Press Release
28/09/2018
Central Trade Unions call for
Nationwide General Strike on 8th and 9th January
2019
National Convention of Workers decides to go for Nationwide
General Strike on 8-9 January 2019 against the anti-people, anti-worker,
anti-national policies of the BJP-led NDA Government.
The National Convention
of Workers held today, the 28th September 2018, in Mavlankar
Hall, New Delhi, decided to go for two days’ Nationwide General Strike on 8-9
January 2019 against the anti-people, anti-worker, anti-national policies of
the BJP-led NDA Government.
The convention was
jointly called by the ten Central Trade Unions (INTUC, AITUC, HMS, CITU,
AIUTUC,TUCC, AICCTU, SEWA, LPF, UTUC), in association with all independent
National Federations of Workers and Employees, of both Industrial and Service
sectors, Central Government and State Government employees, including Railways,
Defense, Health, Education, Water, Post, Scheme Workers etc; in the public
sector undertaking such as Banks, Insurance, Telecom, Oil, Coal, Public
Transport etc, Factories, and from the unorganised sectors-Construction, Beedi,
Street vendors, Domestic Workers, Migrant Workers, Scheme workers, Home based
workers, rickshaw, auto-rickshaw and taxi drivers, agricultural workers etc.,
expresses serious concern over the deteriorating situation in the national
economy due to the pro- corporate, anti-national and anti-people policies
pursued by the Central Government and some of the States ruled by the BJP,
grievously impacting the livelihood of the working people across the country.
The Presidium of the
Convention consisted of Ashok Singh, Ramendra Kumar, S. N. Pathak, K. Hemlata,
R. K. Sharma, Probir Banerjee, Lata, Santosh Rai and Shatrujeet Singh.
Dr. Sanjeeva Reddy (INTUC), Amarjeet
Kaur (AITUC), Harbhajan Singh Sidhu (HMS), Tapan Sen (CITU),
Satyavan (AIUTUC), G.R.Shivshankar (TUCC), Manali Shah (SEWA), Rajeev Dimri
(AICCTU), Sanmugham (LPF), Ashok Ghosh (UTUC) addressed the Convention.
Shivgopal Mishra( AIFR) and Guman Singh (NFIR) also addressed the convention.
The Convention noted with
utter dismay that the Government has been continuing to arrogantly ignore the
12 point Charter of Demands on minimum wage, universal social security,
workers’ status and including pay and facilities for the scheme workers,
against privatization of public and government sector including financial
sectors and mass scale contractorisation, ratification of ILO Convention 87, 98
etc. being jointly pursued by the entire trade union movement of the country.
The ILO Convention 177 on Home Work and 189 on Domestic Work are also yet not
ratified.
The Convention expressed
its grave concern on scraping of hard-won 44 Central Labour Laws and replacing
them with 4 employer-friendly Labour Codes and introduction of Fixed Term
Employment through executive order. The Convention also expressed its anguish
over New Pension Scheme and demand restoration of the old Pension Scheme. The
Convention expresses solidarity with the fighting farmers and the Transport
Workers of Rajasthan who are on an indefinite strike since 16th September,
2018.
This National Convention
of Workers recorded its strong denunciation against the communal and divisive
machinations on the society being carried on with the active patronage of the
Government machinery. The BJP Governments are using draconian UAPA, NSA as well
as the agencies of CBI, NIA, IT to harass and suppress any dissenting opinions.
The peace loving secular people in the country are facing a stark
situation of terror and insecurity all around. Working Class will raise its
strong voice of protest.
In order to serve the
interests of the multinational companies with Indian corporate, the present
Government is pursuing blatantly anti-people, anti-workers and anti-national
policies at the cost of severely damaging the national economy and destroying
its indigenous productive and manufacturing capabilities. Such a regime must be
defeated squarely to force the pro-people changes in policies on all fronts.
This united platform of the working class resolves to heighten its struggle to
that end.
The National Convention
of workers adopted the following programmes:
1. State level, district
level and industry/sector level joint conventions to be held during
October/November 2018
2. Joint Industry-level
gate meetings, rallies etc. during November and December,2018
3. Submission of strike
notice jointly with demonstrations during 17-22 December, 2018
4. Two days countrywide
General Strike on 8th and 9th January 2019.
The
National Convention called upon working people across the sectors and
throughout the country irrespective of affiliations, independent unions,
federations, associations to make the above programmes a total
success.
(Declaration
attached)
