Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) expresses its serious concern about the various incidents in Bangladesh which have been threatening the safety and security of the minorities in the country.

While the fundamentalist forces are actively trying to create communal divisions, no effective measures are apparently being taken by the concerned authorities in the country to protect the minorities from attacks and ensure communal harmony and peace. CITU demands the interim government of Bangladesh to immediately take effective measures to curb communal divisive activities and ensure that communal harmony prevails in the country.

At the same time, CITU also expresses its concern at the wild and provocative propaganda in India by the Hindutva communal forces about the situation in Bangladesh. It is ironic it is the very same forces are targeting the Muslim minorities in India and disrupting unity and harmony in our country. CITU reiterates that communal divisive politics that weaken unity and united struggles against the neoliberal policies worsening the lives and livelihoods of the people, are harmful, particularly for the working class and the toiling masses, be it in Bangladesh or India or anywhere in the world.

Such attempts should be resisted by the toiling people everywhere

Issued By
Hemalata
President 

Around a million people join nationwide mass mobilisation today called upon by the Samyukta Kisan Morcha and the Joint Platform of Central Trade Unions and Independent Sectoral Federations and Associations today 26 November 2024 on the occasion of the 4th anniversary of the all India General strike by the CTUs and the beginning of the historic Delhi Chalo by the SKM.

The programmes were held in districts headquarters in most of the states in around five hundred places. The mass protests were also held in urban and rural India and in the industrial areas in many states. Lunch hour demonstrations were held in many offices in solidarity with the protest action. Leaders of the CTUs and SKM participated in various places.

In many places, police used force and even resorted to lathi charge. In Bhagalpur, Bihar, police lathicharged the workers and farmers who were demonstrating in front of the DM’s office. Six people were injured. Police has arrested three leaders. 

Angered by the unprecedented rise in prices of essential food items recently, the participants resolved to intensify the joint struggles for the basic entitlements. Many a places the participation by the mass organisations of students, youth, women, teachers, other professionals and those from the field of art, culture and literature also joined with their respective demands and in solidarity with demands of trade unions and farmer organizations. At the demonstrations in front of the DM’s offices, many local demands also were raised by the platforms.

The leaders who led the demonstrations submitted to the officials a representation addressed to the President of India to seek her intervention in the interest of workers, farmers, the people at large and in the national interest. (The representation is attached for your reference).

The CTUs and SKM will meet soon to take the review of the campaign and further intensification of struggles for achieving their demands with the shift in the pro-corporate policy paradigm of the incumbent Government.

Issued by
Central Trade Unions, Independent Sectoral Federations/Associations And Samyukta Kisan Morcha

The Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) condemns the arrest of CITU national Vice President A.S.Soundarajan, State Secretary E. Muthukumar and other Samsung Workers on strike, removing the pandal at the protest site at Sriperumbadur by the Tamil Nadu State Govt and urges the state Govt to uphold the right of the workers to form the Union.

CITU condemns the efforts of the three Ministers of the state Govt to shield the management of Samsung denying the basic statutory right of workers to form the Union and enabling the pro management strike breaking minority workers to enter into a Memorandum of Agreement in the name of Works Committee. 

The majority of the workers resolved to form the Union and have applied for the registration of Trade Union under the Trade Unions Act 1926 which is not registered until now by the state Govt. In the meantime the management has not recognized the Union but has come up with the Works Committee which is illegal and unlawful pending the registration of Union. Further the Samsung Management’s denial to recognize the Union, and discuss with representatives’ of the Union violates the law of the land and ILO Convention- CO87: The Freedom of Association and Protection of Right to Organize Convention-1948 & the Convention- CO98: The Right to Organize & Collective Bargaining Convention-1949.

The CITU held protests across the nation in solidarity with the striking Samsung workers on 8.10.2024, urging the State Govt to intervene and uphold the right to Union of the workers. But the State Govt Ministers have stood with the Samsung Management against the workers while the Court has upheld the right of the workers to protest and released the arrested leaders and workers. Please find the press release of the CITU Tamil Nadu State Committee attached for the latest updates and details.

Issued by,
Tapan Sen
General Secretary   

Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) urges the Union Govt to revise the minimum wages to Rs.26000 per month for all unskilled scheduled employments with upward fixation for higher skills in the central sphere immediately. CITU further denounces the revision of only VDA as it does not lead to revision of minimum wages. The Minimum Wages Act 1948 Section 3(b) mandates revision of minimum wages at regular intervals not exceeding 5 years. The last revision was done in 2017 January, where by the minimum wages revision is pending since January 2022 with the last revision done 7 years back. The Union Govt is abdicating its mandatory duty to revise the minimum wages since 2 years though it was to be mandatorily revised by 2022 January.

