KERALA  CITU COUNCIL MEETS

Statewide Strike On August 6

THE four-day meeting of the CITU’s Kerala state council concluded at Thiruvananthapuram, July 23, with a colourful rally of thousands of workers from all sectors in the district.

Addressing the rally, CITU president E Balanandan, leader of opposition V S Achuthanandan, K N Ravindranath, P K Gurudasan and others urged upon the workers to make the August 6 strike a grand success. They asked for workers’ full cooperation with the campaign programme chalked out by the National Assembly of Workers to build a strong movement in alliance with other working people. They warned the government not to expect the workers to yield to the denial of hard-earned rights. Workers would continue to oppose the anti-people policies of the union and state governments.

E Balanandan warned the government to note that trade unions used to dare the police and military even before many of today’s ministers were born. Workers would never yield to a situation where foreigners rule this country again.

At a press conference earlier, CITU general secretary M K Pandhe said the Kerala chief minister A K Antony was implementing the BJP government’s policies that have failed to help any section of the people. He said the National Platform of Mass Organisations would soon announce further action programmes and new forms of struggle against the policies of globalisation that are affecting all sectors of our national life.

Pandhe stressed that the Vajpayee government’s policies were pushing the country to a serious slowdown and crisis. “There is slowdown in agriculture, manufacturing, mining, agriculture and service sectors which is likely to deteriorate in the coming days,” he said at a meet-the-press programme organised by Thiruvananthapuram Press Club.

Pandhe also disputed the union finance minister's claim that the recession would be short-lived and said even industrialists have taken the statement with a pinch of salt. He said the revenue shortfall and excessive government expenditure had made a mockery of all budgetary calculations.

Alleging that the centre was becoming more and more dependent on the World Bank and IMF, he criticised the government for concessions given to multinationals to attract foreign capital at the cost of our self-reliant development. Here he pointed out how the value of rupee had declined precariously, making the country’s exports cheaper and imports costlier.

The report of the Second National Labour Commission sought to change the labour laws to introduce a hire and fire system to suit the employers. Pandhe complained that social security benefits, including pension benefits, were under attack, making even the retired life of a worker more difficult.

Stating that the Antony government was also adopting the same discredited policies, he said it was itching for a confrontation with the working class and trade union movement. Kerala’s proposed loading and unloading bill was only a device to help the businessmen in the name of checking extortion.

He said the proposed Kerala strike on August 6 had brought together all the trade unions to fight the anti-labour policies. “If the state government does not correct its retrograde steps, it will have to face a series of such action programmes,” he warned. 

He informed that an international conference of energy workers would be held in Kochi on August 15-16, with delegates from 50 countries joining. (INN)