Category Archives: General

UN adopts Resolution against neo-Nazism, 115 supports out of 193 states, US opposes

25 Tuesday Nov 2014

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Who are supporting Nazism and neo-Nazism is clear from the following report of the adoption of a resolution in the UN General Assembly on 21st November 2014:

“The UN General Assembly on 21st November 2014 adopted a resolution urging countries to adopt more efficient measures to struggle against the glorification  of Nazism and other forms of racial discrimination, xenophobia and intolerance.

A total of 115 out of 193 UN member-states voted in favor of the document.  Three countries opposed the document – Canada, the United States and Ukraine. Another 55 delegations, including from the European Union countries, abstained. Germany was one of the abstaining.

The resolution expresses concerns over the spread across the world of various extremist political parties, movements and groups, including neo-Nazis as well as racist extremist movements and ideologies.

The text also warns against glorification of the Nazi movement and former members of the Waffen-SS organization and erecting monuments and memorials to them.”

US and only two of its chamchas still like to bring back the Nazis!

 

Historic Verdict of Delhi High Court Reinstating workers of Hindustan Times

25 Tuesday Nov 2014

Posted by in General, TU News - India

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The Delhi High Court on 17th November 2014 has delivered a judgement reinstating the 272 workers of Hindustan Times, who were arbitrarily removed by the management nine years back. The Management has also been directed to pay the back wages since their retrenchment. This judgement is a victory not only for the HT workers and Delhi Union of Journalists, who conducted the case, but also to the trade union movement as a whole.

Earlier, the Industrial Tribunal after hearing the appeal of the DUJ, had cancelled the retrenchment orders and directed the HT to reinstate the workers with back wages. However, the management went on appeal to the Delhi High Court. The Delhi HC has now upheld the decision of the tribunal.

13 workers have died during the period after their retrenchment. The Delhi High Court stated: ” In case the relief of back wages is denied to the workmen, it would tantamount to placing a premium on the fraudulent conduct of the management which by its order of dismissal has virtually deprived hundreds of workmen of right to life and livelihood.”

We hail the historic Judgment. It should be an eye-opener to such anti-worker managements.

Opposition Parties Should oppose and defeat the Insurance Amendment Bill

25 Tuesday Nov 2014

Posted by in CTU, General, PSU, TU News - India

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The NDA Government is going to present the Insurance Amendment Bill in the Rajya Sabha in this winter session, where the opposition parties are in majority and the government in a minority. The efforts of both UPA and NDA governments in the past were defeated by the then opposition parties.

Why so? it is not simply political, but has other wide ramifications. The Insurance Amendment Act will result in the emergence of the MNCs in a big way and will  weaken the Life Insurance Corporation of India, which is the shining example of the Central Public Sector. LIC was formed through corporatisation of the private companies which were cheating the public. The LIC has grown year after year and even the MNCs failed to compete with the same. The government guarantee for the LIC policies is another benefit to the people, who are assured of their policy benefits. The LIC always reached to help the government whenever it was in financial difficulties, either by purchasing the share of PSUs or giving more dividend or otherwise.

The Insurance amendment Bill is to kill the public sector insurance companies including the LIC. That is why even many among the BJP and Congress, which parties have supported the bill at some time or other, there are members who oppose the bill. Further, the massive campaign conducted by the Insurance Employees Unions, especially the All India Insurance Employees Association  (AIIEA) has exposed the real intentions of the government to kill the Insurance companies and favour the MNCs and big corporates.

It is time that all the opposition parties should unitedly oppose this anti-people and anti-national bill and defeat the same convincingly. The United strength of the Central Trade Unions and Independent  Federations of Workers require to continue the hectic campaign and make the people fully aware of the dangers of the anti-people bill.

Central TUs Strongly Oppose closure of PSUs

24 Monday Nov 2014

Posted by in CTU, General, PSU, TU News - India

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The decision of the government to close sick PSUs has been condemned and strongly opposed by the Central Trade Unions. They have stated that there is no justification for the closure and the decision should be rescinded. They also suggested that these PSUs can be revived, if the government changes its policies.

The government earlier decided to close about 25 PSUs which are in loss, including BSNL and MTNL. In the first stage, it proposes to close PSUs, viz. HMT Watches, HMT Chinar Watches, Hindustan Cables, Hindustan Photo Films, HMT Bearings and Tungabhadra Steel Products. There are about 3,600 employees who will lose their jobs if the companies are closed.