The recent notification increasing the VDA dated 25.9.2024 effective from 1.10.2024 is only biennial revision of VDA based on 2.40 points increase in the consumer price index for industrial workers as on 30.6.2024 which is also a truncated one and  does not fully reflect the price rise that the workers are facing. It is wrongly reported in some section of media as revision of minimum wages, which is misleading one. Further even the increase in VDA is to the tune of Rs.4 to Rs.7 per day varying for different skills and areas across the employments compared to the revision of VDA effective from 1.4.2024 based on 13.37 points increase in CPI (IW).

This hike in VDA in no way commensurate the price rise industrial workers are facing. With the minimum wages revision pending since 2 years the plight of workers with the present crisis of living cost is unbearable to which the pro corporate BJP led NDA Govt is blind. The annual survey of industries 2020-21, factories division reveal that the share of wages in net value addition has come down from 15.67% in 2017-18 to 15.13% in 2021-22 while the share of net profit has increased from 46.86% to 54.37% during the same period.

The number of contract workers is ever increasing with the unrestricted out sourcing spree in the central sphere, whose number has increased to 32.58 lakh in 2023-24 from 30 lakh in 2022-23,who are the worst affected due to the non revision of minimum wages in the central sphere.

Issued by
(Tapan Sen)
General Secretary

Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) extends strong solidarity with the Striking Ferro Scrap Nigam Limited (FSNL) workers who have resorted to massive indefinite strike from 28^th September 2024. The workers were compelled to go for Strike as the NDA government was desperately trying to privatize FSNL, demolishing all legal premises of our country. CITU asks the Central government to immediately roll back the anti-national decision of gifting out its highly strategic, profiteering Mini Ratna Company to one M/s. Konoike Transport Co. Ltd., an MNC of Japan.

It is a matter of grievous concern that, while the office of Chief Labour Commissioner (Central) is engaged to conciliate with the unions of all the six plants of FSNL, viz. Durgapur, Burnpur, Vizag, Rorkela, Bokaro and Bhilai, the Central government is aggressively advancing to sell the company, even violating the provisions of Industrial Dispute Act 1946 and other Labour Laws.

Steel is the backbone of Modern India and our public steel sector Nava Ratna Company i.e., SAIL and also RINL plants are completely dependent on FSNL for scrap handling since its inception. With utter surprise, no consultation with them has at all been initiated by the government on such a vital issue and the top managements of FSNL are also not properly aware of this clandestine move.

FSNL is a company having a reserve fund of about Rs 200 crore and movable assets worth Rs100 crore employing more than 600 employees and 5,000 contract workers. During the year ended March 31, 2022, Company has paid Interim Dividend for FY 2021-22 amounting to Rs 9.50 per equity shares.FSNL achieved a dispatch of 36.54 lakh metric tons of scrap and 107.13 lakh metric tons of slag haulage (in total 143.67 lakh ton) which is an improvement of 12.88% with respect to previous financial year. The company operated at 97.81% capacity in the year 2021-22. So no one can challenge the expertise of FSNL.

Such a golden egg producing company is straight away being guillotined by the government because of its sheer obsession for privatization factually without any valid reason. There already exists a wise recommendation of JP Shukla Committee set up by the Steel Ministry as per which the FSNL was to be converted into a subsidiary of SAIL or Joint Venture Company of SAIL, RINL and MSTC. CITU has approached the Central government a number of times to implement the recommendation. Instead of that, the well-performing government undertaking is being sold out,that too in a severely undervalued manner to a foreign corporate; this will be a permanent loss to India’s public sector industry and thus people in general.

CITU once again condemns the authoritarian anti-National move of the Modi government and stands strong with striking FSNL workers. CITU calls upon all its units to take this issue to all sections of workers and mobilize them insolidarity with this anti-privatization struggle.

Issued by
(Tapan Sen)
General Secretary

Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) pays homage to the veteran Trade Union leader Comrade M.M. Lawrence who passed away today at 12pm at Kochi at his age of 95 years due to age related  illness and conveys its condolences to his family members and all comrades.

Comrade M.M. Lawrence who started his political activities at his age of 18 was involved in freedom struggle and started his trade Union life organizing manual scavengers as a leader of AITUC and was imprisoned for a valiant struggle against the Police in 1950 for defending the illegally detained comrades and beaten up mercilessly by the Police.

