15/1089-90, VASUNDHARA, VASUNDHARA
(P.O.), Dt. GHAZIABAD
Website: www.auditflag.blogspot.com
Reference: AIA/Circular-08/2016 Dated: 30th March 2016
To
Unit Secretaries,
Members & Spl. Invitees – NE &
Members of Women’s Committee
Dear Comrades,
CENTRAL TRADE
UNIONS CALL FOR SUSTAINED STRUGGLE;
GENERAL STRIKE ON 2ND
SEPTEMBER 2016
10
Central Trade Unions - INTUC, AITUC, HMS, CITU, AIUTUC, TUCC, SEWA,
AICCTU, UTUC, LPF – and All India Federations of
Banks, Insurance, Defence, Railways, Central/State Government Employees and
other Service Establishments met at Mavlankar Hall, New Delhi in a “National
Convention of Workers” on 30th March 2016.
The National Convention of Workers came
to the inescapable conclusion that considering the aggressiveness with which
the present day government is going ahead with the regressive policies
including the latest decision of the government to allow 100% FDI in retail
e-commerce, the workers are left with no option but to mount a sustained resistance
of a higher level. The Convention therefore called upon the workers and the
toiling masses of the country to vigourously campaign and mobilise the people
at large for various agitational programmes including one day general strike on
2nd September 2016 – exactly one year after the last year’s strike –
in pursuance of the 12 point charter of demands. Declaration adopted in
National Convention of workers is enclosed.
The National Convention has given
the following programmes
1. Joint conventions
and campaigns during June-July 2016 in states, districts and at industry level
and take initiative to involve peasants, Agri labour and mass of the people in
the campaign.
2. Day-long ‘Mass
Dharna/Satyagraha in the Capital of the States and Industrial Centres
preferably on the auspicious day on 9th August 2016 (Quit India Day)
in preparation for the strike.
3. ALL INDIA GENERAL
STRIKES ON 2ND SEPTEMBER 2016.
All
our Units are requested to educate the membership on the above programme and prepare
them for the struggles.
INDFENITE STRIKE –
ONLY RESCHEDULED, NOT DEFERRED FOR EVER
As
is known by now, the NJCA in its meeting held on 7th March 2016
after assessing the situations – the statement of the Cabinet Secretary during
the meeting held on 1st March 2016 that ‘11th April is
not the appropriate timeline for strike’, declaration of polling dates in West
Bengal and Assam coinciding with 11th April and ‘code of conduct’
enforced due to the starting of election process in 5 states – decided to reschedule
the indefinite strike and serving of strike notice to June-July 2016 – serving
of strike notice on 9th June and commencement of indefinite strike
from 6 am on 11th July 2016.
The NJCA has further decided to hold
state level conventions/meetings during April-May 2016. The details such as
date, station, names of leaders attending the convention/meeting etc will be
finalised and intimated to all in few days.
All of us we will have to guard
against any let up in the campaign and mobilisation for strike – the education
campaign should be done in a very systematic manner, the two months time should
be utilised gainfully in this direction.
It is proposed that Units may
organise camps/classes on the 7 CPC – our memorandum, the report of 7 CPC and
the policies of the successive governments. HQr will ensure that one of the HQr
leader do attend such camp/meetings.
COURT CASES
Both the cases have now been posted
to 14th July 2016 ie after court vacation.
With greetings,
Yours
fraternally
(M.S.Raja)
Secretary
General
NATIONAL CONVENTION OF WORKERS
MAVLANKAR HALL, NEW DELHI: 30th March 2016
DECLARATION
The
National Convention of Workers organised by the Joint Platform of the Central
Trade Unions (CTU) of the country along with Independent National Federations
of employees of different Industries and Services congratulates the workers for
the resounding historical success of the strike on 2nd September
2015 and also for their huge participation in the countrywide National Protest
Day on 10th March 2016. This massive unity of the working people in
the joint actions has to be further widened and strengthened in the process of
struggle against the anti-worker, anti-people policies of Governments.
