Mid-Day Meal Workers March to Parliament

SCORES of Mid-Day Meal workers held a march to parliament on August 5, in support of their demands including immediate implementation of the declared increase of Rs 1,000 in honorarium and regularisation of jobs of nearly 26 lakh such workers with provision for pension.

Nearly 5,000 Mid-Day Meal workers from across the country, under the aegis of the CITU-affiliated All India Coordination Committee of Mid-Day Meal Workers (AICCMDMW), gathered at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi for the march. Later, a delegation, led by CITU general secretary and Rajya Sabha MP, Tapan Sen and AICCMDMW convener A R Sindhu, submitted a memorandum to human resources development minister Smriti Irani, who assured the delegation that she will look into the matter positively.

Nearly 26 lakh Mid-Day Meal workers are not recognised as workers and are paid a pittance of Rs 1,000 a month and that too only for ten months in a year. They are not provided any social security. The government is not ready to implement the 45^th Indian Labour Conference recommendations that the Mid-Day Meal workers be recognised as workers, paid minimum wages and social security including pension.

The HRD ministry declared as early in May 2013 that the remuneration of the Mid-Day Meal workers will be enhanced by Rs 1,000 per month. Despite repeated promises, this was not implemented by the UPA government. The minister for HRD of the new NDA government also promised, during a meeting in July, that this enhancement would be implemented early but this year’s union budget has neglected the workers as well as the scheme. “It is unfortunate that the union budget 2014-15 did not reflect either aspirations of the Mid-Day Meal Workers or the need for infrastructure, quality and management needs of the scheme,” the AICCMDMW said in its memorandum to the HRD minister.

The AICCMDMW’s demands include immediate implementation of the declared increase of Rs 1,000 in honorarium with effect from April 1, 2013; Implementation of the 45^th Indian Labour Conference recommendations – regularistion, minimum wages and pension; Payment of remuneration for all 12 months through ‘zero balance bank account’; And 180 days’ paid maternity wages. The workers also asked the government to stop privatisation of Mid-Day Meal Scheme by handing over to corporate NGOs and to ensure safety of Mid-Day Meal workers and provide medical insurance.

 Mid-Day Meal workers from several states including Andhra Pradesh, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka, Odisha, Punjab, Rajasthan, Telengana, UP, Uttarakhand and West Bengal participated in the march.

The march was inaugurated by CITU president A K Padmanabhan at Jantar Mantar. He called upon the workers to intensify their struggles to change the policies of the government. CITU general secretary Tapan Sen assured the gathering that CITU would take forward the struggle of Mid-Day Meal workers. Sen called upon the workers to expose the politics behind the policies and mobilise people against it. CPI(M) MPs P Karunakaran and P K Sreemati assured the gathering that the struggle inside parliament by the Left parties will echo the struggle outside parliament by the working class. Student Federation of India (SFI) president V Sivadasn and All India Democratic Women Association (AIDWA) president Sudha Sundararaman also expressed solidarity to the struggle of the Mid-Day Meal workers. Leaders from different states also addressed the gathering.

The workers marching towards parliament were stopped by police on Parliament Street. The workers warned the government against intensified agitations during the winter session of parliament if their demands were not met at the earliest.

CITU General Council Meeting at Bellary

Resolution against Continuing Attacks on the People of West Bengal and in Solidarity to Struggles against such Attacks

 The General Council meeting of CITU being held on 11-14 July 2014 at Bellary, Karnataka expresses serious concern on the continuing phenomenon of severe attacks and intimidations  on our comrades and also con the common people  in West Bengal by the TMC led goons and antisocial elements since last 37 months since May 2011 and also in the run up to the election campaign and even after declaration of election results. During this period more than 157 Left and CITU activists were killed and the number is increasing every day.  Thousands were physically attacked and injured by the physical onslaught by the TMC goons with the police administration aiding and abetting such attacks and onslaughts. Even after declaration of election results on 16^th May 2014 such attacks and intimidation have been continuing in full steam and 12 comrades including two women were murdered. Several thousands are ousted from their areas of work and residence. More than 15000 comrades and activists have been implicated in false cases and many of them were even jailed for months together having been booked on non-bailable cases. Molestation and rape of woman by TMC hoodlums have become almost a frequent happenings in the state. Latest has been the brutal rape of one anganwadi worker by TMC miscreant at Nadia district on 7^th July 2014 and it is the same district where the TMC MP had given open threat to get women raped by his men a few days before such dastardly incident of rape.   The Police has been actively patronising such attacks shamelessly. After the declaration of election result, intensity of such attack has increased targeting the working people, both in towns and rural areas. Livelihood of the people are being attacked by way of ousting thousands of small farmers from their land;  evicting contract workers in thousands in several industries and replacing them with new set of workers with lower wages in connivance with the contractors; blockading functioning of numerous small cooperatives and self-help groups through terrorand violence; and even forcibly closing down small shops and similar small businesses through violence and extortions—all designed to maintain an atmosphere of terror and fear among the people at large and prevent any opposition to the reign of extortion and loot by the TMC goons with the active support of administration.  The main purpose behind such attack is to sustain an atmosphere of terror maiming all kinds of dissent and protest against such beastly misrule of the TMC Govt as well as the anti-social and anti-people activities of the miscreants under their shelter. And the basic aim is to marginalise and eliminate Left, it being the only potential opponent to the regime of loot and plunder under stewardship of thecorporates either through TMC in West Bengal or through BJP at the centre.