He was one of the founders of Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) along with Comrade E. Balanandan, K.N.Ravindranathan and others in Kerala. He was a militant fighter for the cause of working class all through his life and rose to be CITU Kerala State Committee General Secretary and National Secretary from 1983 to 2010 and Vice President in between for a term from 2000 to 2003.

He was President of Cochin Port Labour Union and several other organized and unorganized workers unions and all India leader of Water Transport Workers Federation of India.  As a part of his struggle for the cause of working class he was elected member of the Loksabha from Idukki in Kerala from 1980-84.

He was CPI(M) Central Committee member, Kerala State Secretariat Member and Convener of Left Democratic Front (LDF) of Kerala. The CITU dips its banner in respect of departed comrade M.M. Lawrence.

Issued by
Tapan Sen
General Secretary

Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) extends firm solidarity to the Striking Samsung Workers of the Sriperumbudur plant in Tamil Nadu, India, and condemns the unlawful arrest of CITU Tamil Nadu State Secretary, E. Muthukumar along with more than 100 striking workers by the State Police; CITU demands the immediate intervention of the Hon’ble Chief Minister, Tamil Nadu to ensure the Law of the Land including the Right to Association and Right to Collective Bargaining to the Samsung Workers.

Around 90% of the total 1723 workers of the Samsung India Sriperumbudur plant are on their 8^th Day of Strike today. The demands are to attain their Right to Association, Right to Collective Bargaining and initiation of fruitful discussion by the Management with the majority union. The globally stigmatized Samsung Management with their infamous No-Union Policy wants to curb all these democratic rights of the workers and is blatantly violating the rights provided by the Trade Union Act 1926, Industrial Dispute Act 1947 along with the ILO Conventions No. 87 and 98 and International Labour Standard (ILS).

The Samsung Sriperumbudur plant producing home appliances alone accounts for around a third of its annual $12 billion revenue extracted from Indian soil. The workers in this plant are subjected to long working hours, torturous intensity of work pressure to finish each produce like refrigerator, washing machine or TV within 10-15 seconds, non-stop work for 4-5 hours at stretch and unsafe working conditions. In contrast to the Samsung workers in Seoul who receive Rs 4.5-6.0 lakh on average as wages and salaries, their Indian counterparts are working in meager Rs 20,000-25,000 per month. Noteworthy that, the Samsung Global has gained a consolidated a year-on-year net profit of 9.84 trillion KRW (South Korean Won) in the second quarter of 2024 against 1.72 trillion KRW in the last year.   

As the Samsung Management is reluctant to discuss and resolve the issues with the majority Union, the striking workers were compelled to plan for a march to the District Collector Office of the Kancheepuram district on Monday, 16^th September 2024. But, the leaders including the Union President E. Muthukumar were illegally detained from the Union Office in the very morning along with 104 striking workers. Police prevented the Samsung workers at the outskirts of the Kancheepuram District from even entering the city. The peacefully striking workers were threatened and physically manhandled by Police at their protesting venue.

CITU strongly condemns the act of the District Police coming highhandedly over the protesting workers asserting their lawful democratic right and the vindictive instigation of Samsung management against its own workers. No Multinational Foreign Company should be allowed to mutilate the Laws of the Land prevailing in our Country. CITU demands immediate intervention of the Hon’ble CM of Tamil Nadu and the appropriate authority to unconditionally release the detained workers and to ensure that the statutory Rights of the workers are protected.

CITU calls upon all of its units to organize gate/ work place level meetings in support and solidarity of the Striking Samsung workers today and tomorrow.

Don’t Turn Indian Workers into Slaves of the Multinationals – Protect Rights and Laws.

Issued by
Tapan Sen
General Secretary

Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) expresses its profound grief at the passing away of Comrade Sitaram Yechury, General Secretary of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) on September 12, 2024. He passed away at AIIMS, New Delhi following severe lung infection and respiratory ailment. He was 72.

Comrade Sitaram Yechury, as one of the tallest leaders of the Party of the working class was deeply committed to the cause of the working class and exploited masses. He was one of the most well-known Marxist ideologue of our times.

In his academic life, he was student of outstanding brilliance. He joined the student movement in Jawaharlal Nehru University in a very stormy period and was elected as President of JNU Students Union thrice. He was the President of the Students Federation of India for a long time. He was arrested during the emergency for his frontline political activities.

