People's Democracy

         CITU Protests Airport Privatisation Move

THE Centre of Indian Trade Unions has denounced the UPA government’s move to privatise the Mumbai and Delhi airports. As reported by the press, on June 28 the Group of Ministers decided to allow 49 per cent equity participation by foreign capital and retention of only “26 per cent shares by the government through Airport Authority and other PSUs” in the joint venture companies to be set up to restructure the two airports. The CITU thinks this is a clear move to hand over these two profit making airports to private control.

The CITU statement on June 29 said the move is a clear violation of the Common Minimum Programme that stipulates “no privatisation of the profit making PSUs.” Moreover, the CITU said privatisation of strategic infrastructure like airports is injurious to national security and should not be allowed.

Both Mumbai and Delhi airports are earning profit and can be further modernised by internal resources. The united forum of airport and airlines employees and officers has already submitted an alternative proposal for modernisation of these two airports within the PSU framework and the UPA government must give this proposal due consideration instead of blindly following the privatisation track drawn by the preceding NDA government. The CITU said the people of this country did not bring the UPA to power to follow the NDA track.

The airport and airlines employees are already protesting the move. The CITU has urged the government to refrain from the disastrous move, and asked the trade union movement and the airport and airlines workers to prepare for resistance if the government does not retrace its move. (INN)