I was waiting at Mumbai airport to catch connecting flight to Delhi. I had already completed security check and was in the departure Hall. The flight was delayed and I went to a cafe and asked for coffee. The cost was Rs.230. When I mentioned it is too costly, he advised me to go to the food court upstairs.There I got coffee for Rs.110. In Delhi, Mumbai airports, which are privatised, it is difficult to get coffee for less than one rupee. But in Chennai, Kolkata, Kozhikode etc., which are airport authority owned, you get the same for Rs. 40 to 60.

Govt. wants to privatise all profitable airports for the benefit of the corporates. Only the loss making will be managed by Airport Authority of India.

Profit for private, loss for government, harassment for the passenger!

Yesterday night reached Delhi. Though I was to reach by 06.00 p.m., the flight was delayed about two hours due to bad weather. I will be at Delhi till 27th July. In between, I have to attend the BSNLCCWF CEC at Meerut, convention at Rohtak, Pune and if practicable at Bikanir in addition at Delhi. Hope to meet our comrades at Delhi. Staying at KG Bose Bhawan.

The workers at the bottom are fighting for getting a minimum wage of at least  Rs.18,000. The govt has accepted only Rs.10,000. But even the same is not implemented in many states/ industries. 

But what about those at the top. In the central govt. the top salary has been increased to  Rs.2.5 lakes. In the private sector the salary seems to have no upper limit for top executives.

The pay of Mahendra CEO C.P.Gurnami is Rs.150.71 crore for financial year 2017. For two Executive directors in Reliance Industries it is 80.76 crores each. The salary of many top executives are not known.

The difference is salaries is  increasing, whether it is Central Government, State govt, Public sector or private sector.

The rich becomes richer, the poor the poorer. We have to fight against this gross discrimination.

It is understood that certain states like Uttarakhand, U.P., Haryana etc. are proposing to reduce the retirement age from 60 to 58 in order to give more jobs to the unemployed. The central government is also reported to be moving in this direction.

The intention is Good, but not the method.
Earlier the retirement age for CG Employees was 58 and it was extended to 60 in  1996-97. The idea was to save expenditure on retirement benefits to be be paid for two years. The Confederation of CG Employees and workers opposed the proposal on the basis that it will reduce the job opportunities. But the govt. implemented its decision. State govts followed. 

But reducing is not easy. The employees have planned their life, construction of house, marriage of their children, loans, insurance etc.etc. on the basis of retirement at. Any reduction at this time will create extreme difficulties. To increase job opportunities what the government requires to do is to fill up the vacancies which are in thousands in each department. Ban on creation of posts should be removed.

Reducing retirement age will be strongly resisted  by the workers, no doubt.

Almost all PSUs from which maximum profit can be got are being privatised. If this trend goes, there will no PSU with government and all will be either sold or privatised. NITI Agog has been constituted replacing Planning Commission. Is NITI Ayog formed for destruction of PSUs?

If the corruption exposed in privatisation of Telecom, coal, gas  etc. is considered, what  will be the total  amount of corruption and bribery involved in all these  sale/ disinvestment?

It is reported in the press that the recommendations of the III Pay Revision Committee Report has been accepted by  the government with 15% fitment. Details are yet to be received, including whether this is applicable to all PSU etc.

As per the call of the Unions/Associations, BSNL workers are going on a full strike on 27th July 2017 demanding early wage revision, pension revision, supernumerary benefits to BSNL recruitees, stop attack against union etc.

The demands of the workers are fully justified. The government and the management should discuss the  issues with the unions/associations and settle them, failing whcih  they will have to face the wrath of the workers.

Thousands of nurses of the private hospitals in Kerala are on struggle for the last few weeks demanding payment of minimum wages of Rs. 20,000 as declared by the Supreme Court. This is a fully justified demand. The management of the private hospitals who collect hefty amounts from the patients are denying even the minimum wage to the nurses. These nurses have to go through vigorous training for three years or more and require practical experience. Many hospitals ask the staff to work more than 8-10 hours.

Nursing is a highly skilled job and requires to be treated as such. But even the minimum wage is denied to them.

The Managements and the government should settle the issues raised by the nurses and their associations!

Storming of the Bastille starting the French Revolution of 1789

Two centuries and 28 years have passed after the great French Revolution of 1789 in which the workers captured the government and executed the king. It was a popular uprising against the absolute power of the king and against the privileges and wealth of the elite, and was focussed in the name of liberty, equality and fraternity. It gave a new identity to the citizen.

The Bastille fort which was a mark of the authority of the king was stormed on 14th July 1789, which was the starting of the French Revolution.

Of course, the revolution could not continue for long and collapsed. But the slogan of ‘Liberty, Equality and Fraternity’ raised in the Revolution became a slogan of the entire world.
It inspired many generations of people all over the world.

Message from Trade Union International (Pensioners and Retirees) given below:

About three out of ten people worldwide, 2100 million people, lack access to potable water and water available at home. And six out of 10 4,400 million- lack safe sanitation. The conditions are worse in rural areas. Are the findings of the new report by the World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF , which also warns of water shortages in health centers and schools, increasing the risk of disease especially of children. As a result, 361,000 children under five die each year from diarrhea.

“Drinking water, sanitation and hygiene in the home should not be an exclusive privilege of those who are rich or live in urban centers , ” said the director general of WHO, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. “It is fundamental to human health services, and all countries have a responsibility to ensure that everyone can access them , ” complains. As reported by the agency, thousands of millions of people have gained access to basic water and sanitation since 2000, but these services do not necessarily provide clean water and safe sanitation.

Poor sanitation and contaminated water are also associated with the transmission of diseases such as cholera, dysentery, hepatitis A and typhoid fever. “Drinking water, effective sanitation and hygiene are critical to the health of every child and community, and therefore are essential to build stronger, healthier and more equitable societies. As we improve these services today in the most vulnerable communities and underprivileged children we are offering a fairer to enjoy a better tomorrow opportunity , “adds Anthony Lake, UNICEF Executive Director.

According to the report, 2,100 million people do not have water safely managed, 844 million lack even basic water service. This includes 263 million people who have to spend more than 30 minutes per trip to collect water from sources that are away from home, and 159 million who still drink untreated water from sources of water, such as streams or lakes. In 90 countries, progress towards basic sanitation is too slow, which means that its inhabitants will not reach universal coverage by 2030, continues the document.

Of the 4,400 million people do not have safe sanitation, 2.300 million still lack basic sanitation. This includes 600 million people who share a toilet or latrine with other households, and 892 million people, most in rural areas – that defecate in the open. Due to population growth, open defecation is increasing in sub – Saharan Africa and Oceania. According to the report, access to water and soap for washing hands varies greatly in the 70 countries with available data from 15% of the population in sub – Saharan Africa to 76% in West Asia and North Africa.