He was elected to the Central Committee of the CPI(M) in 1985. He became a member of the Polit Bureau in 1992 and elected as the General Secretary of the CPI(M) in 2015.

He was a member of the Rajya Sabha from 2005-2017. He raised the voice of the toiling masses, especially the working class in the Parliament.  He opposed the privatisation of PSUs and was instrumental in exposing many of the corruption scandals emanated from the neoliberal policies of the Central Government. He also played a role of crusader against all forms of communalism and obscurantism being promoted by the Politics of Ruling clique now in governance.

As the leader of the CPI(M), he fought the case against electoral bonds.  He staunchly opposed the abrogation of Article 370 by BJP government and was the first one to visit Kashmir fighting the Government which tried to make Kashmir a jail.

He stood by the ideals of socialism all through his active political life and led the ideological struggle upholding the scientific socialism nationally and internationally.                                                                                                          

He was one of the faces of struggles against neoliberalism and all its perverse reflections in economy, politics and society in India since late-eighties/ early 90s. As the leader of the CPI (M) and as an MP, he was very keen in participating all working class struggles of various sectors.  He also raised the issues of various sections of the Working People as well as exposed various perverse anti-people and anti-democratic policies of the Ruling Class through his exquisite oratory in Parliament. He got the best parliamentarian award in 2017.

He was a master in international issues and a champion of anti imperialist causes and assertion in politics.

An excellent orator in various languages, he could communicate to the common workers as well as intellectuals.  He was famous for his quick wit.

Sitaram Yechury also contributed immensely as the Editor of the weekly People’s Democracy for long years, and also the Editor of the theoretical quarterly organ-“ The Marxist”.

He made important ideological contributions in the critique of Hindutva communalism.

He played a major role in   forging a broad unity of the secular opposition parties in the struggle against communal forces in governance.  He was respected by all for his political integrity and commitment.

The untimely demise of Comrade Sitaram Yechury at this crucial juncture in our national politics is a big loss for the working class movement in particular and the progressive values and the society in general.

CITU pays respectful homage to Comrade Sitaram Yechury and conveys heartfelt condolences to the bereaved family and friends.

CITU will half-mast its flags for a week in respect to the departed leader.

Red Salute to comrade Sitaram Yechury

Issued by
Tapan Sen
General Secretary

Demands

Ø  Time Bound Implementation of its Recommendations by Kerala LDF government

Ø  Immediate Setting up of similar committees with specific time frame for Bollywood and all other language film industries

Ø  Central government must bring a Model Code of Conduct for the film and television industry to end sexual violence and gender discrimination

Ø  Speedy functioning of Fast track courts to ensure fast trial and justice in cases of sexual violence and rape; Increase budget allocation for FTSCs

The All India Coordination of Working Women (CITU), the women’s sub-committee of Centre of Indian Trade Unions(CITU) welcomes the release of the Hema Committee Report, and the assurances given by the LDF Government of Kerala to implement many of its recommendations in order to improve the working conditions, particularly of women in the Kerala film industry.

We congratulate the survivor actress who came out to fight and the Women in Cinema Collective (WCC) that has played a stellar role in highlighting the shocking discrimination and sexual harassment faced by women working in the Kerala film industry.

The Committee made commendable efforts to prepare a comprehensive report recording depositions of more than 50 men and women including senior actors as well as junior artists and technicians. The Committee endured several challenges to complete the report as the victims were greatly afraid about the breach of their confidentiality.  As a result it took two years to prepare the report. The release of it was further delayed by several privacy related issues and interventions by statutory bodies and judiciary.

Apart from shocking revelations of demands for sexual favours, intimidating and predatory sexual advances and attacks that women at all levels in the film industry face at the very inception of their working careers, the Committee has pointed to rampant gender discrimination in remuneration, technical opportunities, lack of basic on-site facilities such as toilets and changing rooms, grievance redressal mechanisms, illegal age limits on work participation, and lack of contracts and regulation of working conditions.

The Committee has pointed to the existence of a ghastly reactionary near-feudal power structure under the tight control of a few men within the industry that results in a totally illegal and unauthorized “ban” on those who dare to raise their voices against the injustice faced by them. It has recommended the drafting of a separate specific law to regulate the industry, and set up a Tribunal, a special Welfare Fund, ensure written contracts, equal remuneration and a gender balance in decision making bodies. In a wider context, it has called for a comprehensive Film Workers’ Policy and support for women produced cinema and gender justice in cinema content.