The Convention notes that attitude of the Government is
profoundly negative and hugely challenging to the working class. Despite
readiness expressed by the CTUs through joint letter to the Government after
the 2nd September 2015 strike for commencement of dialogue on the 12
point charter of demands (CoD), the Government did not respond at all thus
arrogantly ignoring the message of such a huge strike by crores of workers
pressing for their demands unanimously formulated by all the CTUs. The issues
in the CoD relate to basic interest of country’s economy and also issues
concerning the livelihood of the toiling people of both organised and
unorganised sectors including the scheme workers.
The Government has not taken any meaningful step to
curb price rise of essential necessities and to generate employment except
making tall baseless claims through sound-bites in the media. Instead of
universalizing public distribution system, the Government is trying to scuttle
it through the inherently anti-poor targeting mechanism called ‘Direct Benefit
Transfer’ resulting further exclusion of the common and needy people. The huge
does of additional duty on diesel, doubling of cess on coal, and increased in
direct taxes in the latest Budget (2016-17) and the recent increase in price of
all petro products are bound to fuel further spiraling rise in prices of daily
necessities.
The Government is mysteriously silent on the question
of retrieving the black-money stashed abroad. This Government is equally
unconcerned on recovering the Rs.4.04 lakh crore of Bad Debts, euphemistically
called Non-Performing Assets (NPA) of Public Sector Banks and almost similar
amount on account of unpaid direct tax. Rather in the Union Budget, it allowed
further relaxations to both loan defaulters and tax defaulters. And at the same
time, the common and marginal people are being strangulated through huge
increase in the burden of indirect tax and cut in allocations on social sectors
etc.
Whole range of social security measures are under
severe attack. The EPF and the ESI schemes are proposed to be made optional by
the Government to pave the way for their ultimate demolition. Post 2004
entrants in Government services, defence, railways etc have been subjected to
notorious new pension scheme. And for the vast unorganised sector workers, old
schemes are being repackaged and renamed, without providing for funds and
implementation-machinery to just befool the people.
Although the Government had to roll back their
retrograde budget proposal to tax the EPF withdrawal, they have launched
atrocious attack of drastic cut in interest rate on small savings instruments
like PPF, Postal saving deposits, Girl Child savings scheme, Sukanya Samridhhi
Yojana, Kisan Vikas Patra, National Savings Certificate and even senior
citizens’ deposit schemes and monthly income scheme. This retrograde move would
hit the common and marginal people very hard, more particularly those living on
interest income only after retirement.
Totally
ignoring the united opposition of the workers, the Government has been moving
fast to demolish existing labour laws thereby empowering the employees with
unfettered rights to “hire and fire” and stripping the workers and trade unions
of all their rights and protection provided in laws. As follow up to the PMO’s
written communication to the Chief Secretaries of States, state governments are
being directed to carry out Rajasthan type pro-management amendments in labour
laws. The Labour Secretary, Government of India has issued executive order on
this 12th January granting exemption to so called Start-up Enterprises
from inspection and application of 9 major labor laws, thereby legitimizing
violations.
The proposed Small Factories (Regulations of Service
conditions) Bill prescribes that major 14 labour laws will not apply to
factories employing up to 40 workers. Labour Code on Wages Bill and Labour Code
on Industries Relations Bill under the cover of amalgamation, seek to make
registration of unions almost impossible, making retrenchment and closure
almost free for the employers’ class. These bills have been put in public
domain totally ignoring the trade unions thereby violating the provisions of
ILO Convention 144 on Tripartite Consultation. All these amendments are meant
to exclude 90% of the workforce from application of labour laws thereby
allowing the employers to further squeeze and exploit the workers. all
rights-components in all the labour laws are being demolished to impose
conditions of slavery on the working people. Simultaneously, almost in all the
states, the work-place level struggles of the workers are being sought to be
crushed through repression including intimidation and arrests by the Government
machinery as is being nakedly visible in Rajasthan, Haryana, Tamilnadu, Andhra
Pradesh, Gujarat etc in recent times.
