Tag Archives: privatisation

Privatisation of Government hospitals – Dangerous threat to the people

20 Thursday Jul 2017

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The NITI Ayog and the Central health Ministry has mooted for privatisation of select services in the government district hospitals by handing over sufficient space / land and also one tine free seed money to set up the infrastructure. The proposal  is to privatise the costly treatment of three non-communicable diseases ie. Cardiac disease, pulmonary disease and cancer care. Others may follow.

This proposals or decisions are dangerous in that the people will not be getting free treatment in the government hospitals for these diseases. Further they will have to pay very high charges for the private treatment.

The intention of the government is very clear. Allot acres of land to the private companies to utilise the same for constructing buildings etc. as also utilise the government buildings for treatment etc. and mint money as real estate. Secondly, the three diseases now mentioned are very costly and they can fleece the patients. There will be no free treatment. Government money will be granted for the infrastructure. This is a very dangerous trend affecting the health of the people and has to be strongly  opposed and defeated.

Congratulations to the Kerala LDF government which has strongly opposed and declared that it will not implement the Central government proposal to privatise the government hospitals.

Confederation supports Defence Workers’ Struggle against Privatisation

04 Tuesday Jul 2017

Posted by in CG Employees, TU News - India

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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)

No Privatisation of Air India – CPI(M)

30 Friday Jun 2017

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New Delhi, June 30: The Polit Bureau of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) has issued the following statement:

No Privatisation of Air India

The Polit Bureau of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) strongly opposes the decision of the Modi government to privatise the national carrier, Air India. The Union Cabinet has accepted the recommendations of the Niti Ayog and given an in-principle agreement for the disinvestment of Air India and its five subsidiaries.

This decision has been taken at a time when, after prolonged losses since 2008, the airline has started achieving operating profits of Rs. 105 crore for the year 2015-16 and an estimated operating profit of around Rs. 300 crore in 2016-17.

Air India was crippled and burdened with debt due to monumental miscalculation and certain wrong decisions taken by successive governments at the Centre. It is now being made the scapegoat and sought to be privatized.

The privatization of Air India is being made with a bonanza to the perspective private buyer – the write off of the Rs. 30,000 crore debt burden. The privatization of Air India is not for saving public money but for handing over national assets for a song and defrauding the exchequer for the benefit of private companies, both domestic and foreign.

The sale of Air India is part of the overall privatization drive of the Modi government which is against national interest. It must be stopped forthwith.

Will “Air India” become “Indigo”?

30 Friday Jun 2017

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The Central government is moving fast for strategic sale of Air India, the government owned Airlines, which has been functioning for the last more than seven decades as the Prime Airline in India on both International  and domestic routes.

The policy decisions taken by the continuing central governments,  like purchasing about 111 planes where there was requirement only for about 35 planes, merging Air India and Indian Airlines, handing over its routes to private companies etc. created such a situation that Air India started incurring losses. The non-payment of large amount of bills by the Central and State governments was another reason. It is understood that many such amount has been written off.

In short, the government itself is fully responsible for the present state of affairs of Air India. Even while it is in loss as per accounts due to the large loans, interest etc. Air India has been posting operational profit for the last few years. A good management with the support of the government would have restored Air India to its glorious past. But the government is intended on sale of the Air India as per its neo-liberal policy completely supporting the corporates to garner profit.

The latest information is that Indigo Airlines has informed its interest in taking over Air India, mainly its international flights. There will be other companies also including foreign airlines.

Will Air India become a nostalgic memory of the past? Whether struggles by the Air India Staff, central trade unions and progressive section of the  people will save Air India from privatisation?

Agitation against privatisation of HLL Life Care Limited

24 Saturday Jun 2017

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The decision of the central government to privatise the HLL Life Care Limited, the PSU manufacturing contraceptives etc. stationed at Thiruvananthapuram, is strongly opposed by the 20,000 workforce as well as the trade unions in the city. Stated in the 1970s, the Hindustan Latex Limited 9 the former name of HLL Lifecare Limited), the company has grown in a big way with continuously posting year after year.
19 acres of prime land was allotted by the government for the HLL at the nominal rate of Rs.2? and the Tamilnadu and Karnataka Governments also have contributed. There is anger and frustration among the workers and the local people, since a good percentage of the workers belong to the area itself. Realising the anger, the HLL management has now proposed to the government 49% stake sale.