In a welcome move, the LDF government decided to call a conclave and invite women across the spectrum within the industry and various stakeholders to discuss comprehensive suggestions to address all kinds of discriminations and the way forward. We also welcome the LDF government’s decision to set up an investigation team of Police to look into various casesincluding POCSO cases coming out after the publication of the report and to help the survivors. It will be appropriate the to set up a fast track court to deal with these cases as well as to give confidence to the victims who are still silent.

Sexual exploitation of women, discrimination and unfair practices exist not just in Kerala, but are reportedly widespread in film production centres across the country. We may recall that many actresses in Bollywood have earlier revealed about the sexual assaults they faced in the name of ‘casting couch’. In Telugu film Industry, a film artist stripped herself and demonstrated in Hyderabad in protest against this harassment. We demand the concerned state governments take immediate action on these complaints and frame holistic policy to address the issues.

We stand in solidarity with women in cinema and support their struggles to dismantle patriarchal power structures, build gender-just workplaces with fair labour practices, and end the culture of silence in face of fear and oppression.

Issued by
A R Sindhu
Convenor, AICCWW (CITU)
Secretary CITU

Letter To, Hon’ble Chief Minister, Chandigarh, Haryana.

Shri. Nayab Singh Saini Ji,

The Ordinance as above subject is promulgated on 14.8.2024 claiming to provide the security of service to the contractual employees working in the various Departments, Boards, Corporations or Authority under the Haryana state Govt. Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) expresses its serious concern and opposition to it, urging for immediate  withdrawal of the Ordinance.

The Ordinance in the guise of security of Service of Contractual employees shall create a parallel set of contractual employees and perpetuate it on permanent perennial jobs as against the state govt employees in the Govt Departments, Boards, Corporations or Authority under the state Govt instead of regular permanent state Govt employees. This is not permissible under the existing laws.

The State Govt employees recruited by Haryana Public Service Commission and governed by State civil services Rules have a fixed pay scale and their pay and other benefits are based on the recommendations of Pay Commissions while the contractual employees are not governed by the same rules and are denied it through this Ordinance also.

The Ordinance as per section 5 denies any pay scale on par with that of regular employees but provides for only a consolidated minimum pay as that of pay of same scale and some increment of service weightage for the number of years of service rendered by the eligible candidates as one time in the beginning in the guise of security of service. The Section 3(ii) of the Ordinance defines the eligible candidate as one who has completed 5 years with 240 days of work per year. This, in fact, shall also create multiple sets of contractual employees, with different service conditions outside the purview of the provisions of the Ordinance.

The Ordinance as per its first Schedule pushes the eligible candidates to Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PM-JAY) Chirayu extension Scheme for health care benefits and to the Social Security Code 2020 for death cum retirement benefits – Gratuity and Maternity benefits much below and restricted compared to the defined benefits currently available to the state Govt employees while same and similar work is extracted by them. Furthermore the Social Security Code 2020 and other 4 labour codes are all opposed by almost all the central trade unions and all India federations of State Govt employees because of their patently anti-employee character.  

The contractual employees are governed by the Contract Labour (Regulation & Abolition) Act -1970 and Central Rules - 1971.  As per which the contract employees are not to be deployed in the permanent and perennial nature of Jobs which should only be manned by regular employees. And the contractual employees are eligible for equal pay for equal work in same and similar nature of Jobs. The Ordinance will finish-up all these positive provisions.

The Ordinance, in absence of any recruitment to the regular jobs in state Govt, will perpetuate the contractual employment in most of the permanent and perennial nature of jobs of state govt services contrary to the central legislation of Contract Labour (Regulation & Abolition) Act - 1970 and rules under it. Which are in force in State of Haryana through the Haryana State Contract labour (Regulation & Abolition) Rules -1975.

The Contractual employees working in the permanent and perennial nature of jobs in State Govt Departments, Boards, Corporations or Authority are to be absorbed in Govt services through conferment of permanent status as employees and are eligible to all the service conditions and benefits on par with other  regular state Govt employees. This is being denied through this Ordinance.

Hence the CITU urges for immediate withdrawal of it and for taking appropriate measures for conferment of permanent status to the contractual employees along with same and similar wages and benefits for the same and similar nature of work done by them in permanent and perennial nature of Jobs in the state Govt/corporations as well as in other private sector in the state, in the interests of fairness and propriety.

 Thanking You,

Yours Sincerely,
Tapan Sen
General Secretary