Congratulations to BSNL Workers, Pensioners and Casual/Contract Workers!!

21 Thursday Feb 2013

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My Hearty Congratulations and Greetings to the BSNL workers, Casual and Contract Workers and DOT-BSNL Pensioners, who stood together in making the 48 hours strike in BSNL a complete success. The reports received from all over India indicates that vast majority of the BSNL workers have enthusiastically participated in the historic strike. All the non-executive unions in BSNL has given call for the strike called for by all the 11 Central trade Unions in the country. It would have been really a 100% strike if the executive associations had also given call for strike, instead of only extending solidarity and support. However it is also reported from some areas that many of the executives have also absented themselves on the day.
Let us continue our struggles for fully achieving the demands.

The Historic Strike – Congratulations by Central TUs

21 Thursday Feb 2013

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Following is the press release issued by the Central Trade Unions on the success of the 20-21 February Strike and congrtulating the workers. Issued by All Central Trade Unions on the First day of General Strike
Strike is total in all sectors by all workers
“All the Central Trade Unions (BMS, INTUC, AITUC, HMS, CITU, AIUTUC, AICCTU, UTUC, TUCC, SEWA, LPF) hereby congratulate the working people of India for their overwhelming and magnificent response to the united call of two day countrywide general strike that commenced this morning.

Unprecedented response to the call of strike throughout the country much beyond our expectations reflects truly the anger of the people against the persistent increase in the prices of diesel, gas, coal, electricity and other essential goods for the bare need of the common people. It is also a protest against the total inaction of the Government to address the basic problems of the workers arising out of the inflation and slowdown of the economy. All the central trade unions supported by thousands of unaffiliated unions have given a two day strike call on the basis of 10 point demand of the workers as approved in the All India Convention held at Talkatora Stadium on 4th September, 2012. The strike has been totally peaceful. Even then there has been attack on the workers, lathi-charge and indiscriminate arrest. In Noida, there was brutal lathi-charge on a peaceful demonstration causing serious injuries to a number of workers and death to one worker. Even a leader of Haryana Roadways Corporation union affiliated to AITUC has been killed in Ambala Transport Depot by the miscreants to disrupt the strike.

The strike has been all out throughout the country affecting all vital sectors bringing the life to a standstill. Banking system has come to a collapse. Transport sector has responded magnificently except in two States, Delhi and Maharashtra. There has been massive strike in Petroleum sector, telecom, mining, coal, non-coal, defence, power including atomic power projects, port and dock, insurance, Plantation, State Government employees. Post offices have been closed, income tax offices have largely been hit by the strike. Industrial workers all over the country had shut down the production. Public and private industrial centres have been heavily affected.

Unorganised, agriculture, non-agriculture, rural and urban, anganwadi, ASHA workers have participated in lakhs. Contract workers have joined the strike in a magnificent way.

All the States from Arunachal to Gujarat from Kashmir to Kanyakumari everywhere the impact of the strike has been significant. Strike has been significant. Strike has been magnificent in Assam, Bihar, Orissa, Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Kerala, Andhra, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka. Despite vindictive and victimising threat and attack by the State Govt machinery, in West Bengal, response to strike has been magnificent. There has been strike even in Gujarat, Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh. In Goa strike has been inspiring. Even in Meghalaya where election is to be held on 23rd February there has been strike in Shillong.

The central trade unions while congratulating the workers for the strike call upon them to continue the same till tomorrow and build up massive pressure on the Government for a change of policy and peaceful settlement of the 10 point demands.

Right to strike is a constitutional right. No State government has any authority to break the peaceful strike with indiscriminate use of the State machinery. We call upon the Government to realise the gravity of the situation and unparallel anger among the masses and take corrective steps having meaningful dialogue with the trade union.”

The report from all parts of the country on the strike on 21st also confirms the success of the strike. As demanded by the Central TradeUnions, the government should come down, discuss and concede the fully justified demands of the working class.

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Strike continues for the second day

21 Thursday Feb 2013

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The 48 hours strike on the first day, 20th February was unprecedented as per the Central trade unions who called for the strike.The strike had its affects through out the country on the first day itself.
The strike is continuing for the second day, 21st February. It is expected that some more workers may join the strike.
The 2 days strike is a strong weapon against the neo-liberal policies that the government is continuing.The struggle will continue even after the strike.

Red Salute to Com. Chittabrata Majumdar!

20 Wednesday Feb 2013

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It is difficult to accept that 6 years are over after the passing away of Com. Chittabrata Majumdar, the General Secretary of CITU and one of the top leaders of the Indian Working Class. He had been a Minister in the W.Bengal Government was also a Member of the Parliament later. He passed away on 20th of February 2007, after a brief illness.
Com.Chhittabrata was closely associated with the BSNL Employees Union and guided the organisation in its critical period. I still remember that despite his failing health, he attended the Pune CEC meeting of the BSNLEU and inaugurated the same. On his ongoing journey to Pune, he had to be taken to the flight in the wheel chair. Yet he insisted in attending the same. His contribution in the Guwahati AIC for bringing in new blood in the organisation helped us much.
On his 6th death anniversary our Red Salute to Com. Chittabrata Majumdar!

Budget Session of Parliament starts on 21st February.