The move of the government is only to close the PSUs, one after another to favour the corporates and private business and also to help them to increase their profits and eliminate competition from the PSUs.

The strong position taken by the Central Trade Unions should be supported by the entire trade union movement in the country. The National Protest Day on 5th December 2014 called for by the 11 Central Trade Unions should  be made a gigantic protest movement by participation of crores and crores of workers from all industries, central/state government employees, PSUs etc.

We demand that the government should drop the proposal to close the PSUs; instead its should take urgent action to revive these loss making PSUs.

Number of Women Employees increase in Central Government Services

24 Monday Nov 2014

Posted by in CG Employees, General

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As per reply given in the parliament by Minister Dr. Jitendra Singh, the number of women employees in Central Government has been increasing over the years. While there were 2.88 lakhs women employees out of total employees of 38.31 lakhs in 1991 ( 7.58%), it increased to 2.91 lakhs out of 38.76 total employees (7.53%) in 2001 and 3.11 lakh women employees out of 30.99 Lakh in 2009 ( 10.04%). this is a good news. Even when the number of total employees is being reduced, the number of women employees has increased.

As per the government, the following facilities are provided to the women employees to encourage women to join the services:

1. Maternity Leave 2. Child Care Leave 3. Child Adoption Leave 4. Special allowance to women with disability 5. Provision of creche facility 6. Posting of husband and wife at the same station 7. Special priority in allotment of residential accommodation 8. Provision for protection of women from acts of sexual harassment 9. Age relaxation for appointment to widows, divorced woman and women judicially separated from their husbands and who are not remarried 10. Special dispensation for women officers of All India Services of North East Cadre 11. Change of cadre in case of marriage of All India service officer and (xii) exemption from payment of fee for examinations conducted by the Union Public Service Commission and Staff Selection Commission.

But still the % of women employees are as stated only around 10% with about 90% being men only. There need to be much improvement for jobs to women.

 

CITU Calls for Continuity Of Protest Action On 24th November Against Privatisation Of Coal Sector

24 Monday Nov 2014

Posted by in General, TU News - India

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From India News Network(INN)

New Delhi, November 23: CITU calls upon coal workers to protest against nefarious game plan of the government of India to commence the process of denationalization of coal mining through the promulgation of Ordinance containing enabling provision for allowing private sector in commercial mining of coal. CITU also calls upon the coal workers and their unions/federations irrespective of affiliations to organize “work stoppage” for two hours” in all the coal mines/establishments in the country on 24th November 2014 and hold massive militant demonstration to voice their determination not to allow handing over of the coal mines to private corporates, both domestic and foreign, for commercial mining.

CITU resents the manner the joint strike call in coal industry on 24th November 2014 has been postponed/deferred by some of the federations only on the basis of so called vague assurance of Joint Secretary of coal ministry on his effort to arrange meeting between the federations and the government, when the Ordinance initiating the process of aggressive denationalization of coal mining is already put in the track of implementation and the time of auctioning of coal blocks has been more or less finalized.

Similar assurance given to the federations on arranging meeting with minister by the CIL management and the bureaucracy only one and half month back did not materialize. In view of the Ordinance already put in implementation track, which, inter alia, grossly tampered and altered the basic provisions of Coal Nationalised Act 1973, the joint one day strike call of 24th November 2014 by four federations in coal industry was envisaged as a protest action, preparatory to higher struggle for resistance to the aggressive move for denationalization/ privatization of coal mining sector by the coal workers. There is no justification for withdrawal/postponement/deferment of said protest strike merely on the basis of assurance of meeting with government more so when such assurance has already been violated only a month back.

CITU led All India Coal Workers’ Federation has rightly opposed such postponement of strike and refused to endorse the conclusions of the meeting between the federations and the ministry officials held 22nd November 2014 at New Delhi. The AICWF while opposing such decision of withdrawal/postponement of strike decided to hold two hour work stoppage and massive demonstration in coal industry on the same day on 24th November 2014.

CITU calls upon the coal workers and their unions irrespective of affiliations to keep the continuity of the protest action on while observing work-stoppage for two hours and massive demonstration in all the coal mines and establishments on 24th November and prepare for united resistance struggle against the government move for denationalization of coal industry and privatization/disinvestment in the days to come.

 

Don’t Privatise Public Sector Companies, Central Trade Unions.

