People's Democracy

THE meeting of the national secretariat of CITU held on June 2-3, 2001 at New Delhi welcomed the gradual emergence of all in unity in the trade union movement against the anti-national and anti-people policies of the Vajpayee government. It called on its state units and all affiliated unions to make preparations at the grass root level for a massive countrywide united strike action against these policies.

In a statement released after the meeting, the CITU general secretary M K Pandhe stated that the secretariat hailed the united position of firm opposition to the government's policies in the recently held 37^th Indian Labour Conference. The Secretariat felt that continuous effort for forging all in unity in the struggle against the economic policies of the government , both at the national and grass root level, has started showing results. Already in various sector-wise struggles all the trade unions, irrespective of affiliations, have joined together in the field of action. During the last few months all the trade unions including INTUC and BMS have been taking a unified stand of opposition against various policy declarations by the government of India including the Union budget for 2001-02.

The CITU secretariat also welcomed the decisions on programme of campaign and struggle jointly taken by all the central trade unions, viz, AITUC, BMS, CITU, HMS, UTUC, UTUC (LS), TUCC, AICCTU and NFITU taken in their joint meetings held on May 20 and 24 held at New Delhi. The meetings identified five specific issues on which countrywide united movement has to be built up. They are :

• Against thoughtless privatisation of profit-making and potentially viable PSUs including the defence sector industries.
• Against the move to change the labour laws in favour of the employers.
• For the immediate enactment of comprehensive legislation for agricultural workers.
• Against removal of quantitative restrictions on import, much to the detriment of industry, agriculture and the national interest as a whole.
• Against the policies leading to severe aggravation of joblessness and unemployment.

The meeting had also chalked out initial programme of struggle on these issues. It was decided that joint conventions and rallies will be held in the state capitals and industrial centres by July 10, 2001 to mobilise the working masses in the struggle on the above issues.

On the second day of the monsoon session of the parliament, a massive joint demonstration would be held in front of parliament.

The central trade unions also decided to intensify the joint agitation on the above issues through countrywide trade union action and appealed to all workers to prepare for countrywide united strike action.

The central trade unions will again meet in mid-June to decide further course action including strike.

They welcomed the initiative of BMS union in defence sector for strike action against defence-sector privatisation and allowing foreign companies in defence sector. At the same time it was suggested that all the trade unions/federations in the defence sector industries should jointly meet to discuss and finalise the joint strike action in defence-sector industries at the earliest. The central trade unions also appealed to the workers in the other industries to organise countrywide solidarity, demonstrations, rallies etc in support during the strike period.

In view of the above programmes of joint movement, the CITU national secretariat appealed to its state committees, industrial federations and all the affiliate unions to take urgent initiative to involve all the trade unions at the state and industry level in holding massive united convention, demonstrations, rallies etc on the above issues in the state capitals/industrial centres on priority basis in the forthcoming period and carry on preparation at the grass root level throughout the country for a massive countrywide united strike action against the anti-national and ruinous policies of the Vajpayee government.