MUMBAI

 Huge Rally Against Privatisation Policies, Labour Report

 P R Krishnan

THE historic Azad Maidan in south Mumbai witnessed, on October 28, a 15,000 strong joint rally of white-collar employees and blue-collar workers to strongly condemn certain decisions of the Maharashtra state government. These decisions are about privatisation of department services in the state, downsizing of their workforce, freeze on the dearness allowance (DA) the state government employees are entitled to get, and denial of bonus to them. In addition, in one voice, the rally demanded rejection of the second National Labour Commission’s report and recommendations which, the rally said, are anti-working class.

The call for the protest rally was given by the Maharashtra level Coordination Committee of State Government Employees, Semi-Government Employees and Teachers as well as by the Joint Action Committee of Trade Unions. The former had put forth the following demands: (1) grant of annual bonus at the time of Diwali, (2) withdrawal of the state government’s decision to freeze the DA, (3) revocation of the decision to privatise the state government’s undertakings, and (4) an end to the move to downsize the workforce. At the same time, the Joint Action Committee had given the call to protest against the recommendations of the second National Labour Commission. The Joint Action Committee comprises central trade union organisations like the CITU, AITUC, HMS, HMKP, Kamgar Aghadi and TUCC as well as certain independent unions and industrial federations.

In fact, the JAC’s call was also to pledge the support of the working class to the demands of the state government employees. It was thus that both the Coordination Committee of government employees, etc, and the trade unions’ Joint Action Committee chose the same venue (Azad Maidan), the same date and the same time for holding their rallies.

Despite the Diwali festival season in the state, an overwhelming majority of the 15,000 strong joint rally at the Azad Maidan was of the state government employees. Women employees comprised a good part of this mobilisation. The rally was a unique display of unity between the working class and the state government employees.

Apart from the state government staff, other sections of workers and employees who assembled for the rally under the banner of JAC were bank and insurance employees, central government employees, railway employees, industrial workers, municipal employees, and so on. All of them came in processions from different directions of the metropolis, to converge at the Azad Maidan.

R G Karnik, president of the All India State Government Employees Federation and convenor of the Coordination Committee of State Government Employees, Semi-Government Employees and Teachers, presided over the rally. Karnik is also the convenor of the trade unions’ Joint Action Committee. K L Bajaj, a CITU leader, was one of the presidium members.

Among the leaders who addressed the rally were Shankar Salvi (HMKP), Sukumar Damle (AITUC), G M V Nayak (BEFI), Suryakant Bagal (HMS), Dr Vivek Monteiro (CITU), A D Golandaz (MSEB), M A Patil (Sarva Shramik Sangh), Sanjay Singhvi (TUCI), Jayant Chawan (SSS), R P Singh (Central Government Employees Confederation), Ashok Tul (Zilla Parishad Employees), Suresh Dhopeshwarkar (AIBEA), Arvind Nachane (AIIEA), S S Upadhya (GIEU), and B Vichare (MHADA).

In his concluding speech, Karnik warned the Maharashtra government that grave would be the consequences if it did not revoke its anti-employee decisions. He further said the working class in Maharashtra is fully united in demanding that the recommendations of the second National Labour Commission be rejected.

The meeting urged upon the state and central government staff to join the countrywide working class agitation against the anti-people policies of the state and central governments and to participate in the joint rally at Delhi that is scheduled to take place in the new year. It was announced that as per the National Assembly decision at Delhi, there would be Rasta Roko and Jail Bharo agitations throughout Maharashtra on January 8. During the run-up to the proposed Delhi rally, the trade unions’ Joint Action Committee will also organise conferences and conventions in all districts of Maharashtra against the government’s policies and to press for rejection of the National Commission on Labour’s report.

It will be mentioned here that the CITU has been playing a major role in bringing various sections of the workers and employees together for the purpose of organising united actions in the state of Maharashtra.