AITUC calls upon toilers to take challenge head-on against policies NDA Government

Ludhiana, October 7, 2018: The Punjab State Working Committee of All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC) held today, and chaired by Com Bant Singh Brar, President state unit of AITUC, in Baba Jalwant Singh Hall, Shaheed Karnail Singh Isru Bhawan, Ludhiana, expressed 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. Addressing the meeting Comrade Amarjeet Kaur, National General Secretary AITUC said 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. Instead she said that the government is out to scrap hard-won 44 Central Labour Laws and replacing them with 4 employer-friendly Labour Codes and introduction of Fixed Term Employment through executive order. National economy has never been so bad ever before as today. Exorbitant increase in the price of petrol and diesel and falling value of rupee in the international market are clear cut examples of this. Reduction in price of petrol by 2.5 rupees after increasing it by 30 rupees is a fraud with the people of the country. Rupee has come down to 74 for one US dollar and 97 for British Pound. This will seriously impact the international trade she said. Having failed to fulfill any of the promises made by the BJP during the 2014 elections, they are resorting to communal and divisive machinations on the society 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. The National Convention of workers held on 28th September at New Delhi therefore has decided to do two days countrywide General Strike on 8th and 9th January 2019. The National Convention, she said, has 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. The state working committee decided to hold a state level convention on 5th November at Jalandhar and a state level rally on 15th November at Mohali. The meeting condemned the move of the state government to post the teachers working at a salary of Rs. 40,000 to the job with salary Rs.15,000 and supported their struggle for justice. Meeting also demanded that the Aanganwadi and Asha Workers be regularized and given all service benefits. The pay commission report be implemented and DA installemnts be given. Old pension scheme be continued. Wage code bill be removed. Com. Nirmal Dhaliwal, General Secretary, AITUC Punjab assured that all efforts will be made to implement the action programme. Com D P Maur, Vice President AITUC Punjab thanked all the participants.