployed and youth; to raise in one voice their strong opposition to the neoliberal agenda of the ruling classes; and to resist all attempts to disrupt their unity, whether in the name of religion, caste, region or gender

Calls upon the entire working class of the country, irrespective of their trade union affiliations or lack of any, to join the countrywide general strike on 2nd September 2016 as decided by the joint platform of central trade unions and industrial federations; urges the common people, in urban and rural areas, to extend their full and wholehearted support to this strike that raises demands not only of the workers, not only of all sections of toiling people, but demands intended to protect our self reliant economy and national sovereignty

CITU.....

On this May Day 2016, CITU appeals

To the working class of India

To widen and deepen its unity irrespective of trade union affiliations and strengthen united struggles against the anti worker, anti people and anti national neoliberal policies of the government

To strengthen bonds of solidarity across sectors and states to resist and defeat the attacks on their rights, on their jobs, on their livelihoods and living conditions

To forge unity with all the other sections of toiling people, the peasants, agricultural workers, artisans and other rural workers to take the struggle against the neoliberal regime to a higher level to inflict its decisive defeat

To identify the real cause of their worsening conditions – the capitalist system and the politics and forces that promote the system; and to prepare themselves for the struggle to change this exploitative system

To be vigilant against the attempts to divide and disrupt its unity, in whatsoever garb or colour it is presented and to promptly intervene to thwart all such attempts

On this May Day 2016 CITU

Raises its voice in support of

International Solidarity of the Working Class
Unity Against all Exploitation and Oppression

Down With Capitalism and Imperialism
Down With Imperialist led Neoliberal Globalisation

Long Live Socialism
Workers of the World Unite

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29.02.2016

Union Budget 2016 – 17 presented by the Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley is nothing but a grand exercise in rhetoric totally devoid of anything substantial that provides relief to the common people and workers. The Finance Minister sought to camouflage his government’s drive to provide further benefits to the corporate sector by resorting to high sounding words. Given the continuing global economic volatility and vulnerability in the capitalist system, the figures of GDP, Current Account Deficit and fiscal deficit are subject to many internal and external factors and have to be taken with a pinch of salt.

Instead of proposing effective measures to address the burning issue of price rise, the Finance Minister pats himself on the back claiming that inflation has come down even when the daily experience of the people is otherwise. Attempts to address unemployment by opening of skill development centres, when hundreds of thousands of our educated and skilled youth do not find suitable and decent jobs do not make any sense. While the ban on recruitment in government continues and thousands of jobs are being lost across many industries, in the Finance Minster ridiculously hopes of generating employment by paying the employers’ share of provident fund for three years.

The Union Budget sounds the death knell for the public sector, proposing disposal of assets of public sector undertakings including land, in addition to disinvestment of shares. The name of the Department of Disinvestment is being deceptively changed to Department of Investment and Public Asset Management. The upstream oil sector has been further widened for private sector, both domestic and foreign. Huge concessions have been made to prospective private oil corporates. Public sector general insurance will be disinvested. 100% FDI is proposed in marketing food products produced in India.

The Motor Vehicle Act is going to be amended opening up passenger transport to private parties resulting in the death of the state public road transport corporations. The Health Protection scheme announced in the Budget only indicates that the government is withdrawing itself from its responsibility of providing universal health coverage and moving towards health insurance that would mainly benefit the insurance companies.

While the announcement to speed up rural electrification is laudable, the fact is that today around 1 lakh mega watt power generation capacity is lying idle due to the high cost of electricity. Merely providing electric connections is not going to help unless electricity tariffs are brought down and the purchasing capacity of people is increased.

Rather than taking strong action to recover the alarming amounts of defaults by big corporate houses to public sector banks, the government has provided for recapitalisation of public sector banks to brush up their balance sheets, thus setting the defaulters go scot - free.

While the Finance Minister talked of reduction in corporate taxes there is no enhancement of income tax slabs adversely affecting the lakhs of central and state government and public sector employees. On the other hand, workers’ life long savings in Provident Fund are being taxed.
The revenue loss due to reduction in direct taxes is to the tune of Rs 1060 crores while an additional burden of Rs 20670 crores has been imposed on common people through indirect taxes.

The allocation to agriculture and farmer welfare is too meagre to address the serious agrarian crisis that has seen an increase in farmer suicides. It amounts to just eye wash.

The government has again neglected the unorganised workers and the scheme workers in this Budget. Despite the consistent demand of the united trade union movement to constitute national fund for providing social security benefits for the unorganised workers and to recognise the lakhs of anganwadi employees, ASHAs, midday meal workers, NCLP staff and other sections of scheme workers as workers and provide them minimum wages and social security benefits, this Budget totally ignores these demands. While none of the points raised by the central trade unions in the pre budget meeting have been addressed, the government generously accepted the demands of the employers. The Budget does away with the mandatory weekly holidays in shops and other commercial establishments thus denying the tens of lakhs of shop employees of their holidays and increasing their working hours.

On the whole this Union Budget once again proves the commitment of this BJP led government to the neoliberal agenda and its eagerness to satisfy its corporate and big business bosses at the cost of the workers and common people.

Issued by,

TAPAN SEN
General Secretary