 The democratic right of holding meetings, rallies etc are being sought to be denied to the Left parties and even other trade unions and mass organisations. Also many non-political progressive organisations are being obstructed to have their activities involving mass of the public. Refusal of permission by the police administration to hold public meeting, even hall meetings and using mike throughout the state at the instigation of TMC has become almost a regular affair. Even labour department officials are being directed by the TMC Govt or their cohorts not to respond to the complaints or grievances raised by the trade unions and not even call conciliation meetings. Massive corruption, irregularities, nepotism, and anarchy in every segment of social life and governance being openly practiced by the TMC brigade is continuing and entire administration has been working overtime to ensure that nobody can raise their voice against such anarchy and hoodlumism. In fact total abrogation of all democratic rights of the people to collectively voice concerns and dissent had been the project of the ruling party in the state and that has gained momentum after the 16^th Lok Sabha election. 

CITU and other mass organization of the Left parties have been bravely combating such situation while carrying on their organized opposition and protest against such anarchic regime and denial of democratic rights to common people by the TMC regime and their virtually lumpen-led administration. Other trade unions like HMS, AICCTU and INTUC etc are also joining protest against such attacks and onslaught on democratic rights.

The General Council meeting of CITU, while condemning such lumpen-raj in West Bengal, expresses full support and solidarity with the struggle by CITU, other mass organizations and the Left parties and  demands upon the state Govt in West Bengal to put a stop attack and onslaught on the Left parties, trade unions and mass organizations forthwith. CITU calls upon working people and trade unions all over the country to organize solidarity action and campaign against the ongoing brutalities by the fascistic lumpen-led TMC regime on the democratic people of West Bengal.   

Resolution on Union Budget 2014-15

The General Council meeting of CITU being held on 11-14 July 2014 at Bellary, Karnataka denounces the anti-people Budget (2014-15) of the Narendra Modi Government. The Union Budget (2014-15) is an exercise in piloting large scale FDI-PPP mode in the financial and policy governance of the country under BJP rule. It followed the same policy trajectory deregulation, privatization and corporate-orientation so long followed by its predecessor the UPA Govt which has been rejected by the people in election. And pursuit of these policies by UPA has landed the national economy in gloom with dwindling growth rate, continuing inflationary spiral and aggravating unemployment.  The Budget has set in motion the process of betrayal of the promise for “so called good days” made by Modi in his election campaign. The Finance Minister has said in his Budget speech, “ these are only the first steps and are directional.”

The Finance Minister, just three days before the presentation of his Budget spoke in Rajya Sabha on 7^th July 2014 while replying to debate on “price rise” that any exercise in containing fiscal deficit through cutting down expenditure will lead to contraction of the economy in a situation of already dwindling growth rate of sub-5 per cent. He repeated the same statement orally in Lok Sabha while presenting the Budget. But while making high sounded commitment and promises for all round growth in his budget speech, in actual budgetary exercise, the Finance Minister meticulously practiced the same route of drastically cutting down central plan outlay on almost all heads impacting common people like Agriculture, rural development, Transport, General Economic Services and Social Services etc. The Ministries of Housing & Urban Poverty Alleviation, Human Resource Development and the Department of School Education and Literacy in particular and Women & Child Development also faced a drastic cut in allocation of funds. The share of SCs and STs in plan expenditure is kept far below (by Rs 47000 crore) the stipulation of planning commission guidelines based on proportion of population. Therefore, the first budget of the Modi Govt took off engineering a deceit on the people.