Neither there is any need for stake sale nor privatisation. CITU, along with the union in HLL have strongly protested privatisation. The company is running well, it is profitable and it is supporting the local people.The government should withdraw its proposal for privatisation/stake sale and allow the PSU to function as before.

Stop Privatisation of HLL (Life Care) Ltd.

19 Monday Jun 2017

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The Central government’s move to privatise the HLL (Life Care ) Ltd. (former Hindustan Latex Ltd.) is ill-advised and against the interests of the country. This is the PSU which manufactures contraceptives and which has been effectively used for the last many years. The company is profitable. Thousands of workers are employed there.

In its eagerness to satisfy the  greed of the private corporates, this well running profitable PSU is being sold to the private. The workers and their unions have strongly opposed privatisation. Kerala M.P.s  have written to the Prime Minister demanding to keep the company as PSU.

The Central Government should drop the anti-people, anti-PSU move.

 

New Attack on Ordnance Factories

27 Saturday May 2017

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The 41 Ordnance Factories in the country which has been manufacturing equipments for the defence are are in danger of closing down or privatisation. The first step in to bring private participation. The private companies have been clamouring for permission to enter in to the much profitable defence market. Lakhs of crores of rupees are spent every year for defence production and purchases.

The government has issued directive to the army to 87 items for its use from the private companies. It has called for the details of the items of the defence productions and also the land owned by it. The meaning is clear. It wants to hand over a good portion of the defence production and land to the corporates and private business.

The security concerns are being ignored. Workers interests as well as that of the country are given a go-bye. Yes, every day, it is being made clear that this is a government of the Corporates. Completion of three years by Modi is being celebrated by attacking the Defence Ordnance Factories.

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.

Privatsation of Chennai, Kozhikode Railway Stations.

21 Friday Apr 2017

Posted by in Neo-liberal policy, TU News - India

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As part of implementing the Bibek Debroy report, central government is proposing to privatise many railway stations in the name of modernisation, providing more facilities etc. Chennai and Kozhikode are two of these railway stations.

The intention is to hand over the railway stations to the private so that the latter can utilise the land, construct buildings, do their business and garner huge profit. They will loot the travellers by increasing price  for everything in the station, including food. The hard experience of the privatisation of airports is before us.

This attack on the Railways and the public/travellers has to be opposed and defeated as was done in the case of privatisation of Chennai and Kolkata airports by the people of T.Nadu and W.Bengal. It is appreciated that the trade unions, on the initiative of the  railway unions, have opposed the anti-worker  anti-people decision.

Prepare for serious struggle against closure / strategic sale of BSNL

03 Sunday Jul 2016

Posted by in BSNL, BSNL - Better Service to the Nation, BSNLEU, Disinvestment, Forum, General

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It is reported in Hindu that BSNL, Air India etc. are recommended to be closed / strategically sold by NITI Ayog (former Planning Commission) along with many other loss making PSUs. It is also reported that the government may not accept the recommendation in the case of BSNL immediately, since the government fear stiff opposition from its 2.5 lakh employees. ITI is already in the list. It is also reported that the government will start with ‘low hanging fruit’ and later proceed with the big catch.

The intention of the government is very clear. It wants to handover the most profitable telecom sector completely to the private, including BSNL. VSNL is already sold. BSNL seems to be the next target, since Delhi based MTNL, may be the last target because of its being in the capital of the country with all government offices, including that of President, Prime Minister, Defence establishments etc.

Its inability to impose VRS and disinvesment in BSNL earlier, due to strong protest and agitation from the workforce, only is keeping the government from privatising/closing BSNL. Any weakening of the Forum / united movement of the workers will be utilised by the government to implement its dark agenda. The workers can not be caught unawares.

Strengthen Forum of BSNL Unions/Associations to fight against privatisation/closure of BSNL!