Author Archives: VAN NAMBOODIRI

BSNL continues its forward march on new mobile connections

07 Friday Apr 2017

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A new achievement by BSNL – Added 29.5 lakh mobile customers in March, 2017.
BSNL has once again did the wonder. It has added 29,52,251 new mobile customers in the month of March, 2017. This may be the highest number of mobile connections given by BSNL in any month. It is very important to note that BSNL has made this achievement, in the face of cut-throat competition from Reliance Jio. Gujarat has come first, by adding 2,82,982 new mobile customers. UP (East) circle has come second, by adding 2,54,542 new mobile customers. BSNLEU heartily congratulates the entire Non-Executives and Executives of BSNL, as well as the Management, for making this achievement. (BSNLEU Website)

Trade Union Front of Class – WFTU

07 Friday Apr 2017

Posted by in WFTU

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Trade Union Front of Class
“Nothing does more harm to workers than class collaboration. The class struggle, on the contrary, is the basis of unity, its most powerful motive. That’s the lead in successfully bringing together all the workers that the CGT was founded. But the class struggle is not an invention, it is a fact. It is not enough to deny that she continually, give up the lead equivalent for the working class to engage and foot-operating and crushing. “” The social regression is not negotiable, it fight! ” (CGT)

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CITU condemns central government decision to withdraw benefits to workers.

07 Friday Apr 2017

Posted by in TU News - India

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New Delhi, April 4: Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) strongly condemns the decision of the government of India to withdraw the benefits under the Building and Other Construction Workers (Regulation of Employment and Conditions of Service) Act, for the MGNREGA workers.

The government of India has directed all the state and UT governments to withdraw registration of MGNREGA workers under the Building and Other Construction Workers (RECS) Act vide Labour Ministry’s Order dated 10th February 2017.

It is to be recalled that the decision to include MGNREGA workers who have completed 50 days of work, under the Building and Other Construction Workers Act, was taken in 2013 after the Supreme Court has directed the government in 2012 to issue appropriate directions for the effective implementation of the Act.

It is highly regrettable that instead of taking measures to ensure effective implementation of the Act and that the welfare benefits under the Act reach the workers, the government has denied the poor workers the benefits to which they were entitled. Less than 32% of construction workers were registered under the Act as in January 2016. The amount collected as cess was Rs 24277.38 crores while it has been estimated that Rs 70270 crores ought to have been collected. And out of this only a measly sum of Rs 5684.8 crores has been spent for the benefit of nearly 2.3 crores workers registered with the board.

Since the BJP led government has come to power at the centre in 2014, it has been attacking the MGNREGA. Adequate funds are not being provided. The number of days of work provided under MGNREGA was less than 50 at the national level, making most of the MGNREGA workers ineligible even as per the earlier direction. In such a situation, instead of taking measures to improve their conditions, withdrawing even the existing benefit is deplorable.

CITU demands that government of India to immediately withdraw the concerned direction to the state and UT governments and continue registration of MGNREGA workers under the Building and Other Construction Workers’ Act.

CITU calls upon all the organisations of MGNREGA workers and the building and construction workers, irrespective of affiliations to join together to bring pressure on the government to withdraw the concerned direction to the state and UT government. It calls upon all its state committee to support the struggle of the MGNREGA workers against the withdrawal of their benefits’

SBI-SBT Merger – 1250 temporary workers on retrenchment threat

07 Friday Apr 2017

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1250 temporary workers who were working in the 850 branches of the State Bank of Travancore (SBT) are under threat of retrenchment. It is reported that direction has already been issued to terminate them. This is preposterous and against labour laws. These workers are engaged for a long period. They were being exploited by denying full wages and now they are being retrenched. In addition to the trade unions, the Government and the Labour Department should intervene in the matter and ensure that they are not retrenched.

It is also to be well understood that the SBI-SBT merger and connected decisions are not isolated ones, but the well planned conspiracy of the government, MNCs and Indian Corporates to finish the PSU Banks and allow the former to take over the banking industry in the country. Working class can not allow this loot of this country.

WFTU NEWS – Workers worldwide express solidarity with Palestine people

07 Friday Apr 2017

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31 Mar 2017MIDDLE EAST, PALESTINE, SOLIDARITY
The WFTU Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People was honoured with various initiatives all over the world, yesterday on March 30th 2017. The WFTU affiliates and friends responded to the WFTU Call: “On 30rd of March, all workers and ordinary people of the working class worldwide are called upon to give real expression to their solidarity with the people of Palestine against Israeli aggressiveness and occupation”.

The workers, the ordinary people which took part in the initiatives of the Class Oriented trade unions proved that Palestinian people are not alone, they demanded to STOP the Israeli Settlements, the recognition of a free and independent Palestinian state within the borders of 1967, with East Jerusalem as its capita

Pensioners protested in Athens

06 Thursday Apr 2017

Posted by in Pension, TUI of Pensioners and Retirees

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The Pensioners’ Union in Athens, Greece, is on agitation on the pension issue. They conducted massive protest demonstration in Athens against pension cuts on 4th April 2017. A report from Athens is given below:

“Tuesday, April 4, Athens Unions pensioners staged a massive demonstration against the new pension cuts, SYRIZA provided by the Government and the EU-IMF-ECB Agreement.
Retired unions protested to the Ministry of Labor, where they met with the Deputy Minister. The unions denounced the planned cuts and demanded the restoration of all the losses they had in their income in recent years.
The unions called for all pensioners to continue the fight, with the following manifestations station PAME on April 7 ”

AIBDPA expresses its solidarity and support to the struggles of the Pensioners of Athens!