19 Wednesday Nov 2014

Posted by in Corruption, Forum, General

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New Delhi, Nov 19 : Condemning the centre’s move to hand over DVC Thermal Plant to a private sector company, Central Trade Unions today said that government should “desist” from giving PSUs and public funds to private sector for promoting “private gains”.

Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) alleged that the move was a “virtual” gift of a newly constructed Public Sector Power Plant to private Sector by “frittering” away public funds for private interest and demanded that such a move to should be taken back.

“CITU deplores such move and demands that the decision taken by the DVC Board at the direction of Government of India must be reversed and the Power Plant must remain in the Public Sector under DVC.

“CITU also demands that the government must desist from such handing over of public sector units and public funds to private sector for promoting private gains,” it said in a statement.

CITU said that the Central Public Sector Undertaking (DVC) has set up a thermal power plant in the district of Purulia, West Bengal — Raghunathpur Thermal Power Station.

The first unit of this thermal power plant whose capacity is 600 MW has already been commissioned. Construction of the second phase of this project has already started whose capacity will be 1200 MW.

DVC has already spent more than Rs 6,000 crores for the construction of the first phase of the project and 900 acres of land was acquired by the state government and handed over to the DVC for the construction of the Power Plant.

“The Central Government has now decided to hand over the Raghunathpur Thermal Power Station to the private sector Tata Power. This is nothing, but virtual gift of a newly constructed Public Sector Power Plant to private Sector by frittering away public funds for private interest,” the statement said.

The Central Trade Unions also questioned that when DVC has the capacity and capability to run this unit why it is being handed over to Tata?

“The land was acquired for DVC’s project and not for the Tata. The decision to hand over the Public Sector Unit to a private sector company is in accordance with the policy of the present government,” it said. (PTI)

 

Reward for Adani – Rs. 6,100 crore funding from SBI

18 Tuesday Nov 2014

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Gautam Adani, the corporate from Gujarat, who has supported Modi with huge election funds is reaping the benefits. The SBI will be providing Rs. 6,100 crore funds for the Adani Company to start a coal and mining project in Australia. Australian Government also will part-fund the project. This has been agreed at the time of Prime Minister Modi’s visit to Australia.

Adani group has been given huge benefits in acquiring land for its power projects in Gujarat, while Modi was the Chief Minister there.

‘Tough Steps’ to Improve Railways – Minister

18 Tuesday Nov 2014

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Now, it has become the fashion for the central ministers to issue statements about taking ‘tough’, ‘austere’ ‘unpopular’etc. measures to improve the government services. The latest statement comes from the Minister of State for Railways Manoj Sinha who stated at the India Rail Summit that, “Some tough steps will have to be taken for restructuring of railways. Though many will not like it but we have to do it.”

What are the tough steps? It is easy to understand. The FDI will be increased, staff strength will be reduced, VRS will be implemented, the profitable sectors will be privatised, the passenger and freight charges will be increased again and also disinvestment will take place. With the slogan ” Business is not the Business of the government” and in full steam to favour the  corporates and MNCs from whom huge election funds have been received, the BJP Government is certainly going to take ‘tough’steps against the people.

It is only through sustained struggle of the workers and common people that this attack on the people can be stopped. It is high time to strengthen the struggles.

 

 

India is now the world’s slave capital: Global Slavery Index 2014

17 Monday Nov 2014

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I am reproducing a report in the Times of India about the Global Slavery Index  in which it is stated that the majority of the slaves are in India. The Government of India has to explain.

“India is now the world’s slave capital: Global Slavery Index 2014”

“The Global Slavery Index 2014 announced on Monday that India and Pakistan alone account for over 45% of total global enslaved population and have highest prevalence of modern slavery in Asia.
LONDON: With over 14.2 million in India being involved in forced labour and being victims of trafficking – for sexual exploitation and forced marriage, the country is home to the largest number of people trapped in modern slavery. Globally, 35.8 million people are enslaved across the world. Of them, 23.5 million people are in Asia, two-thirds of global total in 2014 (65.8%).

The Global Slavery Index 2014 announced on Monday that India and Pakistan alone account for over 45% of total global enslaved population and have highest prevalence of modern slavery in Asia.

The Index said, “Particularly in countries such as India and Pakistan, nationals – often including entire families – are enslaved through bonded labour in construction, agriculture, brick making, garment factories and manufacturing.”

The report this year found 23% more people across the world are involved in modern slavery than previous estimated.”( Courtesy: Times of India)