Along with, the Peasantry and Agri Labourers are also
under severe attack. Through sweeping changes in the Land Acquisition Act,
Farmers’ Right to Land and Agri-Workers’ Right to Livelihood were sought to be
drastically curbed, which ultimately could be stalled temporarily through
popular struggles but the danger still remains.
Attack on public sector has been pushed to
unprecedented height. Not merely disinvestment, the Government will now go for
‘mega strategic sale’. The main target is the Maharatna CPSUs and those amongst
the top profit making CPSUs including banks/insurance. The ownership control
and management of our shinning CPSUs are being sought to be handed over to the
private corporates, both domestic and foreign. Along with, almost unlimited FDI
is allowed in strategic sectors like Railways, Defence and Financial Sector as
complementary to the move of privatisation/PPP etc.
The anti-worker and authoritarian attitude of the
Government is also nakedly reflected in their refusal to implement the
consensus recommendations of 43rd, 44th and 45th
Indian Labor Conferences on formulation of minimum wages, same wage and
benefits as regular workers for the contract workers and granting status of
workers with attendant benefits to the scheme workers like Anganwadi, mid-day
meal, ASHA, para-teachers etc. on the contrary, the Government drastically
curtailed budget allocations to all those centrally sponsored schemes meant for
poor peoples’ welfare. The legislation on the issue of Street Vendors is not
being implemented appropriately.
The convention reiterates the demand for strict
implementation of labour laws and a total scrap of its proposal of so called
“labour-law-reforms”, halting mass scale unlawful contractorisation, minimum
wages at not less than Rs.18,000 per month with indexation and universal social
security benefits and pension for all including the unorganised sector workers,
etc. The demands also include compulsory registration of Trade Unions within 45
days and ratification of ILO Conventions 87 and 98.
The Convention urges the Government to reverse the
direction of the ongoing economic policy regime which has landed the entire
national economy in distress and decline affecting the working people the most.
The Convention also extends support to the struggles of the Government employees,
Railways and defence sector employees bank & insurance employees, coal,
telecom and transport sector employees etc on their just demands and against
the policy regime.
The Convention calls upon all the trade unions,
federations across the sectors to widen and consolidate the unity at the
grass-root level and prepare for countrywide united movement and observe the
following programme of agitation and action:
1. Joint conventions and campaigns
during June-July 2016 in states, districts and at industry level and take
initiative to involve peasants, Agri labour and mass of the people in the
campaign.
2. Day-long ‘Mass Dharna/Satyagraha
in the Capital of the States and Industrial Centres preferably on the
auspicious day on 9th August 2016 (Quit India Day) in preparation
for the strike.
3. ALL INDIA GENERAL STRIKES ON 2ND
SEPTEMBER 2016.
The Convention once again expresses its readiness for
arriving at an acceptable settlement to the 12 points Charter of Demands
through discussion with the Government, Effective implementation forthwith the
consensus recommendations of successive Indian Labour Conference on minimum
wage, on contract workers and the Scheme workers is crucial for the CTUs to
prepare for dialogue with the Government.
The National Convention of Workers calls upon the
trade unions and working people irrespective of affiliations to unite and make
the countrywide General Strike a massive success. Unity of working people and
masses have to be defended and strengthened through the process of struggles only.
Convention also appeals to the Peasants, Agriculture Labour and the rural and
urban toiling people to support and participate in the strike on 2nd
September 2016.
BMS INTUC AITUC
HMS CITU
AIUTUC
TUCC SEWA AICCTU UTUC LPF
AND ALL INDIA
FEDERATIONS OF BANKS, INSURANCE, DEFENCE, RAILWAYS, CENTRAL/ STATE GOVERNMENTS
EMPLOYEES AND OTHER SERVICE ESTABLISHMENTS
