People's Democracy

ANTI-UNION VIOLENCE IN BENGAL

CITU To Observe Campaign-Protest Week

MEETING at New Delhi on May 26-27, the secretariat of the Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) expressed grave concern over the continuous violence and atrocities engineered by the hoodlums of the Trinamul Congress (TMC) and Congress against the trade unions and other mass organisations in different parts of West Bengal in the aftermath of the assembly election results. Since May 13, the secretariat noted, twelve persons were already killed, and these included two with a child who were burnt alive. This demonstrates extreme barbarism being perpetrated in the process of politically sponsored violence by the ruling regime, the CITU secretariat noted.  

Reports of physical assaults on the leaders, activists and even members of trade unions and other organisations, severe injuries to many, and use of force against workers to leave the CITU and join the TMC led trade unions are pouring in every day. The preliminary reports contain information of incidents involving violent capture of the offices of CITU affiliated unions by armed TMC goons in different parts of the state; tearing off CITU flags, posters, placards, festoons, banners etc; ransacking of CITU offices etc. In many places, employers also joined the armed TMC goons in intimidating their workers and forcing them to leave the CITU union.  

Apart from the incidents that took place against CITU affiliated unions in industries, against taxi and auto rickshaw operators and against street vendors at various locations in Kolkata, districts like Howrah, both the 24-Parganas, Bardhaman, Birbhum and Coochbehar are also witnessing continuous violence, hurling of bombs at the offices, extortion of huge money from the common workers and residents at gun-point.

The secretariat of the CITU condemned such vindictive and barbarous atrocities against the workers and common people being perpetrated by the ruling TMC-Congress regime. The latter has turned the law and order maintaining authorities into silent onlooker to such grievous and continuing incidents of arsons, physical assaults, loot, extortions and killings.

The CITU has demanded that the state government immediately stop such politically sponsored violence and atrocities on trade unions, workers and common people throughout the state.

The CITU has also appealed to all trade unions, irrespective of affiliations, to raise their voice against this politically sponsored violence on trade unions and other mass organisations, with is designed to empower the employers and capitalists to benefit by terrorising and weakening the workers’ organisations. Such continuing political violence is an assault on our democratic set-up and jeopardises the peoples’ interests.

The CITU secretariat has asked all its affiliated unions, state committees and industrial federations to unleash a countrywide campaign against this politically sponsored violence on trade unions, workers and common people in West Bengal and observe a Campaign-cum-Protest Week from June 6 to 11 through public meetings, rallies, processions etc all over the country. They must also issue pamphlets in thousands to detail the barbarous atrocities on the workers and people in West Bengal,