On the other hand, the Budget has launched onslaught against various flagship welfare schemes. MGNREGA is going to be immediate target of attack due to the policy pronouncement in the Budget that State Governments will have to spend two-third of the revenue transferred in ‘capital asset creation.’ Also a move is afoot to turn the right based employment guarantee legislation into just a welfare scheme with no guarantee in employment.

While engineering a drastic cut in expenditure on almost all heads impacting common people aimed at containing fiscal deficit, the budget remained reluctant in taking any action in arresting organized pilferage from public exchequer in the form of deliberate tax default by big corporate houses which reached a huge sum of Rs 4.18 lakh crore on account of corporate tax and income tax by the end of 2012-13 of which Rs 72901 crore is not under dispute. Rather the measures envisaged in the budgetary proposal to avoid dispute and litigation on tax claim are basically designed the defaulters a long hand to legitimize the default and pilferage from the public exchequer.

Added to this is the decision to constitute the Expenditure Management Commission to look into basically the subsidies for common people aiming at further deduction in the same. The Budget has already proposed a cut in subsidy on petroleum to the tune of Rs 22054 crore which would have a cascading effect on prices of all goods. And such cascading effect on prices of goods and services is going to be perpetual as the Budget announces total decontrol of diesel pricing before the end of current financial year.

Simultaneously, the budget reduced the direct tax leading to a revenue loss of Rs 22200 crore while increasing the indirect tax burden to the tune of Rs 7525 crore. And the manner the budgetary proposal extended liberalized concessions/reduction of customs and import duty on various heads, the additional revenue of Rs 7525 crore in indirect tax means a larger revenue on account of tax on domestic consumption goods to be borne by common people already reeling under continuing price-rise and mounting burden of unemployment and joblosses.  

The Budget has announced raising of FDI cap in defence and insurance sector from existing 26% to 49% musct to the detriment of the interests of national economy. The target for revenue from PSU divestment has been set at a huge amount of Rs.63,000 crore and the Finance Minister has announced that instead of earning dividend from PSUs they prefer divestment of Government equity in the PSUs. Number of measures have been incorporated in the Budget to actually weaken the public sector banks making them easy prey of privatization policy of the Government.

Budget while sounding high on promoting investment for boosting manufacturing sector, practically relied on good intention of the private investors through more liberal incentives and tax concessions. In an atmosphere of shrinking market and declining purchasing power of the people owing price-rise and industrial sickness, incentives and tax concessions cannot boost employment generating investment except causing revenue losses. Rather the measures announced in the budget for liberalization of tax regime on portfolio investment, transfer-pricing and mutual fund and steps envisaged for energizing capital market etc would attract flow of investment more towards speculative market than employment generating productive investment. That will definitely make the corporates and big business, both domestic and foreign, happier while common people will be left high and dry. 

In respect of almost all development expenditure including various infrastructural projects, the Budget relied more on PPP and FDI despite dismal performance and non-materialisation  of PPP during the previous regime. Rather, the Budget indicated further concessions/incentive to private players in the name of reducing rigidities and taking a more liberal approach.

On the whole, the first budget of the NDA Govt has basically turned out to be grossly anti-people in character promoting more aggressive loot by the corporate and big-business houses on the mass of the people. The General Council of CITU condemns such anti-people Budget and calls upon the working people and trade union movement to build united opposition to the said anti-people budget and related policies of deregulation, privatization for promoting corporate loot on the people.            

Resolution on Allocation under scheduled Castes Sub Plan

This meeting of the General Council of CITU being held in Bellary on 11 – 14 July 2014 strongly condemns the decline in the allocation for the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes under the Scheduled Castes Sub Plan (SCSP) in the Union Budget placed by the Finance Minister in the Parliament.

The SCSP, one of the most important budgetary issues for Dalits was initiated 35 years ago, became necessary as the SCs were continuously denied their adequate share of government funds essential to meet their needs and improve their conditions. It mandates setting aside a proportion of the total Plan outlay of the Centre and state governments equivalent to the proportion of the SCs at the national and state levels, exclusively for their development. According to the Census 2011, SC population comprises 16.6% of the total population.

