The Joint Declaration of the CPSTU Convention held at Chennai on 15 December 2012 is reproduced below for information and necessary action (Extracts only): Let us seriously prepare for the Two days Strike on 20-21 February 2013 called by the Central Trade Unions in the National Convention held at Delhi on 4th September 2012. Coms. Animesh Mitra, Dy.GS, Punitha Udhayakumar,Vice-President and K.Govindarajan, CS, Chennai attended the Convention from BSNLEU.

JOINT DECLARATION OF CPSTU WORKERS

Through its Declaration the convention noted that the CPSUs have been contributing to the central exchequer on a big scale with an ever increasing rate. The financial strength of the CPSUs can be judged from the fact that 40-plus CPSUs has a total cash reserve of Rs 2.15 lakh crore. This includes the shares of Coal India (Rs 58,203 crore), ONGC (Rs 27,890 crore), NTPC (Rs 18,092 crore), NMDC (Rs 20,26 crore), HAL (Rs 20,999 crore) and Oil India (Rs 2,766 crore).
It is therefore shocking that apart from launching an onslaught of privatisation, the government is desperately squeezing the excellently run huge profit making PSUs through multiple techniques. Huge amounts of money are being extracted through taxes and dividends. Again, in the background of extreme volatility and fluctuations in the share market, PSUs are compelled to enlist in the share market in order to rescue the shaky stock exchanges from the serious crisis of creditability.

The Declaration further said that, in the face of private investors’ refusal to invest due to continuously aggravating stagnant market, the government has imposed a decision on 17 PSUs that they must effect domestic investments of over Rs 1.4 lakh crore while overseas acquisitions are expected to be of the order of Rs 35,000 crore. Shockingly, the Union Finance Ministry is reported to have said that “if the PSUs do not fall in line, the ministry may ask the PSUs to surrender their cash reserves to the government through big dividends” [Financial Express, September 17, 2012].

The convention also noted with utter shock and anger that while in the fiscal 2012-2013 the budgeted target of disinvestment is Rs 30,000 crore, the government has declared its intention to offload the shares of around 75 CPSUs and already identified 15 such entities for disinvestment of shares worth Rs 33,500 crore. The list includes BHEL, SAIL, RINL, HAL, NALCO, MMTC, NHPC, NTPC, NLC, NMDC, Oil India and EIL. The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) has already accorded approval for disinvestment of 10 per cent share in NMDC and 9.5 per cent in NTPC, 9.59 per cent in Hindustan Copper, 10 per cent in Oil India, 9.33 per cent in MMTC and 12.15 per cent in NALCO. In the process, the government’s shareholding shall drastically come down to 68.43 per cent in Oil India, 75 per cent each in NTPC and NALCO, and 62.72 per cent in BHEL.

In order to push through its disinvestment programme in a hurry in order to address the increasing fiscal deficit, the government has resorted to various derogatory policy measures. Such steps include the policy of ‘buyback of shares,’ ‘selling through auction route’ and ‘offer for sale.’ These options are, of course, in addition to the IPO and FPO routes.

The joint convention expressed concern over the alarming increase in the number of contract workers and decrease in permanent workers in the CPSUs. The stoppage of recruitment of permanent workers and resort to massive contractisation and casualisation of workforce are issues posing serious challenges to the trade union movement. Compared to around 23 lakhs in the 1980s, the number of regular employees in the CPSUs has gone down to 14.44 lakh in 2010-11. Meanwhile, contract workforce has already attained extraordinary numerical and strategic strength in the PSUs as a whole. Despite their huge contribution in the production, productivity and profitability of the PSUs concerned, these contract workers are the victims of despicable exploitation in regard to the terms and conditions of employment, including wages and benefits, social security and safety. Their wages are atrociously low compared to regular workers doing the jobs of the same and similar nature.

The convention appealed to the public sector workers all over the country to take positive lesson from the totally united, bold and forthright struggles of the workers of Visakha steel plant, NALCO (Odisha) and NMDC against the proposed disinvestment. The convention resolved to stoutly oppose any move of privatisation or disinvestment of PSU shares in any public sector company in the country by launching struggles like the ones mentioned above.

The convention also took note of how lakhs of central government employees in the country staged a massive countrywide strike on December 12, 2012 to demand scrapping of the PFRDA Bill, stop to contractisation, setting up of the seventh Pay Commission and 50 per cent DA merger, among other things.

RESOLVE TO JOIN FEB STRIKE
It was in such a context that the national convention of workers held at New Delhi on September 4, 2012 and organized jointly by all the central trade unions and independent federations of employees and workers gave a call to observe a countrywide two days’ general strike on February 20 and 21, 2013. The strike is meant to press for a 10-point charter of demands concerning all sections of workers and other toiling people.

The December 15 Chennai convention of public sector workers extended full support to this call of a countrywide strike and issued an appeal to all permanent and contract workers in all the CPSUs, irrespective of their trade union affiliations, to join the strike and make it a total success, as a reflection of their total unity as was demonstrated in the convention itself. The convention also urged upon the unions in the PSUs to submit joint strike notices and conduct joint massive campaigns as well as programmes of agitation and propaganda to mobilise the workers for taking part in the strike on February 20 and 21, 2013.