Five Requisites for an Ideal Trade Union – Babu Tarapada

05 Wednesday Apr 2017

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Babu Tarapada Mukherjee, one of the great leaders of the P&T Trade Union movement, in his famous Lahore Speech (1921) pointed out five important requisites for a successful trade union.

  1. There should be strong feeling of class consciousness. The bond of all unions is this feeling of class consciousness. We all belong to the Postal Services and are, therefore, brothers. We may come from different provinces, we may speak different tongues, we may be separated by wide areas extending over thousands of miles, but all this difference must appear before our common brotherhood. We may have our private disputes, tempting offers may be in work to seduce particular officials to create divided interest, but we must rise superior to all these. Private quarrel never so better and temptation never so powerful, should not alienate us from our allegiance to brother officials and make us traitors to our cause. This feeling is class consciousness, without which no organisation worth the name is possible.
  2. The second requisite is that no official stand  aloof from our union. Union is strength, and we can not afford to have division in our camp. In the interest of service as much as for individual interest, every one should join the union with heart and soul, so that our demands may have behind them, the united strength of the entire body of officials.
  3. The third requisite is to create  a substantial reserve fund. Brother delegates, full purse constitutes the sinews of war, and no special emphasis is at all necessary on this point. You all know without a strong financial backing, satisfactory work can not be done.
  4. The fourth requisite is to give publicity to our grievances through the press. ….The organ of the union should be very largely subscribed, so that every employee may have the opportunity to acquaint himself with the activities of the association and become familiar with the progress of ideas.
  5. The fifth requisite is to influence the members of the Legislative Assembly and the Council of State with a view to bring pressure on the government.  The value of help in this direction, will however, depend to a great extent on the strength of our organisation. The members are in a position to help, no doubt, but their help will not be very effective, unless our organisation becomes powerful. (From the 09-10-1921 Lahore Speech of Babu Tarapada Mukherjee)

BTR – The Revolutionary Leader of the Masses

05 Wednesday Apr 2017

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It is difficult to think that  27 years have passed since Com. B.T.Ranadive left us forever. Yes, Com. BTR passed away on 6th April 1990.

BTR was attracted to the communist movement from his early years and became a top leader of the united Communist Party of India and its General Secretary. Later from formation of CPI(M), he was a member of the Polit bureau and continued as such till his death.

He was in the forefront in helping the Royal Navy Mutiny of 1946. He organised several strikes and struggles of Girni Kamgar Union in Bombay. He was a top leader of the AITUC and when CITU was formed in 1970, he was one of the founding fathers. Later he became the President of CITU and continued for years. His writings are published in three big volumes which is a must to read.

As an all India office bearer of the P&T Unions, I had the opportunity to get his advice and guidance. In the fight with the revisionist in NFPTE during 1970s and 1980s, his guidance was of maximum benefit. A revolutionary leader, he conveyed the spirit with whomever he met.

Let his memory guide us in the future also.

Red Salute to Comrade BTR!

60 years after first EMS Government

04 Tuesday Apr 2017

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60 years have passed after the formation of Kerala State. The first Kerala ministry under Com. EMS Namboodiripad was formed on 5th April 1957. It was also the first Communist ministry in the country. The news had its impact in the whole world.

Com.EMS can be proud that the idea of Aikya Kerala, in the formation of which he had taken initiative, has been fulfilled and he had been the its first Chief Minister. But that was not the only achievement.

The major achievement of the ministry was the progressive land reforms, which saw real land reforms. In the Congress ruled states also there were land reforms, but it was only partly implemented and chances were given to the landlords to somehow keep their large areas of land. Another achievement of the reforms was in the education including payment of salary to the teachers, who were being exploited by the greedy managers.

There are many such achievements to the credit of the EMS Ministry. Congress and communal forces were afraid that if the ministry is allowed to complete its five year term, it will be impossible for them to defeat the Communists in future. Hence the ‘Vimochana Samaram'(‘Liberation Struggle’) under the gang up of Congress, religious institutions and even with imperialist forces. Before completion of five years term, EMS Ministry was dismissed by the President on the advice of the Pandit Jawharlal Nehru government.

Sixty years are over after the formation of the first EMS Ministry. Looking back and also looking  in to the present situation, it can be firmly stated that the impact of the first EMS Ministry is still there. LDF and UDF governments have been in power alternately for many years. The difference is well known to the people. It is only with the help of the communal parties that UDF is able to win. As a single political party CPI(M) is far ahead of any other party.

