GENERAL STRIKE, MAY 21

Working Class On Forward March

M K Pandhe

TODAY, with great enthusiasm, the working class all over India is engaged in a grim battle to make the May 21 nationwide general strike a grand success. Sections of workers who never joined strike actions earlier are coming forward spontaneously to join this long-awaited action.

On May 6, India witnessed huge demonstrations at workplaces through which strike notices were served to the managements. These united demonstrations reflected the growing militancy of the working class to oppose the anti-people policies of the BJP-led NDA government.

The growing discontent among workers is due to the downsizing in all industries and government offices, large scale sickness leading to closure of lakhs of industrial units, threat of privatisation and anti-worker legislations in the wake of recommendations of the Second National Labour Commission, and huge concessions given to MNCs and Indian big business in the form of tax incentives and de-regulations. This discontent has accumulated over years since the advent of globalisation in India. Workers’ united resistance against the attacks on their living standards has been developing in almost all industries. Participation of workers of all affiliations in these struggles has resulted in a powerful unity from below.

AGREED COMMON PROGRAMME

The charter of demands for the general strike has the approval of all trade unions in India, including INTUC and BMS. Participating in the July 15, 2002 convention, the INTUC leadership endorsed these demands. Moreover, the demands were finalised in a meeting held in BMS headquarters in 2001. The press statement issued by BMS office after the meeting made an appeal to the workers of all affiliations to prepare for a nationwide strike to achieve these demands. The BMS endorsed the all-India strike of public sector workers on April 14, 2002, which included most of these demands. Thus the leaders of both INTUC and BMS have no justification to oppose the strike.

INTUC journal The Indian Worker observed in its April 1-15, 2003 issue: “Even though there were continuous and united struggles in different forms such as March to Parliament, Jail Bhaaro Andolan, Satyagraha etc by central trade unions in protest against irrational and unimaginative policies of the BJP-led NDA government including disinvestment, the union government seems to have turned deaf ears to these protests and process of disinvestment of profit making public sector undertaking is continuing unabated.”

However, the same journal advised the trade unions: “It is also the prime duty of trade unions to analyse the situation pragmatically and voice their protests through the respective political parties to take up the issue on the floor of parliament. It seems the only option left to the trade unions, especially in view of the fact that the present government is not in a mood to give cognisance to the legitimate protest of the working class.”

The statement ignores the fact that, whether it was to pass the patents bill or a bill for privatisation of insurance industry, etc, the Congress and the NDA constituents ganged up on several issues of economic policies. The majority of parties in parliament have endorsed the so-called liberalisation.

The Indian Worker, therefore, tells the working class: “Strike or work stoppage in this situation, as has been planned by some of the central trade union organisations, does not seem to be a solution.”

Another opponent of the strike, Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh (BMS), fully supported the demands of the strike. It went to the extent of characterising the government’s policies as anti-working class. Its founder president D Thengadi compared the role of Vajpayee government with the betrayal by Jayachand Rathod against Prithviraj Chauhan and by Mir Jaffar and Mir Kassim who helped Robert Clive establish the East India Company’s rule in Bengal. Yet the organisation’s leadership is not prepared to fight the NDA government’s treachery by direct working class action.

OPPORTUNIST TU TACTICS

In the recent talks between RSS leaders and Vajpayee, there was a clear mention of the BMS and its role against the government. What happened in these parleys is not exactly known, but indications were given that the BMS would not create difficulties for the government.

The meaning of the BMS stand is clear. To keep its influence over its followers intact, it speaks strongly against the government’s policies. Yet, it does not want to embarrass the government by resorting to a strike. A clear-cut game of running with the hare and hunting with the hound!

However, the policies of the leaders of these two organisations are not convincing to their ranks. Many local level leaders of these organisations have openly come out in support of the strike and expressed opposition to the government’s policies. The example of INTUC general secretary Rajendra Prasad openly supporting the call given by coal industry unions last August, despite strong opposition expressed by INTUC president G Sanjeeva Reddy, is well known. The speech made by INTUC representative at the workers’ massive rally before parliament on February 26 this year expressed support to the declaration which called for a one day general strike in the country. Participating in rallies in support of the strike, several BMS activists have made it clear that they won’t oppose the strike. All this reflects the growing urge for unity among the rank and file workers of all affiliations.

