All India General Strike by TUs on Sept 7, 2010

The representatives of the central trade unions and workers and employees federations -- BMS, INTUC, AITUC, HMS, CITU, AIUTUC, TUCC, AICCTU, UTUC and LPF organised the second national convention of the workers in New Delhi on July 15, 2010 and adopted the following declaration.

DECLARATION

THE representatives of central trade unions and workers and employees federations having assembled in the second national convention of the workers on July 15, 2010, reviewed the joint action programme over five commonly agreed demands as decided in the first historic convention of workers on September 14, 2009. This convention considering the review of joint actions - all India protest day on October 28, 2009, massive dharna on December 16, 2009 and satyagraha/jail bharo on March 5, 2010 in which ten lakh workers participated and also considering the situation arising thereafter adopts the following declaration.

Despite the trade unions demanding effective steps to curb price rise, particularly food price inflation, food prices escalating as high as 17 per cent, inflation rising to double-digit, government continues to remain totally unresponsive to mitigate the deep sufferings of the working people;

Despite the trade unions expressing deep concern at the uninterrupted violation of labour laws and trade union rights, situation is becoming grim and repressive every day;

Despite trade unions protesting against job loss, underpayment, unbearable living conditions, lengthening working hours, rampant contractorisation, casualisation and outsourcing, nothing is being done to prevent the declining living conditions and inhuman exploitation of working masses;

Despite the trade unions opposing the disinvestment in the profit making public sector, the latest disinvestment being pushed through in Coal India Ltd, BSNL, SAIL, NLC, Hindustan Copper, NMDC etc., the pernicious policy of reckless disinvestment is continuing with impunity;

Despite the trade unions earnestly asking for the setting up of a massive welfare fund for universal comprehensive social security coverage for the unorganised sector workers without any restriction, the fund allocation remain nominal and restrictive provisions continue.

The convention notes with concern that not only the protests of the trade unions are being ignored, the policy that accentuates increase in the prices of foodgrains is being constantly bulldozed, the latest is the deregulation of petroleum pricing linking it with the international market leading to hefty increase in the prices of kerosene, cooking gas, diesel, and petrol.

The convention reiterates the unanimously formulated demands once again as under:

* Price rise of essential commodities to be contained through appropriate corrective and distributive measures like universal PDS and containing speculation in commodity market
* Concrete proactive measures to be taken for linkage of employment protection in the recession stricken sectors with the stimulus package being offered to the concerned entrepreneurs and for augmenting public investment in infrastructure
* Strict enforcement of all basic labour laws without any exception or exemption and stringent punitive measures for violation of labour laws
* Steps to be taken for removal of all restrictive provisions based on poverty line in respect of eligibility of coverage of the schemes under the unorganised workers social security act 2008 and creation of national fund for the unorganised sector to provide for a national floor level social security to all unorganised workers including the contract/casual workers in line with the recommendation of national commission on enterprises in unorganised sector and parliamentary standing committee on labour
* Disinvestment of shares of central public sector enterprises (CPSEs) be not resorted to for meeting budgetary deficit and instead their growing reserve and surplus be used for expansion and modernisation purposes and also for revival of sick public sector undertakings.

This national convention of workers, while exercising their constitutional and democratic rights seek to further its legitimate protest and call for immediate correction of the patently wrong policies that dangerously hurt the interests of the working people and the society as a whole, and to give vent to the feelings of the growing indignation of the working people.

The convention therefore resolves to call for an all India general strike on September 7, 2010.

The convention calls upon the entire working people of the country, irrespective of affiliations to rally everybody in the united call for countrywide general strike and make it a total success and intensify the struggle further and prepare for a massive march of the workers to parliament in November/December 2010.

Peoples Democracy, July 18 2010