People's Democracy

PENSION PRIVATISATION

19 Lakh Employees And Teachers To Go On Strike

K K Theekedath

SHRI R G Karnil, convenor of the Coordination Committee of state government, semi-government employees’ and teachers organisation has served a notice to the chief minister on June 5, declaring the decision of nineteen lakhs of teachers and employees to go on token strikes as well as indefinite strike to protect their pensions and jobs. The programme of action would consist of two days strike on July 24, 25, three days’ token strike on August 28, 29 and 30, and indefinite strike from September 18, 2007.

The main demands are that pension should not be privatised, jobs should not be killed, and grant-in-aid to schools and colleges and universities should not be stopped, all of which are policies dictated by the IMF and World Bank and which the Maharashtra chief minister is espousing.

ANGER OVER CM’S STAND ON PENSION

The employees have expressed their total opposition to the stand taken by the chief minister at the Delhi meeting of chief ministers and finance ministers on January 22, where he supported the plan of pension privatisation. This was in sharp contrast to the stand of the three chief ministers of the Left Front governments of West Bengal, Tripura and Kerala. In fact, on the eve of his departure to Delhi, the leaders of the employees had met Vilasrao Deshmukh on January 20, to warn him against giving support to the privatisation of pension. However, he went to Delhi and on January 22 gave his no to the scheme.

Tens of thousands of vacancies are existing in offices and schools, since the government refuses to fill up vacancies caused by retirement and tries to kill these jobs. Departments of the government are being closed one after the other, and permanent posts are being converted into temporary contract positions. Employees and teachers are being hired on contract on meagre wages with no holidays or other benefits. Government dairies and freezing units are being transferred to private parties.

HISTORIC 54 DAY STRIKE GAINS BEING WITHDRAWN

In December 1977 state government employees and teachers had launched an indefinite strike which went on for 54 days and was withdrawn in February 1978. One of the major demands was that the dearness allowance in the state should be at central rates. This demand was accepted by the chief minister Sharad Pawar, and for almost thirty years there was no talk of going back on this assurance. But now the government is surreptitiously withdrawing from this commitment. For the past twenty-eight months the DA has been much lower than central DA rates. The employees and teaches are firm that the gain of the 54 day strike will not allowed to be negated.

THE SWEEP OF STRIKE ACTION

The coordination committee has within its fold organisations of state government employees, semi-government who draw their salaries from the government treasury. There are 7.5 lakh state government employees, 1.5 lakh zilla parishad employees, 2 lakh of other employees including those working in the 28,000 odd village panchayats of the state, and 8 lakhs of teachers employed in aided schools, colleges and universities. This makes it a huge fraternity of 19 lakhs of employees and teachers who are directly affected by the policies of the government and who have now come together to resist these policies through the strike action.

TEACHERS TO JOIN CCTOB AND MSSS

The eight lakhs of teachers in the state from the primary level to the college and university levels will be participating in this action. A meeting of the state level coordination committee of teachers’ associations from KG to PG, (Maharashtra, Shikshak Sanghatane Samanvay Samiti (MSSSS) was held on Mumbai on June 17, where teacher leaders from all levels were invited. The presidium consisted of four leaders representing primary, secondary, higher secondary and college-university sections. The following state level organisations were present: Maharashtra Madhyamik shikshak Sangh, Marathwada Shikshak Sangh, Maharashtra Rajye Kanishthe Mahavidyalayeen Shikshak Mahasangh, Maharashtra Rajya Prathamik Shikashek Samiti, Maharashtra Federation of University and College Teachers organisations and Teachers Democratic Front.

CCTOB

One of the oldest coordination committees in the country which brings together teachers of Mumbai from the Kindergarten level (KG) to the post graduate level (PG) is the coordination committee of teachers organisations Bombay (CCTOB). The CCTOB was formed in 1977 following the release of teacher leaders from prison after the emergency. This organisation has over the past thirty years, conducted large numbers of struggles like joint dharnas, morchas, examination boycott, and massive courting arrest programmes. Three years ago it conducted a rasta-roko programme to thwart Vilasrao Deshmukh’s attempt to stop grant in aid to English medium schools.

It was the CCTOB which took the initiative in organising the Maharashtra level meeting. The units of the CCTOB which participated in the June 17, meeting were: Greater Bombay Secondary Teachers association, Bombay and suburban secondary teachers association, Mumbai prathamik Shikshak Shikshaketa Sanghatane, Mumbai junior college teachers union and Bombay university and college teachers union. This represents the entire spectrum of teachers in the metropolis.

MANAGEMENTS THREATEN STRIKE FOR GRANTS

In a development which indicates the depth of the crisis created by the new economic policies, the managements of 5000 odd aided educational institutions have also served a notice to the chief minister threatening to keep their schools and colleges closed from August 16 in case their demand for grant-in-aid is not resolved. In its strike notice dated April 12, issued by the Maharashtra Rajya Shikshan Sanstha Mahamandal by its president Dr Shekhavat, the Mahamandal has stated that for the past four or five years the private primary schools and secondary schools have not been paid non-salary grants. As for the colleges, their non-salary grants have not been paid from 1997-98.

Non-salary grants are as important for the running of educational institutions as salary-grants which support the payment of salaries to the employees and teachers. As a result of the stopping of non-salary grants for the past several years the institutional infrastructures are rapidly collapsing. In many places there is no money for upkeep or painting of school building, and the teachers themselves are funding even purchase of chalk-sticks.

The managements have also protested against the change in the grant-in-aid and staffing rules, due to which all appointments of staff have come to a half. The Mahamandal has demanded the resolution of all those problems within a month, failing which their boycott and closure of institutions would start from August 16.

OVERALL CRISIS SITUATION

The government of Maharashtra has been a pioneer in pushing the neo-liberal agenda in the field of education. With huge fee hikes, especially in the professional courses, privatisation of education and opening of non-grant institutions, introduction of self-financing courses in aided institutions at the expense of aided courses in science, arts and the humanities, encouraging of admission-linked donations, and other such steps suggested by the IMF-World Bank, the state has prepared the rich field for the growth of a band of educational sharks. These sharks have represented the muscle power for the rulers of both Congress government and BJP-Shiv Sena government. The present upsurge of employees, teachers and even the medium level managements is a direct outcome of these long-term developments.

KARNIK’S APPEAL TO THE CM

The coordination committee convener R G Karnik, who also happens to be the president of the All India federation of state government Employees (AISGEF), has appealed the chief minister to start negotiations without any delay to settle the issues, so that the token strike actions as well as the indefinite strike are averted. In case the chief minister decides to go ahead with his scheme of privatisation and contractualisation of jobs, the strike of such huge magnitude will take place. The employees and teaches are eager to avoid such a confrontation which will put the eight crores of people of the state into great difficulty. The ball is in the court of Vilasrao Deshmukh.