However, the total plan allocation in this Budget has declined in real terms by around 4%. Moreover the total share of SCs and STs in the total plan expenditure is falling short by Rs 47000 crores and Rs 14000 crores according to the Planning Commission guidelines based on the proportion of the population. It is also a matter of serious concern that what is being allocated is also not being spent. While Rs 41561.13 crores was allocated for SCSP in the Budget 2013 – 14, according to the Revised Estimates only Rs 35800.6 crores have been spent. There have been several instances of SCSP funds being diverted to entirely different uses like construction of flyovers, Commonwealth Games etc. The Twelfth Five Year Plan document itself had to admit that ‘The expenditure in many states/ UTs was not even 50% of the allocated funds. No proper budget heads/ sub heads were created to prevent diversion of funds. There was no controlling and monitoring mechanisms’

In order to ensure effective implementation of the SCSP, there is an urgent need to enact a national legislation to provide statutory backing to the provisions of the SCSP.

This General Council meeting demands that the government of India should

• Enact a legislation providing statutory status to SCSP in this Budget session itself
• The government should allocate 16.6% of Plan Outlays for the SCSP
• Take effective measures to ensure that the funds are spent for the development of Dalits and are not diverted for other purposes and also that the funds are spent in time and are not allowed to lapse. 

Resolution on Israeli aggression on Palestine

The meeting of the General Council of the Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) at Bellary from 11^th to 14^th July expresses its anger and protest against the Israeli attack on Gaza. For more than one week Gaza is being bombarded by the Israeli armed forces killing more than 165 people including many children. The attacks are being targeted on the residential areas. Latest reports say that Israeli armed forces have begun invasion at ground level also and thousands are forced to flee. The whole region is under threat of escalation of war.

CITU condemns these attacks, which are in contravention of international lands. In the back ground of happenings in the middle-east region, these Zionist attacks by the closest ally of US imperialists will aggravate the situation.

The CITU demands the Govt. of India to condemn Israeli aggression on Palestine and take necessary steps to bring international pressure on aggressors.  CITU expresses solidarity with the people of Palestine and calls upon its affiliates and democratic movements to protest against the Zionist aggression.

RAILWAY BUDGET 2014-15: A ROADMAP FOR PRIVATISATION : CITU

The Centre of Indian Trade Unions(CITU) expressed serious concern at the BJP Govt’s first Railway Budget, 2014-15 which declares its dependence on so called public private partnership, private investment including FDI for funding its infrastructural and capacity augmentation projects. It reflects nothing but continuity of the same pro-corporate policy of the much discredited Congress Regime, rather in more aggressive form. 

Just weeks before the Railway Budget, steep hike in passenger fares and freight charges to the tune of 14.2% and 6.5 % respectively exposed the brazen undemocratic as well as anti-people modus operandi of the BJP Govt. Added to this is the budgetary announcement of linking the future prices of travel with fuel adjustment factor which will result in virtual deregulation of railway fares providing for automatic increase in railway fares with the increase in price of fuel. This is nothing but an arrangement for perpetual increase of burden on common people.

Further, the thrust on PPP, FDI and outsourcing in various segments of railway operation and services as outlined in the current Railway Budget, is going to make the situation worse. Despite abject failure of the same exercise on depending on PPP route for infrastructural expansion and services during the UPA regime as reflected in plan expenditure in 2013-14 falling short by a whopping “Rs 59,359 crore from the target due to non-materialisation of PPP targets”, the Modi Govt also preferred to stick to the same provenly failed route. This means, either the expansion work will suffer or the private investors’ lobby will extract more undue concessions from the Govt in the process of their response, finally increasing the burden on the common people. Precisely, that had been the past experience of all PPP projects in sea-ports, airports, roads etc during the UPA’s tenure which increased the burden on the consumers and the people in a big way. 

Despite admitting in the budget the abject failure of the Railways to implement the declared and sanctioned projects even to an insignificant extent, resulting in huge accumulation of unfulfilled projects announced in successive budgets, the current Budget failed to present any concrete roadmap for their execution except giving sound bites on prioritization, time frame etc. Even the new announcements made in the current budget do not have appropriate budgetary back-up, rendering them to be deceptive in real sense.

The Budget sounded high on Govt’s commitment to safety, but kept absolute silence about filling up around 3 lakh vacancies in the Railways, majority of which are related to management and maintenance of safety standards in railway operation.  

CITU records its condemnation to this anti-people and privatization oriented Railway Budget and calls upon the working people to voice their protest against such retrograde exercise of the Modi Govt.