20 Wednesday Feb 2013

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The Budget Session of the Parliament will start on 21st February and will end on 10th May 2013.
This session will be stormy and eventful since a lot of issues of controversy are going to be taken up including the PFRDA Bill. The session is starting on the second day of the strike and the same will be raised by the opposition. The rampant corruption once again revealed in the Choppergate scandal is going to rock the Parliament.

Strike – A Wake-up Call to the Government

20 Wednesday Feb 2013

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The two-days strike is a wake-up call to the government to seriously consider the demands raised by the workers, stated the Central Trade Unions, who gave call for the strike.The strike has been an unprecedented strike, stated the Central Trade Unions.
The strike has been full in Kerala, Tripura, Bihar, T.Nadu etc. It was successful in all the states in various manner. This was the biggest strike action of the workers since Independence.
In BSNL also, the strike was most successful. There was complete strike among the non-executives, while the executives gave solidarity and support. The pensioners under the leadership of the AIBDPA participated in the demonstrations in most of the places. The casual and contract workers under the leadership of the BSNLCCWF participated in the strike in all places, despite the threat from the management that they will be terminated.
In addition to the success of the strike, the unity among workers of various hues and ideologies have been cemented. The slogan of Unity for struggle, Struggle for unity and Unity and Struggle for Progress has been implemented in practice through this historic strike. Red Salute to the Workers who made the strike completely success!

Central Trade Unions keep its rock-like solidarity

20 Wednesday Feb 2013

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The government’s effort to break the solidarity of the Central Trade Unions has utterly failed. The government wanted the INTUC to go back from the strike decision and strongly persuaded its leaders through political pressure.
It is to the credit of the INTUC leadership with Dr. Sanjeeva Reddy at its head, that it utterly defeated the game plan of the government to break the strike.
The 20-21 February Strike has started with the rock-like unity of all the 11 Central Trade Unions.
Congratulations to the unity of the Central trade Unions!

First Martyr of the Strike – TU leader crushed by bus on strike day at Ambala

20 Wednesday Feb 2013

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A report from Hindu is reproduced below about a leader of the strike crushed by a bus at Ambala.
“A trade union leader, who was squatting along with a group of workers near the local bus depot as part of the two-day nationwide strike call on Wednesday, died when he was hit by a bus in his bid to stop it from plying, a senior Roadways official said here.

“The incident took place around 4 am this morning when Narender Singh, a bus driver by profession, tried to stop the vehicle which was being taken out from the Ambala Depot despite the strike,” district president, Haryana Roadways Workers Union’s, Inder Singh Bhadana told reporters here.

Mr. Bhadana alleged that the district administration tried to forcibly ply the bus, which hit Mr. Singh, who was also the treasurer of a AITUC union, killing him on the spot.

After the incident, the other workers resorted to violence damaging vehicles belonging to the Ambala’s Deputy Commissioner of Police and SHO of the Baldev police station area, police said.

Meanwhile, Mr. Bhadana demanded a case to be lodged against the General Manager of the Roadways, failing which they will not allow the body to be cremated.” ( Courtsey: Hindu )

Central Government snubbed by the workers – Strike a big success.

20 Wednesday Feb 2013

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My congratulations to the leaders of the 11 Central trade Unions who have squarely snubbed the offer of the Central Ministers that they will look in to the demands of the workers raised with the request that the 48 hours strike be withdrawn.

The government very well knows that the demands are fully justified, they are based on the universally accepted principle of trade union rights, based on the statutes of the country and the pressing issues of the people and toiling masses. Each and every demand has been fully explained through resolutions, statements, representations and have been furnished to the government before months back after the Strike resolution was adopted by the National Convention of the Workers held in New Delhi in September 2012. Most of the demands are the same as raised in the One Day Strike called by the Central trade Unions on 28th February 2012.

The government and its Ministers, including the Prime Minister, who find sufficient time to meet the Corporates, MNCs and big business almost every day, concede their unjustified demands for concessions after concessions, did not have time to meet the leaders of the Unions representing more than 12 crore workers for the last 5 months after the Memorandum was given as per the decision of the National Convention. Although Cabinet Ministers A.K.Antony, Sharad Pawar, Mallikarjun Kharge and P.Chidmabaram were authorised to meet the CTU leaders, Chidambaram did not attend showing scant respect by the Finance Minister. And no assurance was given on the demands except that they can be discussed later. Requesting the unions to withdraw the strike without assuring / conceding even one demand, is nothing short of arrogance of power. It is to the credit of the union leaders that they have given a clear snubbing to the government by continuing with the decision for the strike.

The working class has to react with all its might to make the 48 hours Strike a magnificient and historical struggle in the forward march of the Indian Working Class! Let us march ahead with determination and dedication to the cause of the workers!

The Strike Started – Enthusiastic Response

20 Wednesday Feb 2013

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The 48 hours strike has started with enthusiastic participation by the workers all over the country. Reports received from the circles indicate that maximum workers are particvipating in the strike from BSNL. The country is watching the biggest strike action of the Indian Working Class since Independence. Even many of those unions which did not initially took decision are seen participating in the strike.
In Kerala the Strike is just like a full Bandh.
Hearty Congratulations to all the strikers and the leaders! Let the government tremble before the mighty protest action!