People's Democracy

TUs Oppose Oil Price Hike

Countrywide Action On Nov 24

The major central trade unions – CITU, AICCTU, AITUC, HMS, TUCC, UTUC and UTUC (LS) met in New Delhi on November 10 and issued the following statement:

AT the call of the central trade unions and all India employees federations, the workers  and employees all over the country had observed a “National Demands Day”  on August 20, 2004 on the burning issues before the working people. While issuing that call we had, inter alia, recorded our total opposition to the hike in the prices of petrol, diesel and cooking gas, announced twice, at that time, and demanded the government to revisit the duty structure on oil price.

This meeting expresses its resentment over the indifferences manifested by the UPA government in not taking any tangible measures to address the concerns of the workers and common people. Rather, a few of the steps, since taken by the government had exhibited their negative attitude towards the working people of the country.

In this backdrop, the stiff hike on petrol, diesel and LPG prices, recently announced by the government, is out and out an atrocious step, which has imposed an unbearable burden on the common people. This is also bound to trigger a further inflationary spiral, as has already been witnessed in the shooting up of the prices of vegetables and other essential articles.

The government refuses to heed to the suggestions for enhancing the tax-GDP ratio by broadening the tax base and raising resources through levies on the affluent sections of the society.

This meeting unequivocally condemns the price hike and demands immediate roll back thereof. We demand the government to rework the duty structure on oil products, secure the bulk purchase discount of around 10 per cent allowed to other countries by the crude oil exporters and deflate the profit margins of both the public and private sector refineries, in order to effect the roll back.

We call upon all the working people, irrespective of affiliations, to stage massive protest actions by organising rallies, demonstrations etc at the state capitals and the industrial centres throughout the country on November 24, 2004.

We also call upon the workers throughout the country to prepare for further intensified countrywide united struggles. (INN)