AIFAWH delegation meets the WCD Minister

A delegation of the All India Federation of Anganwadi Workers and Helpers (AIFAWH) under the leadership of Tapan Sen MP, General Secretary, CITU met the Minister for Women and Child Development Smt. Maneka Gandhi today(17th June 2014) and submitted a 16 point charter of demands. The delegation consisted of A R Sindhu, General Secretary and K Hemalata, Vice President AIFAWH and Secretaries CITU and Usharani, Santosh Rawal and Kishori Varma, Secretaries of AIFAWH.

 The Minister gave a patient hearing to the delegation and assured that the ICDS scheme should be strengthened with components of wages, training, work monitoring and social security. She agreed that the demands of regularisaton, minimum wages and social security are just demands and she need some time to study the issues and find solutions.

She assured the delegation that the scheme will not be privatized at any cost.  

The delegation demanded that till the employees are covered under a pension scheme with assured pension, the retrenchment of the anganwadi employees must be stopped. The minister said that she will do the needful within two weeks. She also assured that the anganwadi workers and helpers shall not be engaged in any non ICDS work.

The delegation also requested the minister to call all the trade union federations of anganwadi workers and helpers for a discussion, to which the minister agreed.

The AIFAWH call upon all the anganwadi workers and helpers of the country to observe the Anganwadi Demand’s Day on 4th July 2014 all over the country by organising rallies and demonstrations at district/project level and submit memorandum to the WCD minister on the long pending demands.

 The text of memorandum is:

Dear Madam,

We congratulate you as the new Minister for Women and Child Development of the Government of India.

We the anganwadi workers and helpers, working under the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) Scheme under your Ministry, would like to bring to your notice, some of our long pending demands. More than 27 lakhs women are working as anganwadi workers and helpers in nearly 14 lakh anganwadi and mini-anganwadi centres in the country. Delivering the services of supplementary nutrition and pre-school education to the under 6 years children since 1975, the ICDS had been recognized as one of the most effective and unique services. In spite of this, it is unfortunate that the anganwadi workers and helpers 

who are the grass root level workers are not yet recognized as ‘workers’ or employees. 

They are not even paid minimum wages, even though they work for the same time as that of the school employees.

 The 45th Indian Labour Conference recommended that they shall be recognized as workers and be paid minimum wages and be provided social security and pension. Unfortunately the government is yet to agree to this. Moreover, now in the name of ‘strengthening and restructuring’ through ‘ICDS Mission’, the scheme is being largely privatized. This will sabotage the very purpose of the scheme. Although the work allocated to the anganwadi workers and helpers has increased manifold, the remuneration has not increased since 2011.

 We request you to kindly recall your promise to “Review the working conditions and enhance the remuneration of Anganwadi worker's.” We are sure that you will be working towards this.

 We request you to consider the following long pending issues which we were raising since long and take appropriate measures to fulfill these.

Our Demands

1      Stop privatisation of ICDS in any form in the name of Public Private Partnership, handing over to NGOs, restructuring etc. Review the ICDS Mission

2        Regularise all anganwadi workers as Grade III and helpers as Grade IV government employees.

3        Implement the recommendations of the 45th Indian Labour Conference on Scheme Workers for regularization, minimum wages and social security including pension for them.

4        Pending regularisation, minimum wages of skilled workers should be paid to anganwadi workers and that of semi skilled workers to helpers; remuneration of anganwadi employees should be linked up with consumer price index.

5       Social security benefits including gratuity, pension, provident fund, medical facilities etc should be provided to all anganwadi workers and helpers; constitute national level welfare fund for anganwadi employees with contribution from the central and state governments to ensure this.

6       Make provision of proper infrastructural facilities including pucca buildings with drinking water, toilets etc for all anganwadicentres. Till such pucca buildings are constructed, increase centre rents to Rs 7500 in metropolitan cities, Rs 5000 in urban areas and to Rs 2500 in rural areas; anganwadi centres in ICDS projects categorised as Rural, but actually located in urban areas should be paid rent on par with the rent for the centres in the Urban projects.

