US President Barack Obama has expressed his unhappiness about the delay in economic reforms in India, in a press conference held yesterday. He mainly pointed out the delay in allowing FDI in retail trade etc. He stated that lack of reforms will reduce FDI to India.

More than Indian Government, US administration is worried about the lack of reforms in India. What are these important reforms? One is allowing of 50% FDI in retail trade. Another is the PFRDA Bill which will make the huge pension funds available to the private corporates. Third is the Insurance Bill, through which the private companies can be given more space and benefit and can privatise the PSU Insurance companies.

These reforms are not in the interest of the workers or the huge majority of the  people of this country. These will benefit only the MNCs, Corporates and the big business. These are part of the neo-liberal policies of the government which take away the rights and benefits of the toiling masses and give more control to the MNCs and rich corporates on the Indian economy.

But unfortunately the UPA government is going on aggressively to implement these anti-people measures at the diktat of the US and other capitalist countries.

Only a strong movement by the people alone will save the country from this liberalisation, privatisation, globalisation policy.

On 11th July 1960, the Central Government Employees went on an Indefinite Strike on important demands like Minimum Wage, DA etc. which continued for 5 days before withdrawing under the brutal attack, suppression, victimisation and harassment from the government. The government promulgated Essential Service Maintenance Ordinance (ESMO) for the first time in independent India and jailed, arrested, terminated and punished thousands of workers who have gone on strike. There was no settlement and it was an unconditional withdrawal before the fury and might of the government. But as the saying goes, no strike is in vain. The government was compelled to reinstate all terminated employees, though other punishments etc. continued.  DA was improved and some other demands also settled within a few years.

All those participants in this historic strike are retired and are not in service.  But the memory of the courage and bravery of those comrades who led the strike and who participated facing the inhuman and brutal attack of the state machinery for defending the rights of workers and their future will ever be remembered by the present and future generations.

I feel proud that I had the humble opportunity to participate in this great struggle and realise the real face  of the  government from my own personal experience. I feel also proud, though a comparatively new entrant at that time, I have been also a victim of the brutal attack by the government, which helped me to take the trade union field instead of career prospects.

I salute all those who led and participated in that great struggle. Let its  memory be  always an inspiration to the present and future generations.

The Central trade unions in its meeting on 11th July has decided to organise a National Convention on 4th September at Mavlankar Hall, New Delhi. In addition to the central trade unions, representatives from All India Federations will also be participating.

The Convention is expected to take important decisions on the demands already raised by the CTUs in the historic  All India strike organised on 28th February, including against price hike, disinvestment of PSUs, curtailing of trade union rights etc. and also demanding implementation of minimum wages in unorganised sector, regularisation of contract workers etc.

The workers all over the country are waiting for the crucial decisions of the Convention to continue their sustained struggles against the anti-people, anti-worker neo-liberal policies of the central government.

All India General Council of CITU meeting at Coimbatore from 2nd to 5th June has decided:
      To organize a wave of massive and militant campaigns and struggles in the country against the regime of loot and plunder on workers and the mass of the people let loose by the neo-liberal policies of the government of India and on the pressing demands of the working people in various sectors. These campaigns with a countrywide campaign week from 2nd to 8th July 2012 raising issues like price rise, leading the exploitative system of contractorisation prevailing in all sectors in the country, equal wage for equal work, minimum wages of at least Rs. 10,000 per month and ensured pension for all. Campaigns will be organized at workplaces and residential areas.       General council reviewed the 28th February 2012 General strike and decided to continue the joint struggles against the polices of the government as the Government of India has failed to look into any demands raised by the unions during the struggles in the last 3 years.       CITU along with other central trade unions and national federations will go for countrywide campaigns and struggles culminating in multiple days of countrywide strike as to be decided jointly by the Central Trade Unions.       Protesting against the cruel exploitation of millions of workers especially women in the name of honorarium, workers in various schemes of the government of India like anganwadi, mid-day meals and Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHA), CITU will organize countrywide struggles demanding regularization of these scheme workers with proper wage scales and social security benefits. The programme will include state level campaigns and mobilizations culminating in a ‘Mahapadav’ (massive mobilization) in front of the Parliament during November 2012.       CITU will organize struggles of various sections of unorganized sector workers on issues like minimum wages of at least Rs. 10,000, social security benefits, welfare board and other statutory benefits as part of these struggles. Construction workers will organize a countrywide strike on 6th November 2012.        CITU will organize solidarity actions with the workers in central PSUs, who are struggling against privatization. CITU extends solidarity with the steel workers’ united strike in Visakhapatnam Steel Plant (RINL) on 27th and 28th June against disinvestment.       CITU expressed solidarity with the struggles of various sections of workers in Tamilnadu who are demanding end to victimizations, ensuring trade union rights, wage increases and proper functioning of the welfare boards of unorganized sector workers.       CITU General Council has decided to conduct movements and campaigns on issues of social and gender oppressions in different parts of the country.       General Council has decided to conduct its 14th National Conference by the end of March 2013 and will be preceded by state conferences.       Working Women Co-ordination Committees of CITU will also organise state and national conventions of working women before March 2013.

