SEPTEMBER 19th – MARTYRS DAY OBSERVED
Central Government employees under the banner of
Confederation of Central Government Employees and Workers, observed September
19th as “MARTYRS DAY” at many places.
On 19th September 1968, entire Central
Government employees went on nationwide strike for one day, demanding Need
Based Minimum Wage, unanimously approved and recommended by the 15th
Tri-partite Indian Labour Conference held in 1957. The Central Government
banned the strike declaring as illegal and promulgated Essential Services Maintenance
Ordinance (ESMO) and military and para-military forces were pressed into action
to sternly deal with the strike. Inspite of all these, about 36 lakhs Central
Government employees participated in the strike. Thousands of employees were
arrested and sent to jail. More than 40,000 (forty thousand) employees were
suspended, dismissed, terminated from service, chargesheeted and transferred to
far off places. Government unleased brutal repressive measures including Lathi charge
and firing against the striking employees, at Pathankot, Bikaner, Jorhat Assam,
Indraprastha Bhawan Delhi etc. Seventeen Central Government employees were
murdered. We are celebrating every year September 19th as Martyrs
Day, remembering the greatest sacrifice of seventeen comrades and paying
respectful homage to them.
(M. Krishnan)
Secretary General
Confederation