7        Include children 3- 6 years under Right to Education Act and designate anganwadi centres as nodal centres. Nursery centres or pre primary centres should not be allowed in the vicinity of anganwadi centres under any other department or programme of the government

8        Strengthen the ECE component of ICDS by imparting the necessary training to the anganwadi workers; provide uniforms, toys etc to the children in the 3- 6 age group to attract them to the anganwadi centres. Anganwadi Centre Leaving Certificate from the Anganwadi worker should be made compulsory for admission in government primary schools

9       Ensure regular supply of good quality supplementary nutrition in sufficient quantities in all the anganwadi centres.  Locally acceptable food freshly prepared in the anganwadi centres should be served to the beneficiaries and not ‘Ready to Eat food’. There should be no Take Home Ration

10     No opening of mini anganwadi centres; convert all the mini anganwadi centres into full fledged anganwadi centres and appoint helpers. Pay equal wages and benefits to the anganwadi workers working the mini anganwadi centres as those of the regular anganwadi workers.

11      Recognise the Right to Organisation and Collective bargaining of the anganwadi employees. Withdraw the order restricting the anganwadi employees’ participating in union activities.

12     Ensure similar working conditions to all anganwadi workers and helpers in the country with provisions for paid medical leave, promotion  to the post of supervisors, promotion of helpers to workers without age limit, summer and winter holidays, 10% annual increment, increment for helpers etc

13    In spite of the guidelines from the centre, in most of the states, anganwadi workers and helpers are given work other than that related to ICDS, including BLO duties in elections, which is affecting the work of the anganwadi centre. No work other than that of ICDS shall be assigned to the anganwadi workers and helpers.

14      Grievance Redress Committees should be constituted in all the states at the state and district levels by including representatives of the anganwadi employees’ unions.

15       There should be no restrictions on the political activities of the anganwadi employees, including the freedom to participate in any election, till such date as they are recognised as government employees, when the service conditions as applicable to government employees may be applied to them. Elected representatives should be allowed to take leave and rejoin once he term is finished

16    Corruption should be eradicated in the implementation of ICDS

                  

Sincerely yours

 A R Sindhu

General Secretary

ANTI-PEOPLE INTERIM BUDGET : CITU

The interim budget, presented by the Finance Minister Chidambaram today, is a political gimmick to camouflage its continued thrust of pro-corporate economic regime and anti-people bias.

In the run up to the forthcoming general elections, the Finance Minister seeks to project so called “aam admi” orientation by comparing the present expenditures/allocations on health, education and other developmental heads with the figures of ten-years back. By doing so the FM seeks to cleverly hide the truth that in the successive budgets of UPA-II Govt, the budgetary pro-people allocations were not deliberately spent aiming to contain the fiscal deficit. Even in the current year (2013-14), central plan outlay on rural development head has been cut drastically by Rs 5792 crore; in irrigation and flood control by Rs. 800 crore; in transport by Rs 24,359 crore; social services by Rs 28,640 crore and industry & minerals by Rs 11,843 crore; and also the central plan outlay was cut for the Health & Family Welfare Ministry Rs 7000 crore, Education (Human Resource) Ministry by Rs 4000 crore and Social Justice & Empowerment Ministry by Rs 1000 crore. Over all cut in central plan outlay was Rs 66,000 crore only to contain fiscal deficit to 4.6% and claiming credit for stabilizing the economy! All these expenditure would have contributed to income and employment generation to common people.

How the Govt, which is so focused on containing fiscal deficit could continue to allow pilferage in national exchequer by keeping due corporate tax and income tax from the corporate-big business lobby unrecovered? The tax-dues is to the tune of Rs 5.10 lakh crore as in December 2013. These dues are over and above the tax concessions granted to them on “revenue-foregone” account of around Rs 2.8 lakh crore only on account of corporate and income tax. The Govt laments on fiscal deficit only squeeze expenditure on peoples’ welfare.

The interim budget contains nothing on relief to the working people who generates GDP for the country and revenue for the national exchequer keeping the national economy afloat. The written statement of the Prime Minister in the 45th Session of the Indian Labour Conference that the demands of the trade unions were “unexceptionable” and the demands like universal coverage of social security benefits and national minimum wage “are in advance stages of consideration”, found no reflection in the budget reducing the prime minister’s statement to mere sound-bites. Despite assurances on different occasions no relief has been announced for the scheme workers who are not even getting minimum wages.

The budget’s major focus remains on further concessions to corporate and big-business lobby, both domestic and foreign, through tax concessions on the plea of promoting investment. Investment can expand only with expansion of market through increasing purchasing power of people. But, market can no way be expanded by squeezing developmental and welfare expenditures with ongoing gloom and widening poverty, further burdened by increasing food inflation. It was rather necessary to contain non-essential imports by raising import duty to contain current account deficit and also to boost the domestic industries. But Budget refused to take a call.

