Com.M.Krishnan, Secretary General, NFPE and Secretary General Confederation has retired from service on superannuation today.
During his tenure, both NFPE and Confederation has risen to new heights and many important strikes and struggles were organised.
My Best Wishes and Revoulutionary Greetings to Com. Krishnan! I am sure that his services will continue to be available to TU movement for a very long time.

On 1September 2014, Life Insurance Corporation India (LIC) completes 58 years of Glorious service.
LIC was formed on 1 September 1956 by merging and consolidating 245 insurance companies, as per the Life Insurance Act passed by the Parliament on 19 June 1956.
After it started functioning, by its efficient and customer oriented service, LIC grew in to one of the best PSU in a very short time. Now it is the biggest insurance company in India. Its service is also best.
The All India Insurance Employees Association is the biggest union in LIC and has got about 82% support of workers. It is part of the progressive TU movement.
On the 58 Birth Anniversary of LIC, my hearty Congratulations to the LIC, AIIEA and its workers!

It is reported in press that the captured Yazidi women are being sold by ISIS. This is astrocious and is to be condemned by all. ISIS should be compelled to free them.

The disinvestment bulldozer of the government has started crushing the Central PSUs. Finance Minister Arun Jaitely has stated that the process will start now. ONGC, SAIL etc. are in the immediate list to mop up more than Rs. 58,000 crores. It is not good days but bad days for the PSUs.

Marwaris are generally rich and better of. Many of the big business houses in India are Marwaris. They have got palatial houses and spend huge amount to the extend of Rs.50-60 crores for a marriage. The middle class Marwaris also try to emulate marriages in the same which put them in financial troubles. This same problem exists all over India in all communities. How to curb this wasteful spending?
It is reported in today’s Sunday Times that the elders in Rajasthan Marwari families have put restrictions on big ticket spending for marriages. It says that marriage to be held in the village only and the invitees to be limited mainly to family members. Sweets to be limited to two and the barat also to be toned down.
If the restrictions are violated, the family will be socially boycotted.
The report says that due to the community restrictions, the wasteful  expenditure and lavish arrangements have come down. Of course, there is small section, which is not happy, which wants to show off.
Such restrictions can be emulated by others also.

A meeting of the All India Co-ordinating Committee of Public Sector Trade Unions was held at BTR Bhawan today 30 August 2014. About 150 comrades were present.
Com. Tapan Sen, General Secretary presided. Com. A.K.P., President inaugurated the meeting. The main issues to be discussed was presented by him.
Com. Swadesh Dev Roy, Convener, presented the Back Ground Paper with   explanations. Large number of comrades participated in the discussion. The meeting continues for tomorrow.

Noted Historian Bipin Chandra passed away today. He was a specialist of Political and Economic History. He has taught in JNU and other universities.He was 86. We lost a progressive historian.

The government has decided to fix the minimum pension to Rs.1,000 from September as agreed with trade unions earlier. Now lakhs of EPF Pensioners are getting pension far less than Rs. 1,000. According to reports, this will benefit about 28 lakh pensioners.
The wage ceiling for EPF will now be raised to Rs.15,000 from the present Rs. 6,500.

The EPFO in its meeting on 26 August 2014 has declared 8.75% interest for EPF Account holders for the year 2014-15, as in last year. The demand of the central unions to icrease the interest to 9.5% was not accepted. At the same, the EPFO proposal to give 8.7% interest was strongly opposed by unions and could not be implemented.