The Hindu : Call for united struggle to end `anti-worker policies'

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Dec 10, 2003

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Call for united struggle to end `anti-worker policies'

By Our Special Correspondent

The CITU president, E. Balanandan, hoisting the flag on the occasion of the trade union's eleventh all-India conference in Chennai on Tuesday. — Photo: R._Ragu

CHENNAI Dec. 9. The need for an all-India general strike in protest against the Supreme Court observation on the right to strike was endorsed and reiterated by the Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) at its 11th conference, which began here today.

Expressing concern over the "concerted and brazen" attempts made by the Central and State Governments, particularly Tamil Nadu, to deprive workers of their "hard-earned rights and privileges", the CITU felt that it was high time that trade unions, irrespective of their political affiliations, put up a united struggle to end "anti-worker policies."

The CITU president, E. Balanandan, in his presidential address, said that the conference would chalk out an action programme to counteract the "evil machinations" of the BJP Government which, he said, was acting at the behest of the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund and the World Trade Organisation. These international agencies, he alleged, were mainly working for the interests of the transnational corporations and systematically intensifying the bondage of weaker nations.

Mr. Balanandan said: "The jobless growth model of capitalism was now changing to a job killing mode." Downsizing, outsourcing, shifting of industries to low-wage areas, reduction of welfare amenities and attempt for direct wage reduction were becoming the order of the day exploding the myth that "capitalism would be the panacea for evils of the economy," he added.

In his welcome address, the chairman of the reception committee, N.Sankariah, said the resurgence of the "right wing, reactionary and communal forces," during the last five years of the BJP-led NDA Government at the Centre, had thrown up a formidable challenge to the unity of the working class and the people by their "fascistic and genocidal onslaughts." The threat to national unity from "secessionist forces aided by imperialist powers" was assuming alarming proportions.

Leaders of other trade unions, who felicitated the CITU on the occasion, supported its call for a mass working class movement to protect the rights and privileges of the working class.

The general secretary of the AITUC, Gurudas Dasgupta, said the nation was in peril as the economic growth was halted, development affected and the unemployment and poverty rate on the rise and this was solely due to liberalisation, globalisation and privatisation. So it was imperative for trade unions to unite as they alone could halt this trend. He also called for a greater coordination between the CITU and the AITUC to put down "imperialist forces."

A. Subramaniam of the Hind Mazdoor Sabha regretted that in the name of disinvestments many profit-making public sector units were being ``sold for a song.'' Privatisation would not solve the unemployment problem as multi-national companies, which accounted for 33 per cent of production units were providing employment to just five per cent.

C. Kuppusami of the Labour Progressive Federation said that it was time to re-launch the swadeshi movement as the unrestricted arrival of foreign goods was affecting the rural economy.

The president of the World Federation of Trade Unions, K.L. Mahendra and the vice-president of the Trade Union Common Centre, Sivasankar, were among those who felicitated the CITU.

Earlier, the conference had a colourful start with Mr. Balanandan hoisting the CITU flag and later paying floral tributes to a martyr column along with other State-level union leaders. About 2,300 delegates from all over the country, including 40 foreign delegates, are participating the five-day conference, being hosted by Chennai for the second time. The national conference was earlier held here in 1979.

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