The UPA-II Govt ‘s blind approach to run the economy only by pampering corporates, both 

domestic and foreign, is bound to aggravate the gloom and crisis further. This is clear from the very fact that despite sizable growth in agricultural GDP by 4.6%, over all GDP cannot be estimated beyond 4.8 as the non-agricultural sector is in the midst of stagnation heading for decline. Complete reversal of the present economic policy regime is the only way if the country and the people are to advance.

CITU denounces the anti-people interim budget of the UPA-II Govt and calls upon the working people to heighten their struggle for reversal of the anti-people policy regime.

ALL INDIA COORDINATION COMMITTEE OF MID DAY MEAL WORKERS (CITU) organised Parliament March

Hundreds of mid day meal workers under the banner of The All India Co ordination committee of Mid Day Meal Workers (CITU) organized a March to Parliament on  13 February 2014. More than two thousand Mid day meal workers from Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Odisha, Punjab, Rajasthan UP and Uttarakhand participated in the programme.
Nearly 26 lakhs workers, mostly women belonging to backward sections of society are employed in the Mid Day Meal Programme of the government of India, which provides nutritious food to the crores of school going children in our country. These midday meal workers who work at least 6-8 hours every day are neither recognised as workers nor paid any wage. They are paid a pittance of Rs 1000 a month and that too only for ten months in a year. They are not provided any social security.
The 45th Indian Labour Conference held in May 2013 recommended that the Mid Day Meal Workers be recognized as workers, paid minimum wages and social security including pension. The HRD Ministry had assured the 45th ILC that the remuneration of the Mid Day Meal Workers will be enhanced in 2013-14. But this has not been implemented so far.
The main demands were,
• Implement the 45th ILC recommendation
• Immediate increase in remuneration upto minimum wages
• Payment for all 12 months, through zero balance bank account
• 180 days paid maternity wages
• Stop privatisation of the MDMS by handing over to corporate NGOs
• Ensure safety of Mid Day Meal Workers and provide medical insurance. Mid Day Meal Workers must be covered under Janshree Beema Yojna
The March was inaugurated by Com. Tapan Sen MP (General Secretary, CITU) at Jantar Mantar. He called upon the mid day meal workers to carry on the struggles to keep the issues on the agenda of the nation and the political parties.
The Presidium consisted of Satvir Singh(Haryana), Chabi Ram(HP), Manzubhai Kothwal (Maharashtra), Radha Sarangi (Odisha), Charanjeet Kaur (Punjab), Sumitra Chopra (Rajasthan) and Karuna(UP) and Reshmi Bisht (Uttarakhand).
Sitaram Yechury MP and Basudev Acharya MP leaders of CPI(M) assured the gathering that the struggle inside the parliament by the left parties will echo the struggle outside the parliament by the working class.
Those who addressed the gathering include K Hemalata, Secretary CITU, Ranajana Nirula, Convener, ASHA Workers Coordination Committee and Treasurer CITU, Maimorrna Mollah, AIDWA, Avoy Mukherjee, General Secretary DYFI, V Sivadasan, President SFI, Wazir Singh, Vice President STFI.
Mid Day Meal Union leaders Saroj(Haryana), Jagat Ram(HP), Malini Meshta (Karnataka) Nagargojhe Prabhakar (Maharashtra), Isani Sarangi (Odisha), Harpal Kaur (Punjab), Manju Gaur (Rajasthan) and Rampyar Yadav(UP) addressed the gathering.
A R Sindhu, convener AICCMDMW (CITU) concluded the meeting. It is decided that the AICCMDMW (CITU) will launch struggles if the government is not increasing the wages with effect from April 2013 and continue the struggles for regularisation and minimum wages and pension.

The New Year and the Struggles Ahead : AK Padmanabhan

The year 2013 has faded into history and it is the new dawn now!

For the working people of India, the year 2013 was a year of mass actions and struggles. The year began with the countrywide preparation for the historic 48 hour strike on 20th and 21st February. The strike, at the call of all the eleven central trade unions and national federations of various sections of employees and workers, was historic in its sweep and participation. More than 12 crore workers from almost all sectors of manufacturing, service etc. covering organized, unorganized and self employed sections participated in the massive strike action.

However, the approach and attitude of the Government at the center continued to remain the same as during the last 4 years of joint movement of all the central trade unions. But we all remember that there was a small difference. On the eve of the strike, exactly 28 hours before the commencement of the strike, a Group of Ministers, constituted by the Prime Minister had called the central T.U. leaders for a discussion!

