Category Archives: TU News – India

TU News from India

BMS also opposes disinvestment of PSUs, but no joint action with other Central Trade unions.

18 Friday Aug 2017

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Brijesh Upadhyaya, General Secretary BMS has called upon the BMS workers to organise ‘March to Delhi’ on 17th November 2017 demanding equal pay for equal work, social security for all workers and against disinvestment of PSUs etc. But it is also reported that BMS will not join the joint programme of three days dharna of the 10 Central Trade Unions – INTUC, AITUC, HMS, CITU, AIUTUC, TUCC, SEWA, AICCTU, UTUC and LPF along with All India Federations mostly on the same demands being organised from 9th November 2017.

A joint programme by all the Central trade unions including BMS is the need of the hour. It is to be noted that all the CTUs including INTUC and BMS organised joint programmes on the workers’ demands while Congress was in power.

Workers will Storm Delhi on 9-11 November 2017

09 Wednesday Aug 2017

Posted by in CG Employees, CITU, TU News - India, Uncategorized

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Lakhs of workers from all parts of the country will be sitting on Maha Dharna for 3 days from 9th to 11th November 2017 in Delhi against the anti-people, anti-worker policies of the Central Government and on the major demands of the people and the working class. An Indefinite strike will follow, the date of which will be decided later. These are the main declarations of the massive convention of workers held at New  Delhi on 8th August, as per the call of the Central Trade Unions.

The Workers Convention was presided over by K.Hemalatha (CITU), Ashok Singh (INTUC), Ramendra Kumar (ATUC), S.N.Pathak (HMS), Sathyawan Singh (AIIUTUC), Latha (SEWA), Uday Bhatt (AICCTU), V.Subburamn (LPF) and Shatrujih Singh (UTUC).

The Convention was addressed and guidelines given by Tapan Sen (CITU), Amarjit Kaur (AITUC), Sanjeeva Reddy (INTUC),Harbhajan Singh (HMS),Shankar Saha (AIUTUC), Manali (SEWA), Rajeev Dimri (AICCTU), M.Shanmukhan (LPF) and N.K.Premachandran (UTUC).

All central trade unions, except BMS, participated in the convention. After BJP  government has come in to power, BMS has been keeping away from the common programmes, for reasons well known to them.

In addition to the central trade unions, confederations/federations/unions/associations of workers from various sectors like Central/state governments, public sector, private sector etc. participated. The Talkatora Stadium where the convention was held was overflowing with delegates and hundreds had to stand outside the stadium.

Massive propaganda is to be organised well before the Maha Dharna at New Delhi in all centres jointly by the trade unions. It will really be a storming of the India’s capital city, Delhi.

National Convention of Workers at New Delhi on 8th August 2017

07 Monday Aug 2017

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The Central Trade Unions are organising a National Convention of Workers at New Delhi on 8th August 2017 to discuss and decide about  action programmes on the major and pressing demands of the Indian working class. The BJP government continues its attack on the people and the workers in the country. Genuine and long pending demands are rejected. Public sector units are either closed, sold or disinvested. The national assets are handed over to the corporates as gift.

The CTUs have been oranising struggles since 1991 against the neo-liberal policies being implemented by the continued governments, whether led by Congress or BJP. In the last strike on 2nd September 2016, more than 18 crore workers participated.

The Convention is expected to be attended by thousands of workers representing the National Trade Union centres as also Federations of central/state government, telecom, banks, construction, Insurance etc.

Workers all over the country are waiting for the decision and action programmes.

