People's Democracy

PUNJAB

CITU Salutes May Day Martyrs

Raghunath Singh

RALLIES and demonstrations were organised all over Punjab and in Chandigarh at the call of the Punjab state unit of Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU). The participants paid homage to the May Day martyrs who sacrificed their lives for the demand of eight hours working day in Chicago, an industrial city of America, on May 18, 1886.

Addressing the rallies of industrial workers, brick kiln workers, Anganwari, transport, MGNREGA and construction workers at several places in Punjab and Chandigarh on the 127th May Day, the CITU’s national vice president Raghunath Singh and other leaders reiterated the CITU’s resolve to extend international solidarity to the struggles being fought by the working class all over the world against the evil designs of imperialism and the anti-people neo-liberal economic policies. On this 127th International Labour Day, the CITU urged upon the working people of Punjab and Chandigarh to work for further expanding, strengthening and sustaining the all-in unity of the trade unions movement in order to combat and defeat the onslaughts coming from the corporate houses upon the hard earned trade union rights and livelihood of the workers and to win more rights for the working people. They also asked the working people of Punjab to be more vigilant and fight against the divisive forces of all hues, against communalism, casteism and regionalism.

Condemning the anti-worker policies of the Akali Dal-BJP government of Punjab, Raghunath Singh said though leaders of the Akali-BJP combine on the one hand and leaders of the Congress on the other have been accusing one another everyday and issuing derogatory statements to denigrate one another, there is in practice no difference between the policies of these two political formations, as the policies of both these political opponents are pro-rich and anti-poor.

Criticising the Akali-BJP government for not accepting the just and genuine demands of industrial workers including those of the unorganised sector --- like enhancing the minimum wages of unskilled workers to Rs 10,000, of semi-skilled workers to Rs 15,000 and of skilled workers to Rs 20,000 per month and of agricultural workers to Rs 350 per day --- Raghunath Singh said that such an anti-people government and its leaders had no moral right to congratulate the workers on May Day. This government did not even ensure implementation of the existing labour laws. Crossing all limits in regard to adopting anti-worker policies, the Akali-BJP government went to the extent of withdrawing several sections from the proposed notification dated May 30, 2012, which could have given some relief to the workers and issued another notification on November 15, 2012, which too was not implemented even after six moths.   

In these rallies, CITU leaders appealed to the workers of Punjab to further intensify and widen their united struggle against the UPA government at the centre and Akali-BJP government to achieve their just and genuine demands. United struggle of the workers is the only guarantee to achieve success in this movement, they added.

These rallies were also addressed by CITU state president Vijay Misra, vice presidents Chander Shekhar and Jatinder Pal Singh, Tarsem Jodhan and other office bearers of the Punjab CITU and district level leaders.