CPIML Liberation Karnataka

CPIML Liberation Karnataka
CPIML LIBERATION KARNATAKA

ಭಾನುವಾರ, ಜನವರಿ 11, 2015

ALL INDIA CONTRACT WORKERS' CONFERENCE 1-2 Feb. 2015 Bengaluru


AICCTU
ALL INDIA CONTRACT WORKERS' CONFERENCE
Rally and Inauguration on 1 Feb. 2015 
Delegate Session 1-2 Feb. 2015
Bengaluru


Our Motto
Organise for Struggle!
Struggle for Socialism!

Our Slogans
Against Anti-Worker Policies!
Against Pro Corporate Authoritarianism!
Against All Forms of Discrimination in Work Place!
Against Anti-Worker Amendments in Labour Laws!
Against Anti-Worker Rulers!

For Parity in Wages and Service Conditions!
For Regularisation of Employment!
For Emancipation from Wage Slavery!
For Peoples’ Democracy!
For a New Society, For A Better Society!
Against Capitulationism!
For a Revolutionary Working Class Movement!

Against Trade Union Bureaucracy!
For Democratisation of Trade Unions!
For Politicisation of Workers!


Workers have endless problems to worry about. Low wages, non-payment of wages, lack of job and social security, steep price rise of basic commodities, increasing rents, loans, lack of basic medical care, and no protection in their old age. But the rapidly worsening conditions of work and everyday life are not being endured silently. Across the country and the world there is an eruption of anger and unrest in workers. In such a scenario it is imperative that workers understand the historical, social and political reasons for unfolding of such an exploitative situation.
A new world order was established from the 18th century onwards marked by industrialism and imperialism. The industrial revolution brought prosperity for the bourgeoisie and comparatively more intense exploitation of the workers. New system of wage slavery replaced the system of old slavery under feudal lords. The newly born wage slaves in an industrial setting, in other words, the working class, started revolting against their new masters, the bourgeoisie. Waves of workers’ struggles were witnessed all over the world. Revolutions in Russia in 1917, in China in 1949 and also scores of workers struggle in third world countries were outcome of the turbulence in society created by the new capitalist system.

In India too, the workers' struggles were militant and against capitalists. The working class was at the forefront of the struggle against the British colonialists. Remember the words of the revolutionary Bhagat Singh who said that the workers are the most important section of society, yet, they are robbed by the exploiters of labour and deprived of their elementary rights. The peasant who grows food for all, starves with his family; the weavers who supplies the world market with textile fabrics, has not enough to cover his own and his children’s bodies; while those who build magnificent palaces, live in the slums, while the capitalists and exploiters, the parasites of society, squander millions on their whims.

Workers' struggles succeeded in securing their right to form trade unions, job security, wage security and social security through their protracted, militant struggles and by throwing out imperialist colonial powers.

Working Class and Neo Liberalism

With the advent of liberalization in India, employment pattern was divided into regular employment and non-regular employment, otherwise called as contract, casual and scores of informal forms of employment. ‘Hire and Fire’ has become rampant; Starvation wages; No job security; no annual increments, no wage revision or periodical wage settlements; No social security benefits; No paid leaves and holidays; Even the right to form union is also being attacked. This situation has worsened over the past 3 decades. Misleading slogans like "Nation's progress" and “Development” are coined by the ruling classes when in reality, workers are looted and poverty and disparity are increased. A Group of Ministers (GoM) constituted by the NDA Government in 2000, prepared a draft bill and recommended that certain activities which constitute “support services” of an establishment, irrespective of its perennial nature, shall be excluded from being considered for regularization. The Task Force headed by Montek Singh Ahluwalia submitted that the Contract Labour (Regulation and Abolition) Act (CLARA) discouraged contractual employment because of inherent threat of regularization and thus, he said, it hurt the development. This is being sincerely followed by the present Modi government and is coming up with scores of anti-labour amendments.

The Modi government invited corporates of imperialist world to come and “make in India”, sell anywhere as we have skill and talent. Please note that a worker engaged in manufacturing in Germany is paid 32 to 40 dollars per hour. In Indian rupees, it is six lakhs per month, whereas the same worker on casual, contract and temporary basis in India is paid mere Rs. 6,000/- per month. Thus, one German labourer is equivalent to 100 Indian labourers. India’s labour cost is one among the lowest in the world. Wage bill in India amounts to a mere 0.85%. China pays 3 dollars per hour while India doesn’t even pay 3/4th of a dollar per hour which is lesser than countries like Bangaldesh and Pakistan. The entire country and working class is being offered on a platter to multinationals for a loot and plunder! This has been the case with all the Governments for the past 3 decades. There is no difference in this aspect between the Congress, the BJP or any other bourgeois political party. All are firmly committed to the capitalist class.

Treating Contract Labour as Untouchables

The industry and the government are treating workers under contract and other informal forms of employment as untouchables. Practically also, in most cases, only dalits are engaged in cleaning toilets and related ‘condemned’ housekeeping activities. In case of sanitation works, right from municipal corporations to sewerage boards, it is only dalits who are engaged. Dalit contract workers are involved in manual scavenging also in many places across the country.