If the discussions and the directions given by the leaders in the CITU General Council  is any indication, there is going to be serious struggles being organised in the near future on the 10 points demands on which a major and successful strike has already been taken place on 28th February 2012 in which BSNL employees have also effectively participated. This is necessary since the government is yet to realise the gravity and seriousness of the situation as also the anger amongst the common people and workers against the anti-people policies and decisions of the goveernment.

CITU General Council Meeting started today at Coimbatore. The report presented by the General Secretary covered the international and national developments. The necessity of united struggles was stressed. As Fraternal delegates Com. V.A.N.Namboodiri, President, BSNLEU & BSNLCCWF and Com. P.Abhimanyu, General Secretary, BSNLEU greeted the meeting. In their speeches, they mentioned the wrong policy of the government and the inefficient management which has resulted in less growth for the company. The present state of the organisation of BSNL Casual and Contract Workers Federation was reported. The meeting will continue till 5th June.

The General Council of Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) will start tomorrow at Coimbatore and will continue for the next four days. The GC is very important since it will be discussing the present situation when the government is trying to take away the labor rights and impose restrictions one after another. In addition, it will discuss about the methods to strengthen the united actions by all the Central trade Unions, reviewing the success and impact of the 28th February strike organised as per the call of the 11 Central Trade Unions. It will also discuss the ways and means to strengthen CITU and have more spread all over the country.

On 31st May, today, various parties have given call for Bandh, rallies, protest demonstrations, rasta roko and other programmes of struggles against the intolerable petrol price hike, which will escalate the prices of all essential commodities. During the last few years of the UPA government, the price of petrol has been hiked more than 15 times, making the price almost double.

Who gets benefit out of imposing this burden on the common people and the working class? It is the private and PSU Oil Companies and the Central and State governments. The real price of petrol is only about half, the other half being the customs duty, taxes etc. The government which should subsidise the poor for their daily requirements is subsidising the rich and corporates to amass wealth at the same time imposing high tax on petrol and other essential commodities.

Tha is why not only the opposition parties including the Left Parties, but also even allies of the government have come to the streets. Most of the trade unions have called for demonstrations and other  forms of agitation.

BSNLEU has given call for participating in the protest demonstrations and other protest programmes.

In addition, the protest demonstrations on our own demands, which the Forum of BSNL Unions/Associations also have to be implemented effectively. If the Forum programme could not be organised due to Bandh etc. today, it is to be organised tomorrow, 1st June 2012.

Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) was formed 42 years ago on 30th May 1970. There were serious differences in the then All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC) on the line taken by the leadership on the issues of the workers as also the approach to the ruling party and its policies. This reached to a climax and the CITU was formed in 1970 with Com. B.T.Ranadive as President and Com. P.Ramamoorthy as the General Secretary.

Within a few years CITU grew in to a militant trade union organisation and many unions started affiliation with the same. Now it is one of the biggest central trade unions. It has a pivotal role in bringing all the Central Trade Unions together for struggles against the anti-working class policies of the government and for protecting the rights of the workers. Its present President is Com. A.K.Padmanabhan and General Secretary Com. Tapan Sen, M.P. The General Council of CITU will be meeting at Coimbatore from 2nd to 5th June 2012.

My Best Wishes and Greetings to CITU and its leaders and workers on the 42nd Foundation Day !