Great Victory for Chavez – Venezuela elections

08 Monday Oct 2012

Posted by in News

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

Hugo Chavez has been elected again as the President of Venezuela for the fourth time with majority. As per latest information with 90% votes counted he has got 54% which ensures his election. His rival, supported by US and all imperialist countries with money and propaganda got only 46% only.

Hugo Chavez, after becoming President for the first time 14 years back has implemented many schemes benefitting the common people and workers. He nationalised American oil companies to the anger of the imperialist countries. He organised the Caribbean countries against US imperialism and supported Cuba. He had become the thorn in the eyes of US. Theis election again is a big defeat for the US.

The Venezuelan people celebrated the victory of Huge Chavez in a big way by singing and dancing in the streets. Hearty Congratulations to Hugo Chavez and the Venezuelan people!

Savingram to Prime Minister on ITS issue – Action by Forum

07 Sunday Oct 2012

Posted by in BSNL - Better Service to the Nation

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

ITS absorption /repatriation issue is pending without settlement for  12 years, especially for the last 7 years after the initial deputation period was over. It is a trauma affecting the good governance of BSNL. The tragedy is that those who have to settle are not interested in the future of BSNL. Despite Delhi High Court’s clear orders with a dead line of 30th September, the issue remains unsettled. It seems that the government and the BSNL management is more interested in safeguarding the interests of a few thousands of ITS officers more than the interests of BSNL, the Nation and that of lakhs of workers who depend upon this organisation.

As such, the agitational programmes decided by the Forum of BSNL Unions/Associations are fully justified and necessary. The first programme is Lunch Hour Demonstration on 11th October and sending savingrams to Prime Minister with copy to Communications minister, Cabinet Secretary, Secretary DOT and CMD BSNL.

Make the action a big success with all the Branch Unions of all unions sending the savingrams and organising demonstrations at the SSA/Circle/C.O levels as called by the Forum.

AIBDPA protests against FDI in Pension sector

07 Sunday Oct 2012

Posted by in AIBDPA - BSNL DOT Pensioners

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

The  General Secretary of the All India BSNL – DOT Pensioners Association (AIBDPA), Com.K.G.Jayaraj has, in a statement, strongly protested against the Cabinet decision on bringing  49% FDI in the Pension Sector. There is no need at all to bring FDI in this sector. Already the pension corpus is having lakhs of crores of rupees. It is only to capture this corpus by the corporates and MNCs that the FDI in this sector is decided.

Entry of such MNCs and Corporates in the Euro countries and US had disastrous results. The Pension Funds were put in the market and during the recession, everything was lost. Millions of pensioners lost their entire life savings in the recession. This is what is going to happen if the FDI comes in pension sector. The pension is in danger. We have to oppose and fight against this anti-worker decision.

AIBDPA has called for organising protest demonstrations on 8th October 2012 as the immediate action. All pensioners should actively participate and make the demonstration a big success.

How big is Wal-Mart and how dangerous?

07 Sunday Oct 2012

Posted by in General

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

Government of India has increased the FDI in multibrand retail to 49% by a cabinet decision, which it could not pass  in the Parliament due to stiff opposition not only from the opposition parties but also from its own allies. The government wants MNCs like Walmart to come to India and invest in the retail market.

Who or what  is this Wal-Mart, whose name always comes first when mentioning retail trade?

It is the biggest retail trader in the world. But it is much more than that. It is the company with largest revenue in US with $ 421 billion. Its nearest rivals  are Exxon Mobile with $ 354.6 billion, Chevron with $ 196.3 billion and General Electrics with 151.6 billion. Compare this with India’s Reliance Industries with $ 76  billion. Wal-Mart’s grocery sales alone comes to $ 129 billion.

Its GDP is the 25th in the world more than the GDPs of 170 countries. It has got  manpower of more than 21 lakhs, much more than Indian railways, which is around 13 lakhs. Indian Army is considered to be 13.25 lakhs.

Wal-Mart has destroyed the retail trades in many countries. Now it is going to enter on a large-scale to India, the second largest populated country in the world. What will happen to the 4 crore of small traders and their families coming to about 10 crore?  Lakhs of farmers committed suicide after the MNCs came in the sector. Now what will the suicide numbers on the retail sector?

UPA II government is not worried. They are celebrating the success of the  top reforms which will only benefit the corporates and the ruling class.

These anti-people policies and decisions have to be defeated by sustained joint struggles and massive agitations. (with input from ET)

Rs. 11 further increase in LPG for increasing commission to agents

07 Sunday Oct 2012

Posted by in General, P&T TU History

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

The Oil Companies have once again raised the price of cooking gas. It is now rs. 11 or 12 for a  cylinder depending upon the place. The subsidised cylinder will now cost Rs. 410 and non-subsidised Rs. 890 in Delhi.   It is stated by the oil companies that this increase for increasing the commission to be paid to the agents. The government is simply looking and enjoying. Those wha are rich, they can pay. What about the lower middle class and the poor ? From where they will find out the money for every day increasing prices of all commodities.Increase of price in any petroleum product will increase the price of all other commodities.

The government continues its attacks on the people in order to bolster the so-called economy, the maximisation of profits of the corporates.

CPI(M) opposes FDI in Insurance, Pension Sectors

05 Friday Oct 2012

Posted by in India Left

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

The Polit Bureau of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) has  issued the following statement:

The  UPA government has decided to raise the cap for foreign direct investment in  the insurance sector from the current 26 per cent to 49 per cent. The Cabinet  has also decided to allow 49 per cent FDI in pension funds. These measures  announced by the Union Cabinet will make India’s finance sector more vulnerable  to speculative finance capital.

