People's Democracy

JAMMU & KASHMIR

TUs Hold Joint State Convention

ON February 7, a well attended joint state level convention of trade unions and independent federations took place in the Jammu Club as a part of the preparations for the two days general strike that is scheduled to take place on February 20 and 21, 2013. Hundreds of activists representing the state level organisations and state units of the central trade unions including the INTUC, CITU, AITUC unions in the insurance, banking and other sectors participated in the convention. The convention was presided over by Sham Prasad Kesar, a senior leader of the CITU while Thakur Raghubir Singh Chib, general secretary of the state INTUC, conducted the proccedings.

State CITU general secretary Om Parkash, Romesh Chand (CITU), N K Dogra and Balkar Singh (AITUC), Pawan Gupta and Dalip Koul (AIIEA), Ashwani Pardhan and Arun Kumar Gupta (banking sector) and  Ajay Sharma and Amrik Singh (INTUC) were among those who addressed the gathering. They emphasised the need for united struggles in order to resist the onslaughts being launched against the working class by the union and state governments. They also spoke in detail on the issues involved in the strike and the apathetic attitude of both the governments towards the problems facing the workers and other common people. The speakers narrated the developments in the last two years and dwelt on the growing unity among the central trade union organisations, urging upon the convention’s participants to preserve the unity achieved at the national level and take it to the grassroots level while making utmost efforts to make the coming strike a resounding success. They further said that it would be the first countrywide general strike spanning over two days.

Others who spoke on this occasion were Parminder Kumar (AITUC), Anil Vaid (banks) and K K Sharma (railways). They said that small streams of movements and struggles by different trade unions in different sectors have now merged into a big flow which the government would not be able to face. They emphasised the need to intensify the struggle in order to rebuff the anti-worker policies of the union and state governments, adding that the two-day general strike would be an important milestone in this regard.

Before concluding, the convention adopted a resolution on the demands of the strike and called for effective preparations for the purpose. It was placed by Sham Parsad Kesar of the CITU and seconded by Thakur Raghubir Singh Chib of the INTUC, and was unanimously adopted. The convention decided that a massive rally would be organized on February 21, 2013, the second day of the general strike, and also decided to conduct joint preparatory campaigns in all the districts, towns, industrial centres and workplaces. The convention, in one voice, resolved to take the unity to the grassroots level.