The present LDF government under Pinarayi Vijayan is continuing the pro-people policies to make the state towards further progress. Let us get inspiration from the first Communist Government for further progress.

Is it a coincidence that the first EMS Ministry was formed in the centenary year of the “First Indian War of Independence  1857”? In fact, the first shot against the British officer by Sepoy Mangal Pandey was fired on 29th March 1857, almost exactly  one century back.

Reliance Jio may post loss of Rs. 19,000 crore in 2017-18

04 Tuesday Apr 2017

Posted by in Neo-liberal policy

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It is reported in Economic Times that Reliance Jio will register a loss of Rs 19,600 crore in 2017-18 and Rs 11,500 crore in 2018-19.

Jio has got about 100 million customers. It has got a deep pocket and  is trying with all the help from the government to ride over all other telecom companies. Once the other companies are put down, then the charges will be increased and the loss will be made up.

Of course, corporates have no respect for law and ethics. Profit is their only motive. And Reliance tops the list.

‘I Have a Dream’ – Remembering Martin Luther King Jr.

04 Tuesday Apr 2017

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4th April 2017 is the 49th death anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr., the world renowned Civil Rights activist. He was assassinated on 4th April 1968 at Memphis, Tennessee, USA by the dark reactionary forces who were worried about the impact being made by him. King was a great agitator, activist and fighter for the underprivileged. He was awarded Nobel Prize for Peace in 1964.

His famous speech “I have a Dream” made in front of Lincoln Memorial on 28th August 1963 at ‘March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom’ which was participated by about a quarter of million people, is given below:

“I say to you today, my friends, so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream.
I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal.’
I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.
I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.
I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.
I have a dream today.
I have a dream that one day, down in Alabama, with its vicious racists, with its governor having his lips dripping with the words of interposition and nullification; one day right there in Alabama, little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers.
I have a dream today.”

Liquor and Gold – Kerala’s weakness

04 Tuesday Apr 2017

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Kerala is far ahead of other states in many respects, including literacy, electrification, labour wages, work culture, own home, secular concept etc. etc. These are all welcome and are appreciated world over.

But there are two other issues, in which also, Kerala seems to be in the forefront –  craze for gold and liquor.  This craze needs to be controlled in a progressive state  like Kerala.

VRS/CRS in SBI after merger of associated banks with SBI

04 Tuesday Apr 2017

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After the associated banks have been merged with it, SBI has started VRS for thousands of  employees. About 450 temporary/ casual employees of the former State Bank of Travancore has already been retrenched.  Afraid of retrenchment, many officials are opting for VRS, which really is CRS (Compulsory Retirement Scheme).

The retrenched employees have demanded fr their reinstatement and some of them have already started agitational programmes.

Ecuador Continues with Left – Socialist Lenin Moreno elected President

04 Tuesday Apr 2017

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Lenin Moreno, Socialist Party leader has been elected as the President of Ecuador in a tightly contested election defeating the rightist party candidate Lasso. Moreno will take charge from Rafael Correa, present President, who also belong to the same party.

The US and other imperialist countries have been trying to torpedo the socialist governments in Latin America and was successful in changing them in Argentina, Peru and Brazil. Ecuador has shown that the tide in Latin America is again changing to the Left.

We hail the victory of Moreno and hope that the socialist rule will benefit the people of Ecuador.

 

Why India Government is silent on the racial attack on Africans?

03 Monday Apr 2017

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It is reported today that diplomats of the African Nations in India have protested against the silence of Indian government on the racial attacks on African students. In Delhi and some other cities attack have taken place and the reports indicate that they are racial in character.

India Government should condemn these attacks and take strong action with out further delay.

 

US Unit of TUI (P and R) demands Full Pension Protection

03 Monday Apr 2017

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TUI(P&R) unit of United States has demanded the government to safeguard and protect the pension of retirees. Details are given below:

“Stop the ‘Ripoff’ of Pensioners and Retirees: Full pension protection from a fully funded Federal Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC): no loopholes. Stop State reductions in Pensions and benefits such as are occurring in the California Public Employees Retirement System (CalPERS).   Elevate the Social Security Administration’s wage/salary “cap” on wage deductions to $1million. Tax on Social Security Administration wage benefits should start at $750,000 and up. Maintain and expand the largely working class federal and state health programs of Medicare and Medicaid. Begin a yearly reduction in Medicare eligibility to full coverage for all.”

Pensioners are in struggle to safeguard and protect their rights. They want to live a decent life for which they have worked for three- four decades.