The  decision to allow FDI in pension funds will jeopardize the savings of millions  of employees in the country.

The  Polit Bureau appeals to the people to oppose these anti-people measures. The PB  also appeals to political parties to defeat these measures when they are brought  before parliament.

CITU oppose FDI in Insurance and Pension Sector – Press Statement

05 Friday Oct 2012

Posted by in TU News - India

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

Press Release

Secretariat of the Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) has issued the following statement to the media:

CITU denounces the hosts of financial and legislative disastrous decisions mainly allowing 49% FDI in Insurance sector and providing access to Foreign Firms in Pension savings of the people taken at the marathon Cabinet meeting of Manmohan Singh Government yesterday which is abject surrender to imperialist powers led by USA and international finance capital mainly American Corporate giants.. The decision to push forward the disastrous reforms in financial sector will cause disaster to the economy of the country as a whole and cause immense harm to the mass of the people.

This decision of the UPA-II Government will ruin the largest insurance sector successfully run by public sector.  The most damaging result would be the diversion of the savings of the common people through insurance from developmental and employment generating economic activities to speculative activities. It may be noted that insurance savings provide 24.6% fund for funding Government projects.

The attack on the hard earned pension fund is more direct and dangerous. Here again foreign investment of 49% would be allowed.  The foreign pension fund operators shall lure the pension beneficiaries to be exposed to speculative market denying any insulation from liquidation of social savings due to vagaries of market.

The serious concern is that when the UPA-1 Govt. were etching for such attempts, the left and democratic people had successfully resisted which shielded the country from the avalanche of  financial market collapse in USA.

The Govt. has decided to amend Forward Contract (regulation) Act providing substantial power to the proposed Forward Marketing Commission. No consideration was made on farmers’ suicide, escalation of food price index and slide of agricultural production. The life of empty bellied people was given to speculators earlier and now it will be strengthened by creating an autonomous organization dominated by market forces beyond control of the Govt.

CITU condemns the arrogant anti-national act of the Govt to serve the interest of the foreign investors at the cost of the national economy and life and living of people. CITU calls all its affiliates and allies to react in more militant way to resist such sell out of the country to foreign investors, attempt to destroy domestic economy and enhancing misery of the people ever unheard.

-:-
© Copyright reserved  http://www.citucentre.org 2007 ®                                                                                                                             Disclaimer  |  Privacy Policy  |  Copyright

ITS Repatriation – Forum of BSNL Unions calls for sustained struggles

05 Friday Oct 2012

Posted by in BSNL - Better Service to the Nation

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

The Forum of BSNL Unions/Associations has decided to organise sustained struggles on the issue of repatriation of non-optee ITS officers to save the BSNL and its workers from the present crisis and challenge. The agitational programme were decided in the meeting of the Forum held yesterday. The details of the programmes will be posted in this blog also after finalising the same.

FDI in Pension and Insurance – Another attack on people by UPA – II Govt.

05 Friday Oct 2012

Posted by in General

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

It seems that the UPA-II Government has become an organisation to implement whatever is demanded by the imperialists led by the US. The latter put pressure on allowing FDI in retail and it was given first for single retail and then for multiple retail despite protest from the traders, opposition parties and even allies of UPA, disregarding the interests of the crores of people in the country. It was done when the Parliament was not in session.

Now the second instalment of anti-people reforms have been decided by the Cabinet, again when the Parliament is not in session.  Cabinet has  yesterday ( 04-10-2012) decided to increase the FDI from 26% to 49% in Insurance sector and introduce FDI in Pension sector, also to 49%, though not specifically mentioned.

There is no necessity for allowing or increasing FDI in both the sectors. The first is intended to help the private insurance companies to mope up money and also to kill the LIC and General Insurance companies, which are performing excellently and giving the best service to the customers. Despite entries of many private companies these PSUs have kept their market share to a very high position. The government is getting high dividend, taxes etc from these PSUs. Now the government wants to cut them for the benefit of the private companies. The present position will also result in better customer service since private companies are only interested in profit-making and not on social security to the customers.

The central/state government employees, PSU employees and other workers who are getting pension have been continuously fighting against the anti-worker PFRDA Bill which has reduced the statutory pension in to contributory pension. Instead of getting half the salary as pension, the Ne w Pension Scheme (NPS) and Employees Pension Scheme (EPS) implemented for the Central/state government employees and PSU employees respectively have resulted in the pension reduced to a pittance of even less than Rs.1000 for the majority of the retirees. The Parliament march organised in last November has shown the anger of the workers against the PFRDA and their determination to fight the same.

The UPA II government could not pass both the Insurance Bill and PFRDA Bill in the Parliament so far. But now the cabinet has taken the decision while the Parliament is not in session. This completely against the democratic process. The workers and the people have to organise and fight and defeat these anti-people measures.

Delhi High Court stays DOT order on roaming service without licence

05 Friday Oct 2012

Posted by in BSNL - Better Service to the Nation

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

The Delhi High Court on 3rd October stayed for 60 days the order issued by DOT asking the Airtel to stop its 3G roaming services in circles where it has got no spectrum allotted. Airtel and other private telcos like Vodafone and Idea Cellular have been providing 3G roaming services in the circles where they had no spectrum, by making mutual agreements with other companies. Thus without paying the spectrum charges they were cheating the government by these mutual agreements. It is to be noted in this context that BSNL was compelled to pay spectrum charges for all the circles, without even participating in the auction process. The government also lost heavily.  We had also demanded that these illegal services should be stopped.

At last after much dithering DOT issued orders stopping these illegal 3G services by the private companies. Airtel has gone to the court and now Delhi High Court has stayed the DOT orders for 60 days.

DOT should put a strong case and ensure that these illegal services are got cancelled.