Confederation supports Defence Workers’ Struggle against Privatisation

04 Tuesday Jul 2017

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CONFEDERATION EXTENDS FULL SUPPORT AND SOLIDARITY TO THE STRUGGLE OF DEFENCE EMPLOYEES AGAINST PRIVATISATION.
Successive Governments after 1990s have started permitting private sector in the field of Defence production. During May 2001, the Defence Industry sector which was reserved for the Government sector and Public sector was opened to 100% for Indian private sector with 26% Foreign Direct Investment (FDI). Subsequently the FDI cap in Defence was raised to 49% and now the NDA Govt raised it to 100%. Government has issued so far 222 licenses to private corporate sector like ADHANI, AMBANI, L&T, ASHOK LEYLAND, BHARAT FORGE, GODREJ &BOYCE, PUNJ LLOYD, PIPAVAV DEFENSE, PREMIER EXPLOSIVES etc,. The present Govt is bent upon to extend all types of support to the Indian private corporate houses and their foreign collaborators. Recently the Prime Minister office asked all the 41 Ordnance Factories, the information about the name of the products manufactured, its photographs, technical description, land holding by each factories, details of plants and machinery, strength of employees etc.,
On 27-04-2017, the Ministry of Defence issued an order with the approval of the Defence Minister Shri Arun Jaitely, to completely outsource 143 defence equipment like Military, Vehicles, Ammunition, Ammunition boxes, Guns, Rifles, Tanks, Troop comfort items etc., which are being manufactured at present by the ordnance factories. This decision of the Govt is going to affect more than 25 Ordnance factories and about 20,000 defence employees will be thrown out of job. Again another order was issued categorizing 39 more items as “non-care” items for outsourcing. All these decisions are taken to encourage private corporates, making the state-owned Defence Industries sick and redundant and bringing in their place the private corporate sector whose sole intention is to earn more and more profit.
The All India Defence Employees Federation (AIDEF) is on a war path and has already started series of agitations and campaign programmes against the policy decision of the Government to privatise Defence Industry and closure of ordnance factories rendering thousands of defence employees surplus and consequent retrenchment.
As a higher form of agitation AIDEF has commenced indefinite relay hunger fast near Parliament (Jantar Manthar) from 3rd July 2017 onwards. The relay fast was inaugurated by Com. Sharad Yadav, MP. Former Vice President of AIDEF.
The National Secretariat of Confederation of Central Govt Employees and Workers extends full support and solidarity to the struggle of the Defence Employees against privatization. ( Courtesy: Confederation News)

Labour Code on Social Security – A fraud on the workers

02 Sunday Jul 2017

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The draft of the Labour Code on Social Security Benefits amalgamating 15 existing laws/acts has been placed in public domain by the Labour Ministry for comments, views etc. The proposals of the ministry are against the interests of the workers and takes away many of the existing rights and benefits. Certain points connected with the same are given below:

  1. Threshold of the workers for availing of the social security benefits have been increased to factories engaging 40 or more workers. At present it is 10 in some cases and 15 in others. This will result in that about 75 % workers will be deprived of the social security benefits.
  2. 12.5% of wages will have to be contributed by the workers. But there is no contribution from the employers. Self employed have to contribute 20%.
  3. Unorganised workers have to contribute in the same way as organised workers.
  4. Govt. is empowered to exempt any section of workers from the benefits.
  5. Existing welfare Schemes will be faced out. But what about in future is yet to be clearly spelt out.
  6. No provision for temporary withdrawals from EPF etc. as at present.
  7. When there is no work, the worker will be excluded from the benefits.
  8. The representation of the central trade unions in the committees will be reduced from the present six (major six central TUs) to two, making the committees one sided.

The above is only illustrative. There are many other conditions which take away the existing benefits won through years of struggles and court cases.

The new Labour Code on Social Security is a fraud and deception on the workers. This has got to be fought and defeated. Better benefits should be won for the workers.

(With input from the CITU Statement)

Scrap this anti-labour ‘Labour Code’

30 Friday Jun 2017

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Labour Minister  Bandaru Dattatreya

The Labour Ministry of the Central government has put in its website, the draft of the Third Labour Code, which is going to be introduced in the Parliament.

Though it is stated that this Labour Code is being introduced to improve social security, codify the existing labour etc. the intention is to liberalise the labour rules, meaning to reduce and take the existing rights with  regard to EPF, ESI and other social security measures for the majority of the workers. This has been the demands of the employers and corporates for some time.

It is to be noted that this draft has been made ready. despite strong protest raised by all the Central Trade Unions. If this is implemented, a major portion of the workers will lose all social security measures and will be at the mercy of the employers.

Mighty protest should come from the working class and people’s representatives to ensure that  the proposed anti-worker clauses of the draft Bill is dropped.

