People's Democracy

Bengal CITU Gears Up For The All-India Strike

BENGAL CITU has announced a four-month long intense programme of campaign-movement from its working committee meeting held in Kolkata. Shyamal Chakraborty, president of the Bengal unit of the CITU said that the programme would lead up to the all-India strike action on December 14 based on sixteen urgent and imperative demands. The principal slogan is: “Make the all-India strike a massive success!”

The CITU leader summarised the programme thus:
p State- and district-level conventions between August 16 and September 15
p Mass rallies under the banner of CITU on September 20 in support of the all-India strike
p November 1-15, block/locality-level padayatra
p Notice to be given on November 29 for the strike
p Massive rally of four lakh workers at Brigade Parade Grounds in Kolkata on December 3
p December 7-13 campaign in support of the strike with colourful tableaux
p Making the strike action a massive success in Bengal on December 14

ROLE OF CITU

The CITU is sharply aware of the responsible role it shall have to emote in making the strike day an unqualified success. It has also chosen to launch joint movements with the Bengal unit of the National Platform of Mass Organisations (NPMO) and with the Left mass organisations in order to reach every household in Bengal with the message of the strike call.

In the villages, all 38,000 of them in Bengal, the number of non-agricultural workers have increased in a massive manner. Forty two per cent of villagers are no longer associated with agriculture as their livelihood/profession.

These men and women have to be approached in a coordinated manner, as must be the millions of those involved in home-based industries. They must be made members of the CITU said Shyamal Chakraborty. So must be the millions of others, mostly women, involved in self-employment and/or in self-help groups.

Joint initiative has been made by the CITU and the Bengal unit of the AIKS to penetrate the villages deeply and widely in order to communicate to them the grave and innate importance of making the all-India strike a great success.

OUTLINE OF JOINT PROGRAMME

The outline of the programme to be held jointly with the NPMO and Left mass organisations of Bengal looks like this at present:
m State-level convention on September 4 in Kolkata
m District-level conventions on September 15
m Rally at Rani Rashmoni Road crossing, Kolkata on September 20
m Till September 20, conventions down to the block-level

The Bengal unit of the CITU will bring out an audio cassette as part of the campaign with the contents explaining in detail the purport of the strike and the background. A leaflet, too, will be published.

The Bengal CITU endorses a one-day strike by jute workers based on a 14-point charter of demands that includes dearness allowance. The Bengal CITU also endorses the one-day strike call given by contract labour working in the State Electricity Board on September 11 on such demands as minimum wage and provident fund. The Bengal CITU called upon the toiling masses to participate in massive numbers in the anti-war day programme to be held on September 1.

THOUSANDS OF RALLIES CONDEMN ANTI-WORKER POLICIES

Bengal witnessed thousands of rallies organised under the aegis of the CITU throughout the afternoon of August 10 to condemn the repression being unleashed on workers struggling for their rights in various parts of the country. The rallies epitomised the wrath of the toiling masses against all attempts to deprive them of their hard-earned rights. The programme also included marches and smaller meetings at the gates of factories and production units. Swelling the ranks of their comrades working in the organised sector were hundreds and thousands of unorganised workers.

The speakers at the rallies pointed to the onerous attacks organised on workers and on members of the toiling masses in such places as Gurgaon in Haryana, Chamera in Himachal Pradesh, and Ferozabad in Uttar Pradesh. They also noted with due importance the fervent pro-worker, pro-poor, and pro-people stand of the Bengal Left Front government.

President of the Bengal unit of the CITU Shyamal Chakraborty said that the working class would never in any circumstances give up their rights that they hard earned through struggles, long and arduous. Struggle would continue in ever widening circles with deeper contact established with the toiling masses. Later Chakraborty and Bengal general secretary of CITU Kali Ghosh congratulated the workers for making the daylong programme an unqualified success.

(B P)