NATIONWIDE CAMPAIGN

A powerful nationwide campaign in support of the strike, through rallies, conventions, protest dharnas etc, has drawn new sections of the working class in the preparations. The campaign clearly reflected the fighting mood of ordinary workers.

The All India Defence Employees Federation, a major organisation of 5 lakh defence employees in the country, has urged all the defence production units to down their tools on May 21. About 90 defence factories and establishments are likely to be affected by the strike.

The call given by the port and dock workers’ unions in most of the major ports in a significant development in the run-up to the strike. The government of India’s move to privatise the major ports and SCI has evoked strong resentment from these workers.

Most of the leading organisations of central government employees including P&T, income tax, audit and accounts, printing press and secretarial staff have issued statements individually and jointly in support of the strike. The attack of retrenchment, non-filling of vacant posts, privatisation of government jobs, attacks on pensionary benefits have brought these organisations together for a nationwide direct action.

The All India State Government Employees Federation, representing 70 lakh state government employees, has been in the forefront of the struggle, and most of the state government establishments will get paralysed on May 21. Despite the vindictive action threats by some state governments, employees are determined to go ahead. Coordination between the state and central employees’ movements has been an important development in the period.

The united forum of 15 lakh bank employees all over India has forthrightly come out in favour of the action. The AIBEA, BEFI, NCBE and other leading organisations of bank employees are spearheading the strike. In several places, bank officers too have announced their decision to join the strike. The AUBOC is playing a positive role in this massive working class action.

Under the leadership of AIIEA, insurance employees are preparing well to make the strike a complete success. The organisations of general insurance employees are extensively campaigning for the strike.

NEW UNITY IN OIL SECTOR

This time, the oil sector has shown remarkable progress. In a convention in Mumbai recently, 27 unions of all affiliations welcomed the decision for May 21 strike and resolved to join this historic, direct action by the working class. The government’s proposal to privatise the HPCL and BPCL faced a successful 3-day strike in these undertakings in March.

Small and unorganised sections of the working class, who bear the major brunt of industrial sickness and closures, are coming forward for action. The recent struggles by handloom, powerloom, construction, plantation and beedi workers showed growing militancy among these sections. The government’s promise to legislate for protecting the unorganised workers has proved to be a hoax and these workers are to press for a comprehensive bill in their favour.  Fishing industry workers are preparing to stop work on May 21. This time, more unorganised workers are likely to participate than in earlier strikes.

AGRICULTURAL WORKERS ON MOVE

In its recent conference, the All India Agricultural Workers Union called upon agriculture workers to join the nationwide protest. The government of India’s refusal to enact a comprehensive law to protect the working and living conditions of agricultural workers, despite the recommendations of National Commission on Agricultural Labour, has evoked protest from several organisations of agricultural workers. The decline in the real earnings of agricultural workers during the last decade is also bringing them into the vortex of struggle. Their organisations have decided to organise rail roko and rasta roko on May 21, which will add a new dimension to the working class struggle in our country.

SOLIDARITY BY MASS ORGANISATIONS

The National Platform of Mass Organisations has asked its constituent organisations of kisans, students, youth and women to express solidarity with the striking workers on May 21 and also to resort to direct action programmes to press for their own sectional demands.

The AIKS conference in March decided to express solidarity with the working class action and also to organise rail roko, rasta roko and picketings before the central government offices on May 21 on the peasants’ demands.

The AIDWA convention in Delhi on April 24 also decided to organise direct action in support of the demands of women, such as strengthening of the public distribution system, reservation for women in legislatures, etc.

Student and youth organisations too have announced their action programmes on May 21. Teachers’ organisations have expressed solidarity with workers. 

In several states, political parties have called for statewide bandhs to bring people into action. All these developments will make May 21 a day of national protest against the NDA government’s policy of surrendering the nation’s interests at the IMF-World Bank-WTO diktat.

The worsening situation in both urban and rural areas is leading to suicides all over India. The number of suicides was never so high as in the recent past. In Maharashtra alone, over 18,000 industrial units stand closed. Yet the NDA government continues to carry the IMF-World Bank policies. It is thus coming in direct conflict with all sections of the toiling millions of India. May 21 will reflected the united will of India’s toiling people to carry forward the struggle against these anti-national policies and force their reversal.