People's Democracy

 Punjab: CITU Holds 11th State Conference

 Charan Singh Virdi

THE 11th Punjab state conference of the Centre of Indian Trade Unions, held at Chandigarh on October 6-7, successfully concluded with a call to resist the LPG policies, combat communalism and imperialist interventions, and oppose the attacks on trade union rights.     

The conference began with a rally in front of the Punjab labour commissioner office, attended by more than 12,000 workers including 700 Anganwari women, who came from all industrial centres and districts in the state. In his speech CITU general secretary Dr M K Pandhe expressed deep concern on the recent Supreme Court judgement on the right to strike. He said the CITU strongly opposes the verdict that government employees had no “constitutional, legal or moral right” to go on strike in any circumstance. The judgement made unwarranted remarks against strike by various sections of people while the right to strike is inherent in the collective bargaining enshrined in the constitution, in laws like the Industrial Disputes Act and in ILO conventions.

Pandhe also said the unemployment situation is worsening. The persisting crisis in capitalist economy all over the world and the onslaughts of the pro-imperialist globalisation are the two major factors behind it. In India, huge job losses in public sector are contributing in a big way to aggravating the unemployment problem. The public sector accounts for about 69 per cent of employment in organised sector. Now the onslaughts on the public sector is killing jobs in a big way. Total employment in the public sector was over 27.75 million as on March 31, 2001, but came dawn to 27.33 million on March 31, 2003. In absolute terms, 4,20,000 public sector employees have been thrown out of employment in this period.  

Launching a scathing attack on the forces of communalism, Pandhe said the judgement in the Best Bakery Case, which saw the acquittal of all the 21 accused, is a criminal neglect of justice, and its consequences are likely to be far more serious than of other cases where the guilty go unpunished. The issue is of great concern to the Left and democratic movement and for the unity and integrity of the country.

Balwant Singh, Vijay Misra and Rughunath Singh, Punjab CITU president, senior vice president and general secretary respectively, also spoke among others.

After the flag hoisting and floral tributes at the martyrs column, the delegates sessaheed Bhagat Singh.

 ion began in a hall named after Pandit Kishori Lal, a departed CITU leader and comrade in arms of Sh

Senior High Court lawyer and reception committee chairman Joginder Singh Toor welcomed the delegates. The 256 delegates and 8 observers represented a membership of 70,000.

In his inaugural speech, Pandhe made several salient points. He asked the delegates to hold high the CITU flag of consistent class struggle for a revolutionary transformation of the existing exploitative bourgeois landlord system, and to demarcate themselves from reformist trade union centres. This cannot be achieved without the working class’s consistent, broad and powerful struggles. The CITU is for united front tactic with other trade union centres where possible, he said.

Pandhe also dwelt on the importance of strengthening the National Platform of Mass Organisations and on giving top priority to raising the political consciousness of the working class and imparting training to CITU cadres.

One immediate need is to put up resistance in defence of trade union and democratic rights that are being attacked by the BJP led NDA government.

Concluding, Pandhe observed that if our activists intervene while upholding the CITU’s correct and militant policy, they would see that the CITU really grows and attains strength.

In his presidential address, Balwant Singh dwelt on the main challenges facing the working class today.

Raghunath Singh presented the general secretary’s report covering the seven years period since the 10th conference in December 1996. The tenor of the report was self-critical. Reviewing the activities, it reported how corrupt and disruptive elements misguided many labour activists of the CITU and how the danger has been minimised and is being overcome.

In the three and a half hour long discussion on the report, 37 delegates took part. While expressing complete agreement with the main points of the report, they stressed upon democratic functioning, trade union schooling, cadre policy, and regular cheek up of the life and work style of the cadres. The report was unanimously adopted amid slogans.

Some of the important tasks chalked out for the coming period are as under: intensification and broadening of struggles against LPG politics and WTO regime; taking up the issue of unemployment and problems of the unorganised workers on priority basis; adequate steps to build the worker-peasant alliance; combating the influences of decadent culture through progressive, secular cultural activities in workers colonies; intensification of campaigns against communalism and imperialist onslaughts; strengthening the state CITU centre; fulfilling the target of one lakh membership; streamlining the maintenance of CITU records and funds; special attention to enhance the CITU work among working women and promotion of women cadre on priority basis, etc.

A number of comrades from fraternal organisations greeted the CITU conference.

The conference unanimously elected a 63 member working committee that in turn elected 12 office bearers. The team will be led by Balwant Singh as president, Vijay Misra as working president and Raghunath Singh as general secretary. Balwant Singh’s closing speech concluded the conference.