Condemn Killing of Farmers in MP – CPI(M)

06 Tuesday Jun 2017

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New Delhi, June 6: The Polit Bureau of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), now in session in New Delhi, has issued the following statement:

Condemn Killing of Farmers in MP

The Polit Bureau of the CP(M) strongly condemns the brutal killing of three kisans in police firing in Mandsaur, Madhya Pradesh. The police action has also rendered a large number of kisans grievously injured.

The kisans in Madhya Pradesh have been agitating peacefully for many days demanding that the state government implement the promises that have been made to provide greater remuneration to the kisans as well as debt relief.

This unprovoked police firing clearly exposes the anti-kisan character of the BJP in general and the state government in particular.

The Polit Bureau of the CPI(M) demands that adequate compensation be given to the families of those who died in the police firing and the state government should provide all medical assistance to those who have been injured.

The culprits responsible for ordering this unprovoked police firing must be suspended immediately, pending a proper enquiry. The state government must immediately concede the genuine demands of the kisan agitation.

Maharashtra Farmers Strike

The Polit Bureau of the CPI(M) extends its complete support to the Maharashtra farmers who have embarked on an unprecedented action of a strike since June 1. The farmers have refused to bring their produce like vegetables, fruits and milk to the cities in protest against the state government’s refusal to accede to genuine demands like loan waiver in the background of consecutive droughts; implementation of the BJP’s poll promise of increasing the minimum support price to one and a half times the cost of inputs; promised pension for kisans and agricultural workers and to implement the promises regarding uninterrupted electricity and water during the agricultural season.

For over a year the Maharashtra kisans had been agitating on these issues and the state government had repeatedly sought time to meet their demands. This unique action of a farmers strike was resorted to after the series of betrayal by the state government in accepting the demands. Yesterday, June 5, the state witnessed a state wide bandh jointly called by several kisan organisations.

The Polit Bureau of the CPI(M) demands that the genuine demands of the farmers in Maharashtra, which were promised earlier by the state government be implemented immediately.
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Deduction in EPF Contribution – Government move defeated.

28 Sunday May 2017

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The proposal of the government to reduce the contribution to the EPF from 12% to 10% has been defeated for the time being. In the meeting of the EPFO in which the representatives of government, employer and employee are there, this proposal mooted by the government was defeated with both the employer and employees representatives opposing it. The central trade unions representing the workers put up a strong stand, which the others could not object.

Now, the existing practice of 12% deduction both from employer and employee will continue. But the unions can not be complacent. Any minute, the government may try again to get the reduction implemented.

Steel Workers’ Strike Against Strategic Sale

24 Wednesday May 2017

Posted by in PSU, TU News - India, Uncategorized

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The workers of the three units of Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL) at Durgapur (W.Bengal), Salem (T.Nadu) and Bhadrawati (karnataka), went on strike on 11th April 2017 against the decision f the central government for the strategic sale of these units. SAIL is in the process of appointing Advisors , investment bankers, financial institutions etc. for the sale. The strike was jointly called by all the unions including CITU, AITUC, INTUC and HMS.

This sale of the asset of the nation is being implemented as part of the ‘privatisation policy of the government’. National assets are gifted to the corporates.

We fully support the struggle and extend our solidarity!

Trade Unions oppose privatisation of Kozhikode Railway Station

13 Saturday May 2017

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The trade unions and the people of Kozhikode are strongly opposing the government decision to hand over the Kozhikode Railway Station to private business. It is being done in the name of modernising the station, but in fact is a real estate business offered to private companies. 4.39  acres of railway land will be allotted on lease for 45 years or more to the company at the rate of Re.1 for one square metre.  The company can built malls, hotels and other such facilities. But the charges will be sky high as already seen when the airports were privatised. There will be no space to develop the infrastructure of the station. This is nothing but a sell out of this important 129 years old station to the private.

In the massive meeting held at the railway station premises on 11th May 2017, all the trade unions and service organisations, except BMS, participated and opposed the privatization move. CITU, INTUC, HMS, AITUC and other Central trade union leaders were present as also the service organisations. I also spoke on the occasion and mentioned about the struggles organised in BSNL against disinvestment and privatization.

The Action Committee formed against the privatisation of the Kozhikode Railway Station has planned many agitational programmes. The ill-move of the government has to be opposed and defeated.