EDITORIAL - DAK JAGRITI - AUGUST 2015
2015 SEPTEMBER 2nd ONE DAY STRIKE
INDIA WORKING CLASS UNITEDLY DEMANDS CHANGE OF POLICY
On 26th May, The day Modi Government at the
Centre completed one year in office, Workers National Assembly at the Mavlankar
Auditorium in the National Capital, New Delhi, in one voice condemned BJP-led
NDA Government’s anti worker, anti-peasants, anti-people and pro-corporate,
pro-MNC one year’s rule and declared country wide united protests and
resistance through General Strike on 2nd September 2015 against
these policies and to pursue 12 points charter of demands.
The unanimous declaration of the National Convention, organized
by All the eleven Central Trade Unions and National Federations of Employees of
all sectors and services condemned the Modi Government for bringing sweeping changes
in the Land Acquisition Act permitting forcible acquisition of land from the
farmers and drastically curbing farmer’s right to land and agricultural
worker’s right to livelihood, bringing sweeping changes in the labour laws in
favour of the employers, attack on the existing social securities like EPF, ESI
benefits, cutting budgetary allocations to scheme which benefit the poor like
MNREGA, dismantling of the Public Distribution System, disinvesting profit
making public sector undertakings, Not implementing tripartite decisions of the
successive Indian Labour Conferences (ILCs), Ignoring the 10 point demands
submitted earlier by the Central Trade Union pending since UPA Government etc.
The Central Government Employees in general and Postal
Employees in particular are the worst sufferers due to the policy offensives of
the Government. No DA Merger, No Interim Relief, No retrospective date of
effect to 7th CPC from 01.01.2014 as demanded by JCM Staff Side,
refusal to include Gramin Dak Sewaks under 7th CPC, denial of
revision of wages and regularization of casual labourers, non implementation of
Cadre Restructuring agreement signed by Postal department and Postal
federations, 5% condition on Compassionate appointment, non revision of bonus
ceiling, non implementation of arbitration awards, non convening of JCM
National Council are the one year balance sheet of the Modi Government in the
Central Government employees sector. Over and above this, policy offensives
like Task Force Committee Report on Postal Corporatisation, Bibek Debroy
Committee Report on Railway privatisation, corporatisation of the 41 Ordinance
factories in the defence sector, move to close down printing, stationery and
publication department and Medical store depots, non filling up of vacancies,
downsizing, outsourcing, contractrisation, privatisation, are also being
implemented in an aggressive manner.
The atrocious attack on the working people of the country
including Central Government employees should be combated resolutely. The anti
worker character of the neo liberal policies and the capitalist class interest behind
these policies must be thoroughly exposed. It is to resist and repulse these
attacks on the working class that the united trade union movement gave a call
for a country wide general strike on 2nd September 2015.
From 1991 onwards, when the Congress government started
implementing these policies, Confederation of Central Government Employees
& Workers and NFPE has been opposing it and had joined the main stream of
the working class in resisting the onslaught of imperialist globalization
policies. Confederation National Executive and NFPE Federal Secretariat had
decided to join the one day strike on 2nd September 2015.
This strike must act as a strong warning to the BJP-led Government that
the working class of the country, which has a great history of struggles and
sacrifices, is not going to let these attacks pass. We call upon the entire
Central Government employees and Postal Employees including Gramin Dak Sewaks
to join the strike en-masse and make it a grand success.