19 Thursday Sep 2013
Posted in TU News - India
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The workers in the Coal Sector are going on strike for three days from 23rd September 2013 against disinvestment and privatisation of the coal sector. This is a joint strike by all the unions in the sector. This is a fight against the anti-PSU policy of the government.
We call upon all the BSNL Employees to give full support and Solidarity to the strike of the Coal Workers.
18 Wednesday Sep 2013
Posted in TU News - India
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The, meeting of the Public sector trade unions held at Ranchi on 18th August 2013 has given the following call:
1. Organise 23rd September 2013 as Anti-Disinvestment/Privatisation Day by organising demonstrations, gate meetings etc. and to send fax to Prime Minister Prime Minister to stop all disinvestment plans of PSUs.
2. Participate in full strength in the state level demonstrations on 25th September as given call by the National Convention of Workers held at New Dlhi on 6th August by the Central TUs.
3. Participate in the ‘International day of Action’ on 3rd October as per the call of the World Federation of Trade unions(WFTU), which is jointly being organised by the Left trade Unions in India.
BSNL Employees Union is party to all these decisions. BSNLEU, BSNLCCWF as also AIBDPA will be participating in all these programmes. Our comrades are requested to joint these programmes effectively and make them successful.
19 Monday Aug 2013
Posted in PSU, TU News - India
New Delhi, Aug 19 All trade unions of Coal India
have decided to go on a three day strike from September 23,
saying the government and the company have not paid heed to
the directions given by Coal Minister Sriprakash Jaiswal.
An earlier notice for a 3-day strike beginning September
19, given by CITU-led All India Coal Workers’ Federation
(AICWF) will now be withdrawn, the unions said in a joint
notice for the strike. The unions had held a meeting yesterday
in Ranchi on the issue.
“After detailed deliberations, representatives of five
central trade unions resolve to serve strike notice for three
days with effect from September 23 to 25,” the trade unions
said in the notice to Coal Secretary and Coal India Chairman.
The five central trade unions operating in Coal India and
its subsidiaries are Indian National Trade Union Congress
(INTUC), All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC), Bharatiya
Mazdoor Sangh (BMS), Hind Mazdoor Sabha (HMS) and Centre for
Indian Trade Unions (CITU). They operate either directly or
through their affiliates.
A 10 per cent disinvestment in Coal India and its proposed
restructuring are among the major issues against which the
trade unions are threatening to go on strike.
11 Sunday Aug 2013
Posted in TU News - India
PTI
New Delhi, Aug 11 Trade unions have decided to oppose finance ministry’s proposal to offer the New Pension System (NPS) to the retirement fund body EPFO’s subscribers who are covered under Employees’ Pension Scheme-1995 (EPS-95).
The Finance Ministry has said the NPS scheme provides better returns than EPS-95 run by the Employee’s Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) at present.
“Whenever this proposal will be taken up in the trustees’ meet, we will oppose it,” Hind Mazdoor Sabah Secretary and member of the EPFO’s apex decision making body, Central Board of Trustees, A D Nagpal told PTI.
Another Trustee and President of Indian National Trade Union Congress G S Reddy said, “We want to continue with the EPS-95 scheme. We don’t want to give any such option to subscribers.”
Another trustee and All India Secretary of Bhartiya Mazdoor Sangh ,Virjesh Upadhyay, also opposed it and said,”This has not come to us for discussion. But we will certainly oppose this.”
Earlier, disagreeing with the proposal, EPFO has already written a letter to the Labour Secretary explaining its position.
Financial Services Secretary has put up the proposal for NPS before the Labour Secretary.
“If we take the return of EPS as indicative return on the fund managed under EPS, then the annualised return for the period May 2009 to May 2013 will be 10.47 per cent, which on the face of it is higher than the return declared by NPS in its scheme for central government”, EPFO has said
Finance Ministry has written to the Labour Ministry saying: “The subscribers (of EPS) may be given an option to either remain with EPS or join NPS with the same contribution.”
