CENTRAL TRADE UNIONS NATIONAL CONVENTION OF WORKERS WAS HELD ON 26.05.2015 DECLARATION.
The National Convention Calls upon the Central Trade Unions All India General Strike on 2nd September, 2015.
NATIONAL CONVENTIONAL OF WORKERS, 26.5.2015, DELHI
DECLARATION
This National Convention of Workers
being held under the banner of joint platform of all the Central Trade
Unions of the country along with independent national federations of all
sectors and service establishments expresses deep concern over anti
worker, anti-people and pro-corporate actions of the present Govt. at
the Centre in pursuance of the policy of the globalisation. During this
period the Govt. has been over-busy in amending all labour laws to
empower the employers with unfettered justifys to “hire and fire” and
stripping the workers and trade unions of all their justifys and
benefits besides aggressively pushing through almost unlimited FDI in
strategic sectors like Railways, Defence and Financial Sector. Also,
through sweeping changes in the existing Land Acquisition Act, farmers’
justify to land and agri-workers’ justify to livelihood are been sought
to be drastically curbed and curtailed.
The Govts’ aim in aggressively pushing
through sweeping changes in labour-laws is nothing but to push our
overwhelming majority of workers out of the coverage of all labour laws
and to drastically curb the trade union justifys. The CTUs had besides
other issues raised the issue of strict enforcement of labour laws and
universal social security but this Govt. is doing away with all
justifys-components in all the labour laws aiming at creating conditions
of bonded labour in all the workplaces. EPF and ESI schemes are
proposed to be made optional which is also aimed at demolishing the PF
and ESI schemes dismantling the basic social security structures
available to the organized sector. And for the vast unorganized sector
workers, old schemes are being repackaged and renamed, without providing
for funds and implementation-machinery/network with a view to befool
the people. The Govt. has not taken any step to curb price rise of
essential commodities and to generate employment except making tall
claims of containing inflation in the media. On universalising public
distribution system, the Govt. is trying to scuttle it through Direct
Benefit Transfer resulting further squeeze on the common people.
During the year with the support of the
present Govt. various state governments have brought about drastic
anti-workers changes in basic labour laws viz., Industrial Disputes Act,
Contract Labour (Regulation & Abolition) Act, Factories Act and
Apprenticeship Act, Trade Unions Act etc introducing “hire & fire”,
throwing more than 71% of factories out of coverage of Factories Act and
making all contractors employing up to 50 workers free from any
obligation towards workers. The Central Govt. on its part has introduced
amendments to Factories Act raising doubly the limit of workers for
registration of factories, put in public domain the proposals for new
Small Factories (Regulations of Service conditions) Bill which
prescribes that major 14 labour laws will not apply to factories
employing upto 40 workers. Labour Code on Wages Bill and Labour Code on
Industrial Relations Bill which under the cover of amalgamation seek to
make registration of unions almost impossible, making retrenchment and
closure almost free for the employers class. These bills have been put
in public domain without consulting the trade unions thereby violating
the provisions of ILO Convention 144 on Tripartite Consultation.
Amendments have also been brought in EPF & MP Act and ESI Act to
make it optional with a sinister design to finally demolish the two
time-tested statutory schemes for the workers. The Prime Minister’s
office has written to the Chief Secretaries of States to follow
Rajasthan Model in labour laws. All these amendments are meant to
exclude 90% of the workforce from application of labour laws thereby
allowing the employers to further squeeze and exploit the workers.
The Convention also expresses dismay
over the Govt’s total inaction in implementing the consensus
recommendations of 43rd , 44th and 45th Indian Labour Conference of
formulation of minimum wages, same wage and benefits as regular workers
for the contract workers and granting status of workers with attendant
benefit to those employed in various central govt schemes like
anganwadi, mid-day-meal, ASHA, para-teachers etc. On the contrary, the
Govt drastically curtailed budget allocations to all those centrally
sponsored schemes meant poor peoples’ welfare. It is also noted with
utter dismay that the present government is also continuing to ignore
the twelve point demands of entire trade union movement pertaining to concrete action to be taken for containing price-rise and aggravating
unemployment situation, for strict implementation of labour laws,
halting mass scale unlawful contractorisation, ensuring minimum wages
for all of not less than Rs 15000 per month with indexation and
universal social security benefits and pension for all including the
unorganized sector workers, etc. The demands also include compulsory
registration of Trade Unions within 45 days and ratification of ILO
Conventions 87 and 98. Even the legislations passed by Parliament on the
issue of Street Vendors is not being implement appropriately.
The National Convention also denounced
the retrograde move of the Govt. in hiking/allowing FDI in Defence,
Insurance, Railways and other sectors and also its aggressive move for
disinvestment in PSUs including Oil and financial sector aiming at total
privatisation which will be detrimental to the interests of the
national economy, national security as well as mass of the common
people. The National Convention also condemned the sweeping change
sought to be brought in Land Acquisition Act permitting forcible
acquisition of land from the farmers and putting in jeopardy the
livelihood of agricultural workers. It is disgusting to note that 147
workers of Maruti-Suzuki at Manesar are being forced to languish in Jail
for more than two years on false and fabricated charges. It is
unfortunate that even after the assurance of Prime Minister to revive
the closed NOKIA Sriperumbudur unit, the recent decision to sell it out
demonstrates Government approach to deny protection to workers. The coal
sector has already been opened for commercial operations by private
sector.
The Convention supports the decision of
the constituents of JCM of Central Govt. employees to go for indefinite
strike from 23rd November, 2015 and will decide at appropriate stage the
form of solidarity action to be taken. The Convention also
congratulates coal, postal, transport and telecom workers for their
strike against policies of the Govt.
The Convention demands upon the Central
Govt. to stop forthwith the process of making retrograde amendments to
the labour laws. The Convention also demands immediate steps to
implement the consensus recommendations of successive Indian Labour
Conferences and also positive response to long pending demands of the
entire trade union movement of the country. The Convention urges the
Central Govt. to desist from mindless drive for disinvestment in CPSUs
and liberalising FDI in defence, insurance, Railways etc. and the
convention also condemns the Govt. move of corporatization of major
ports and postal services etc. The Convention urges the Govt. to reverse
the direction of the ongoing economic policy regime which has landed
the entire national economy in distress and decline affecting the
working people most.
The Convention calls upon all the trade
unions, federations across the sectors to widen and consolidate the
unity at the grass-root level and prepare for countrywide united
movement to halt and resist the brazen anti-worker and anti-people
policies of the Govt and in preparation to the same undertakes
unanimously the following programme:
1) Joint conventions and campaigns during June-July in state, district
and industry level wherever possible and taking initiative to involve
common people in support of workers struggle
2) ALL INDIA GENERAL STRIKE ON 2ND September 2015
The National Convention calls upon the
trade unions and working people irrespective of affiliations to unite
and make the countrywide General Strike a massive success.
BMS – INTUC – AITUC – HMS – CITU
AIUTUC – TUCC – SEWA – AICCTU – UTUC – LPF
and All India Federations of Banks, Insurance, Defence, Railways, Central/State Govt.
Employees and other Services Establishments
Source: Confederation