The whole year has gone, without even a meaningful discussion on the Ten point Charter of Demands. These demands are the basic demands of the crores and crores of ordinary masses of the country. This was acknowledged even by the Prime Minister of the country.

Dr. Manmohan Singh, while inaugurating the 45th Indian Labour Conference on 17th May 2013 said – “The recent two-day strike by trade unions focused on a number of issues relating to the welfare not only of the working class but also the people at large. These include demands on which there can be no disagreement. For example, demands for concrete measures for containing inflation, for generation of employment opportunities, for strict implementation of Labour Laws, are unexceptionable”.

He also said “there can however be differences on the best ways of fulfilling these demands and we are willing to engage constructively with the trade unions in this regard”!

Before acknowledging the justness of the demands, PM had also claimed “our Government has paid very serious attention to the issues that Trade Unions have raised time to time”!

We need not go into further details. What has been the result of ‘constructive engagement’, and ‘serious attention’ of the Government on these ‘unexceptionable demands’ is well known.

On 22nd May, the Group of Ministers had asked for a month’s time for constructive discussion and we are still counting the days.

 

FOR A PROPER RESPONSE

It was this attitude that forced the Central Trade Unions to continue the struggle and that phase has concluded with the massive March to Parliament on 12th December.

The participation in the ‘March’ for exceeded the previous rally on 23rd February 2011. The anger among the workers was fully reflected in the rallies and court arrest programmes in September and the campaigns afterwards.

\The year 2013 also witnessed militant and massive struggles of various sections of workers – men and women – on basic issues of livelihood. There was not any section of workers, who have not been in struggle during the year – strikes, demonstrations, rallies – at the work spot level, local, state and national level as well.

There were innumerable struggles of working women also, during the year. Anganwadi workers and helpers, ASHA workers, Midday Meal workers, Artisans and traditional workers, plantation and beedi workers, women in the service and financial sectors, government employees etc have all been on the streets. They not only conducted militant struggles at the state and national level on their own demands but have been a significant part of all the CITU and joint trade union actions.

These struggles created an impetus for the united movement as well.

It was this anger and protest against the callous attitude of the Government on the issues confronting the workers, that brought the lakhs of men and women to the capital, braving the most unpleasant weather conditions and arduous travel from different corners of the country. In addition, lakhs of workers participated in the district level rallies in various states on the same day.

The delegation of central T.U. leaders which met the Prime Minister and the Defence Minister was not given any concrete assurance on the demands of the workers. But the unions told the Government, rather, gave a stern warning that – “the trade union movement cannot accept the present state of inaction and indifference on the pressing demands of the workers and people lying down and will heighten their united struggle in 

the face of continuing unresponsiveness”.

Now, it is for the unresponsive government to act. Otherwise the working people all over the country will have to give a fitting response to the ruling class.

Already, the people all over the country are up in arms against the Government. In the recent state assembly elections, the main ruling party at the center, the Congress, has been punished by the people.

But the working people will have to be vigilant. The high decibel campaign let loose by the corporates, both Indian and Multinational, to project the leader of the highly divisive communal party, BJP, as the alternative has to be met with a people oriented campaign putting forward a set of alternate policies. The real character of the corporate led campaign has to be thoroughly exposed.

 

OUR TASKS AHEAD

The task in the New Year, which is going to be the year of General Elections, has to be this patriotic responsibility of mobilizing people for upholding pro-people policies. Along with the issue of economic policies, we have to mobilize people to safeguard the secular fabric of the country which is being challenged by various communal forces.

In addition to these, for members of CITU, the coming year has to be the year when we have to make all out efforts to fulfill the tasks finalized by our 14th All India Conference.

It is not necessary to go into those issues again. But, the tasks of increasing our membership, streamlining organizational activities at various levels of our organization, taking up issues of social oppression etc. have to be the priorities in the New Year.

Struggles on issues of unemployment, increasing disparities, denial of democratic rights and attacks on the livelihood of working people are finding more and more support all over the world. The machinations of the imperialists are increasing and at the same time they are under pressure from various sections. The New Year will witness more and more struggles and it is for the working people of the country to be well prepared for that.

For the millions of members of CITU, it is time to be prepared to be in the forefront of all these struggles and to channelise them towards a massive peoples movement, by “Reaching the unreached” and “Intensifying class struggle for a change in the system!”