The finance ministry has argued that NPS, which is self sustaining pension system, could be a good substitute for EPS and would be beneficial for subscribers as they would get decent returns and adequate pension wealth.
Moreover, the Finance Ministry said, “The government would be free from any open ended and financially unsustainable liability of EPS…”
Disagreeing with the contention, EPFO has said that EPS-95 provides social security for lower income group people in their old age. In addition, it also provides pension to widow, children and dependents in case of death of the subscriber.
Under the EPS scheme, many interim benefits are provided.
Subscribers can withdraw their contribution towards pension while withdrawing his or her EPF money. There is a lock in period of 15 years in NPS.
EPS’s corpus size stood at Rs 1.83 lakh crore as on March 31, 2013. Under the NPS, total corpus was at Rs 29,852 crore as on March 31, 2013 with a subscribers’ base of 47,70,507 members.
Currently central government employees are covered under the NPS while it is also available for individuals opting for it.
06 Tuesday Aug 2013
Posted in TU News - India
NATIONAL CONVENTION OF WORKERS AT NEW DELHI
A National Convention of Workers was held on 6th August 2013 at Mavlankar Hall, New Delhi, under the auspices of the 11 Central Trade Unions, which organised the 48 hours strike on 20-21 February 2013, on the major demands of the workers and common people. More than 1,000 delegates from the central trade unions and independent federations from the various parts of the country attended.
The Presidium consisted of the Presidents of the participating organisations including Com. A.K.Padmanabhan (CITU), Abani Roy(UTUC) and others. The Declaration of the Convention was circulated in advance both in Hindi and English.
The General Secretaries / representatives of the 11 central trade unions addressed the convention and supported the declaration and the programmes chalked out there in. S/Shri B.N.Rai (BMS), K.K.Nair (INTUC), Gurudas Dasgupta (AITUC), Harbhajan Singh and Umraomal Purohit (HMS), Tapan Sen (CITU), Satyavan Singh (AIUTUC) S.P. Tiwari (TUCC), Smt. Latha Bahan (SEWA), Rajiv Dimri(AICCTU), Ashok Ghosh (UTUC) and Pachimuthu (LPF) addressed the Convention.
After the speeches, the Presidium declared the Declaration as unanimously passed amidst thunderous applause from the house.
The Declaration congratulated the workers for the historic 48 hours strike on 20-21 February 2013 and called for further programmes on the 10 point charter on which the strike took place. It is decided to organise demonstrations/rallies/satyagrahas on 25th September 2013 and a massive demonstration before the Parliament on 12th December 2013. On the same day, 12th December, district level demonstrations also have to be organised. In the declaration as well as Convention, the issue of minimum wage and other demands of the unorganised and contract workers were stressed.
The National Convention has once again planned the next programmes for realisation of the demands raised by it. All these programmes have to be organised effectively and successfully.
10 Wednesday Jul 2013
Posted in TU News - India
The 5 days strike by the Central Government Employees started from 11th July 1960 will always inspire not only the CG Employees, but the entire working class in India. It was the biggest strike that Indian government had to face since Independence in 1947.
The strike called by the All India Railwaymen Federation (AIRF), All India Defence Employees Federation (AIDEF) and Confederation of Central Government Employees and Workers demanded the government to modify the retrograde recommendations of the II Central Pay Commission, grant of Minimum Wage, Full neutralisation for cost of living etc.
The Government dealt the strike with iron hands. The government declined to meet the leaders of the Joint Action Committee. Instead it promulgated the Essential Service maintenance Ordinance against the strike with stringent punishment. Prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru termed the strike as ‘Civil Rebellion’ and issued instructions to suppress it with all the might of the central and state governments. Thousands of workers were jailed (outsiders also for supporting the strike), dismissed, terminated, suspended, charge sheeted, severely punished and transferred. The All India leaders were arrested and paraded hand-cuffed through the streets of Delhi. The government dealt with the strikers as enemies of the country. The strike could not go on more than 5 days. It was mercilessly suppressed by the government.