Judiciary and casual/ Contract/ Informal Workers

The judiciary in India is only aiding the process of neo-liberalism. The courts are delivering most reactionary judgments consistent with the policies of liberalization. The hard earned rights of the working class movement like job security, wage security, social security and collective bargaining rights are being brutally snatched away. In the SAIL (Steel Authority of India Limited) case, the Supreme Court ordered in 2001 that there can be no automatic absorption of contract workers. In Umadevi case, the Supreme Court in 2006 ordered that casual and daily wage workers employed without due selection process have no right to be regularized. In a recent Air India case in 2014 too, the Supreme Court ruled out regularization of casual workers who worked for 30 to 40 years.

In a nutshell, in the era of neo-liberalisation, Supreme Court of India and Government of India are the two sides of the same coin. Rights of labourers are separated from their labour. Judiciary at all levels, including local courts, and also the labour departments are siding with industrialists. The workers are now convinced that the judiciary is compromised.

Modi and Amendments in Labour Laws

Unionisation and strikes are an anathema to corporates. Vanguard workers are being indiscriminately fired at the whims and fancies of the managements without any rhyme or reason. Union leaders are being attacked by employing the services of hired goons, bouncers and also the police, to break struggles including strikes. Activists are being framed in false cases.

Modi’s amendments are reversing all labour laws to take the country to a situation of no laws of the 18th century. Corporate and multinationals are being given free hands for hire and fire. Workers are being treated like slaves. Hard won rights of the working class are being snatched away in the name of ‘development’. Even the barest minimum legal protections hitherto extended to workers are being removed to pave the way for unhindered ‘development’ of capitalism. The first and foremost target of Modi and Sangh Parivar is the workers right to protest, right to form unions and the right to bargain. Maruti, Pricol, Yenam, NOIDA, killing of Jute mill and Tea garden owners of Bengal, etc., are the recent incidents of outbursts of workers. These incidents were not guided by any union but were the indication of the outcome of the helplessness and despair of workers when there is no avenues of legal, organized channels of remedy are possible. The BJP government is increasingly proving itself to be a ‘Corporate, Communal Fascist government.

What is to be done?

The situation in the present era is becoming more and more similar to that of the plight of workers of 18th century. The war of the working class pushed the capitalist system into crisis and achieved job, wage and social protection. In the present circumstances we must internalize the struggles of the working class that have provided today’s workers with some relief.

Working class struggles cannot just be confined to four walls of factories anymore and just cannot be limited to economic struggles alone. The struggles should assume the dimension of working class struggles for asserting the dignity and for establishing social and class justice in the society. Yes, struggles just cannot only be for minimum wages and on immediate demands. The struggles for dignity, justice, democracy and socialism are becoming an immediate necessity. It is the workers who have been and still are the only class capable of elevating the toiling people to masterhood of their destiny.

We must realize that we are in for a long, bitter and intensive struggle to achieve victory. Initially it may be for achieving immediate demands of job and social security but it shall be oriented towards revolutionary struggle aimed at snatching political power to the working class. The sole hope lies in the revolutionary potential of struggles by the working class.


Our Demands:
Abolish the system of contract labour and all forms of informal labour and regularize all workers.
“Living Wages” to all.
Regularisation, Wage Parity, Social Security and Dignity to all Workers.

Regularise all contact and other workers engaged in work of perennial nature; Amend the Contract Labour Act to include regularization; Continuance of same workers even in case of any change in Contractors, and make it a precondition for any contract; Treat Outsourcing as Contract and Bring outsourced workers under CLARA.

Declare a Minimum Wage of Rs. 20,000/- per month; Revise it every year; Link it with Variable Dearness Allowance; Fix Living wages as minimum wages; Introduce penalty clause of 10% interest for non-payment of wages for each passing day.

Same and similar pay and service conditions for those engaged in same and similar kind of work.

Make Principal employer responsible for compliance with all labour laws; Remove the eligibility criteria of 20 and extend applicability to every individual worker.

Punish the employers responsible for violation of mandatory facilities like ESI, PF, Gratuity, Weekly off, Privilege Leave (PL/EL) and national and festival holidays.

Punish the employers who do not pay double wages for overtime work over and above 8 hours.

Implement all social security schemes to contract and informal workers.

Exclusive inspectorate for contract workers to monitor implementation of all labour laws.

Declare a Minimum bonus of 20%, without any ceiling, to all contract workers.

Declare a Special Housing Scheme for contract workers.

Introduce facilities like free bus pass and free food in canteens to all contract workers.

Equal pay and service conditions for women workers; Ensure crèches and maternity leave with wages; Transport and other gender-specific facilities to women workers; No night shift; Make Committees for ‘Sexual Harassment at Work Places’ mandatory along Vishaka guidelines and stringent punishment for violators.

Withdraw all pro-corporate proposals of amendment in labour laws and bring in amendments to protect job security, wage security, social security, the right to form unions and the right to strike; Bring in amendments in labour laws to nullify the effects of anti-labour judgments.

Empower labour department with necessary administrative, not judicial, powers, including powers to punish employers not attending conciliations and allow workers to approach competent court of law, on any issue, without any conditions;

No contract worker shall be terminated without following the procedure of show cause notice, charge sheet, domestic enquiry, etc.; No worker shall be terminated without giving warning and other forms of milder punishments; Disproportionate punishment to workers should be followed by retaliatory punishments to errant employers.

AICCTU
ALL INDIA CENTRAL COUNCIL OF TRADE UNIONS
16/7, Muni Kadirappa Layout, Graphite India Road, Hoody, Bangalore - 560048.
e-mail: aicctu.karnataka@yahoo.co.in
Contact: 9448048131 / 9483191035

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