Reception to Comrade K.G.Bose, NFPTE President, in Calicut in April 1973

05 Wednesday Apr 2017

Posted by in Telecom TU Movement 1991-2015

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This is an old photo of Comrade K.G.Bose, President NFPTE being received at the Railway Station Calicut by hundreds of workers. Coms. V.A.N.Namboodiri and K.Bhaskaran Nair on both sides of Com. KS

Five Requisites for an Ideal Trade Union – Babu Tarapada

05 Wednesday Apr 2017

Posted by in P&T TU History

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Babu Tarapada Mukherjee, one of the great leaders of the P&T Trade Union movement, in his famous Lahore Speech (1921) pointed out five important requisites for a successful trade union.

  1. There should be strong feeling of class consciousness. The bond of all unions is this feeling of class consciousness. We all belong to the Postal Services and are, therefore, brothers. We may come from different provinces, we may speak different tongues, we may be separated by wide areas extending over thousands of miles, but all this difference must appear before our common brotherhood. We may have our private disputes, tempting offers may be in work to seduce particular officials to create divided interest, but we must rise superior to all these. Private quarrel never so better and temptation never so powerful, should not alienate us from our allegiance to brother officials and make us traitors to our cause. This feeling is class consciousness, without which no organisation worth the name is possible.
  2. The second requisite is that no official stand  aloof from our union. Union is strength, and we can not afford to have division in our camp. In the interest of service as much as for individual interest, every one should join the union with heart and soul, so that our demands may have behind them, the united strength of the entire body of officials.
  3. The third requisite is to create  a substantial reserve fund. Brother delegates, full purse constitutes the sinews of war, and no special emphasis is at all necessary on this point. You all know without a strong financial backing, satisfactory work can not be done.
  4. The fourth requisite is to give publicity to our grievances through the press. ….The organ of the union should be very largely subscribed, so that every employee may have the opportunity to acquaint himself with the activities of the association and become familiar with the progress of ideas.
  5. The fifth requisite is to influence the members of the Legislative Assembly and the Council of State with a view to bring pressure on the government.  The value of help in this direction, will however, depend to a great extent on the strength of our organisation. The members are in a position to help, no doubt, but their help will not be very effective, unless our organisation becomes powerful. (From the 09-10-1921 Lahore Speech of Babu Tarapada Mukherjee)

BTR – The Revolutionary Leader of the Masses

05 Wednesday Apr 2017

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It is difficult to think that  27 years have passed since Com. B.T.Ranadive left us forever. Yes, Com. BTR passed away on 6th April 1990.

BTR was attracted to the communist movement from his early years and became a top leader of the united Communist Party of India and its General Secretary. Later from formation of CPI(M), he was a member of the Polit bureau and continued as such till his death.

He was in the forefront in helping the Royal Navy Mutiny of 1946. He organised several strikes and struggles of Girni Kamgar Union in Bombay. He was a top leader of the AITUC and when CITU was formed in 1970, he was one of the founding fathers. Later he became the President of CITU and continued for years. His writings are published in three big volumes which is a must to read.

As an all India office bearer of the P&T Unions, I had the opportunity to get his advice and guidance. In the fight with the revisionist in NFPTE during 1970s and 1980s, his guidance was of maximum benefit. A revolutionary leader, he conveyed the spirit with whomever he met.

Let his memory guide us in the future also.

Red Salute to Comrade BTR!

60 years after first EMS Government

04 Tuesday Apr 2017

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60 years have passed after the formation of Kerala State. The first Kerala ministry under Com. EMS Namboodiripad was formed on 5th April 1957. It was also the first Communist ministry in the country. The news had its impact in the whole world.

Com.EMS can be proud that the idea of Aikya Kerala, in the formation of which he had taken initiative, has been fulfilled and he had been the its first Chief Minister. But that was not the only achievement.

The major achievement of the ministry was the progressive land reforms, which saw real land reforms. In the Congress ruled states also there were land reforms, but it was only partly implemented and chances were given to the landlords to somehow keep their large areas of land. Another achievement of the reforms was in the education including payment of salary to the teachers, who were being exploited by the greedy managers.

There are many such achievements to the credit of the EMS Ministry. Congress and communal forces were afraid that if the ministry is allowed to complete its five year term, it will be impossible for them to defeat the Communists in future. Hence the ‘Vimochana Samaram'(‘Liberation Struggle’) under the gang up of Congress, religious institutions and even with imperialist forces. Before completion of five years term, EMS Ministry was dismissed by the President on the advice of the Pandit Jawharlal Nehru government.

Sixty years are over after the formation of the first EMS Ministry. Looking back and also looking  in to the present situation, it can be firmly stated that the impact of the first EMS Ministry is still there. LDF and UDF governments have been in power alternately for many years. The difference is well known to the people. It is only with the help of the communal parties that UDF is able to win. As a single political party CPI(M) is far ahead of any other party.

The present LDF government under Pinarayi Vijayan is continuing the pro-people policies to make the state towards further progress. Let us get inspiration from the first Communist Government for further progress.

Is it a coincidence that the first EMS Ministry was formed in the centenary year of the “First Indian War of Independence  1857”? In fact, the first shot against the British officer by Sepoy Mangal Pandey was fired on 29th March 1857, almost exactly  one century back.