People's Democracy

Sixth Bengal State Conference Of

Construction Workers’ Union

B Prasant

THE sixth state conference of the Bengal unit of the construction workers’ union (affiliated to CITU) was held recently amidst fervour at Khardaha in the industrial belt of North 24 Parganas.  Bengal chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee and senior CITU central leaders M K Pandhe and Chittabrata Majumdar, among others, addressed the open rally at the spacious Rabindra Bhavan.  

In his wide-ranging address, the Bengal chief minister pointed out that the state Left Front government stood opposed to handing over monopolistic control to the industrialists.  The Bengal Left Front government, announced Buddhadeb amidst cheers, represented the poor, the downtrodden, and the toiling masses.

Intensely critical of the anti-worker policy being praised in the capitalist world as ‘hire-and-fire,’ Buddhadeb sharply pointed out that the world was not an exclusive domain of the capitalists and said that the LF government of Bengal would always stand resolutely by the side of the workers whenever they were under assault and their rights were being attacked.

WORKERS’ WORLD

Enumerating and explaining the role that the Bengal Left Front government emoted over the years to look to the interests of the unorganised workers including construction workers, Buddhadeb pointed out that a process of development that looked to the interests of the ‘haves’ alone would surely fail because ‘development per se is unthinkable without taking into consideration the toiling masses.’ 

The developmental drive of the Bengal Left Front government, said Buddhadeb, was aimed at looking to the interest of the poor and the downtrodden at a time when the poor were increasingly marginalised because of the market forces and market depredations.

While Bengal needed capital investment for development, Buddhadeb clarified to say, it never meant that the reign of control would be handed over to the industrialists for them to run amuck, treading underfoot the interest of the workers.  The crucial role of the workers in the process of development will never be undervalued in any manner.

‘Capital alone can hardly work wonders,’ said Buddhadeb and he continued to posit that sans workforce, capital would have little economic and social value by itself. The legitimate rights of the workers must be protected and further advanced.  The principal reason why there was an increasing fall-out between the Congress-run central government and the Bengal Left Front revolved around this crucial issue.

ROLE OF BENGAL LF GOVT

Noting that of the work force, 92 per cent belonged to the unorganised sector, Buddhadeb pointed out forcefully that it devolved on the state government to ensure that once retired, the workers of the unorganised sector, including millions of construction workers statewide, did not fall into evil, distressful times.  Provident Fund schemes have been put in place.  Workers’ welfare funds have been set up.  To make the schemes a living success, there should not be too much of dependence, said the Bengal chief minister, on the Writers Buildings;  the trade unions must throw themselves into the task.

All-India general secretary of the CITU Chittabrata Majumdar said that the workers labouring under the big managements belonged almost wholly to the category of thika (casual contractual) workers.  These workers remain deprived of legal rights of every kind. 

The conditions under which construction workers were put to work in the smaller concerns were retrogressive and exploitative in extreme.  Chittabrata Majumdar pointed out that construction workers were being organised in Bengal under the banner of the CITU and elsewhere and that this was a good sign.

Dr M K Pandhe, all-India president of the CITU said that the union government, bowing to the dictates of the sweep of imperialist globalisation, was keen on depriving the workers of their rightful dues. Thika workers were employed in perennial jobs.

The CITU would build up a massive struggle against such and other anti-workers moves.  An all-India convention on July 25 would decide on the course of action that would be taken: if necessary, a one-day chakka jam would be organised.

Among other who addressed the open session were finance minister of Bengal Dr Asim Dasgupta, Construction Workers’ Federation of India president R Singaravelu, and CITU leaders Mohd Amin, Laxman Seth, and Ranjit Kundu.  

LABOUR BOARD

The delegates’ session started with Chittabrata Majumdar raising the Red Flag.  The martyrs’ column was then garlanded. In his inaugural address, Dr Pandhe said that the construction workers suffered perennially from the malady that they had no job security, and their terms with the employers ended as soon as the construction work was over.

The presidium comprised besides Majumdar, Arati Dasgupta, Debanjan Chakraborty, Pranab Das, Brajagopal Das, Amal Kundu, and Bimal Roy.

Dr Pandhe argued in favour of a labour board for construction workers after the model of the dock and textile labour boards of Mumbai.  The board would comprise representatives of the TUs, the government, and the management. The board would be set up down to the level of the districts and the construction workers would be able to register their names with the board.

The builders’ firms would then be able to employ construction workers from the pool, registered with the boards. This will enhance the guarantee of job security and of benefits for the workers. The board will be in a position to implement labour welfare schemes.  However, legal changes would be necessary to bring this modification into the body of the present Contract Labour Act, Dr Pandhe pointed out.

Dr M K Pandhe recalled that the membership of the Construction Workers Federation of India (CWFI) stood at five lakh. The Bengal unit boasted of 1.42 lakh members. He called for a rapid increase in membership and announced that the next all-India conference of the CWFI would be held in Himachal Pradesh where the construction workers were being continually persecuted.

Bengal CITU general secretary Kali Ghosh, R Singaravelu, Dr Asim Dasgupta, sports minister Subhas Chakraborty, Laxman Seth, and minister of state for labour Anadi Sahoo were among those who addressed the delegate session.

INCREASE CONSCIOUSNESS

25 out of the 500 delegates present placed their views and discussed the secretarial report placed by Laxman Seth.  Following Seth’s response to the discussion, Chittabrata Majumdar rose to deliver his address to the delegates.

Chittabrata Majumdar said that in order to implement measures like the functioning of the labour board, a strong organised drive on behalf of the workers was essential. He pointed that because of a lack of pressure, successive union governments around the world had proved reluctant to implement measures that had been recommended by the ILO because there had been no pressure from the workers themselves.

Chittabrata Majumdar noted that even existing legislations were very often not implemented and said that the workers must acquire the power to make the push come to a shove.  Had there been a powerful workers’ movement at the all-India level, the union government would have been forced to bow to the wishes of the workers. 

Chittabrata Majumdar also asked the workers to enhance their level of consciousness as they became more organised.  The CITU also called upon the workers to explain to the people the reasons why the central government’s policies caused unemployment and closure in Bengal as well, while pointing to the pro-worker attitude of the state LF government. 

The new state committee of the Bengal unit of the construction workers’ union is made up of 94 members.  There is a 26-member secretariat.  Chittabrata Majumdar has been re-elected president, Arati Dasgupta re-elected as the working president, and Laxman Seth re-elected as the general secretary of the union.