It took more than 4 years to get all the officials got reinstated. Even that was only after the Members of Parliament like Coms. A.K.Gopalan, Nath Pai, S.M.Banerjee and others lambasted the government in the Parliament about the inhuman treatment of the strikers by the government.
I was working at Cannanore (Kannur) at that time. Three comrade were put in jail, punished for 6 months rigorous imprisonment. I was kept out of service, charge sheeted and punished. The working class realised the inhuman face of the Congress government. Though suppressed with in a decade the government was compelled to accept at least some of the demands.
BY once again going on a one day strike on 19th September 1968, the workers showed that they will continue to fight for their rights.
09 Tuesday Jul 2013
Posted in TU News - India
The Joint meeting of Central Trade Unions held on 8th July 2013 at BMS office, New Delhi has decided the following course of joint mobilization/agitations and activities
National Convention of Trade Unions on 6th August 2013 at Mavalankar Hall, New Delhi
You are requested to please ensure participation of your organization in the National Convention of Trade Unions to be held on 6th August 2013 at Mavalankar Hall, New Delhi as on all previous occasions.
29 Saturday Jun 2013
Posted in TU News - India
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The 11 Central trade Unions which called for the 48 hours strike focussing the 10 demands they have raised have written to the Prime Minister on 23rd May 2013 seeking his intervention for settling the issues raised by them.
The Group of Ministers (GoM) headed by Defence Minister A.K.Antony, met with the Central Trade Union leaders on 22nd May, in which the leaders focussed the main issues of the strike as also pointed out in the 45th Session of the Indian Labour Conference (ILC) in which the Prime Minister was also present.
In the letter to PM, the CTUs stated:
” On being urged by the Central Trade Unions for concrete response on some of the demands like Minimum Wages of not less than Rs. 10,000, universal social security cover to all workers, assured pension for the entire working population, same wage for same work as regular workers for the contract workers in the respective ministry/establishments, concrete programmes for implementation of labour laws etc. Chairman of the meeting conveyed on behalf of the Group of Ministers that some time is needed for internal discussion and hey will revert back to the trade unions shortly within a month’s time.
“We like to impress upon you that all Central Trade Unions in the country have been jointly pressing for these demands in the last three years or so through numerous memorandums and various programmes observed jointly throughout the country.
“In the context of the step for bipartite discussion with the Central Trade Unions already initiated by you, we urge upon your effective intervention so that these long pending just demands of the workers are sorted out through dialogue with the forum constituted by you within a month’s time as urged upon by the concerned GoM, in the interests of the working people and the nation.”
While the central government is very quick to resolve even the unjustified demands of the corporates by modifying the Tax rules, why it is taking so much time for settling the just demands of the working class raised by them and on which about 12crores workers have gone on strike for 48 hours?
08 Saturday Jun 2013
Posted in TU News - India
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The hundreds of Kingfisher workers who were on hunger strike demanding salary for the last one year has ended the same after discussion with the CEO of Kingfisher Sanjay Aggerwal. It is hoped that the pending salary will be paid without further delay.
07 Friday Jun 2013
Posted in TU News - India, Uncategorized
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The 9th Federal Council of the National Federation of Postal Employees is scheduled to be held from 9th to 12th June at Hyderabad. NFPTE which was formed in 1954 got bifurcated in 1985 in to NFPE and NFTE consequent to the bifurcation of the P&T in to Postal and Telecommunication Departments. While the service section of the Department of Telecom was converted in to a PSU, BSNL, the Department of Posts continued as such and NFPE also continued. The present Federal Council of NFPE is the 9th after its formation.
NFPTE has a glorious past organising many historic struggles for the interest of the Central Government employees and specially for the P&T employees. NFPE as also BSNLEU is continuing with this great tradition.
On behalf of BSNLEU and on my own behalf, I convey Best Wishes for the success of the Federal Council and Revolutionary Greetings to all the comrades !
VAN Namboodiri's Blog 