Calls on the Working Class to Beat Back Offensive of Ruling Classes

General Council of the Indian Federation of Trade Unions (IFTU) met at the historic industrial city of Mumbai on the 15^th and 16^th of April 2001. Around 85 delegates – the leaders of the movements under IFTU in various states – gathered for the meeting.

The Council began with an Inaugural session, where Dr. Sulabha Brahme, progressive economist from Pune, was the Chief Guest. Com. Katy Irani, member of the National Committee of IFTU, started the meeting by inviting the Chief Guest and the President and General Secretary of IFTU onto the dais.

In her inaugural address, Dr. Sulabha Brahme pointed out that in the past few years, attacks on the people have increased. Condemning the lifting of all Quantitative Restrictions (QRs) from 1^st April this year, she said this process was on since 1996. The main difference is that the QRs lifted now pertain to agricultural commodities. The peasantry, 70% of India’s population, will thus be badly hit. She also outlined other attacks on the peasantry.

Pointing to the serious attacks on the working class, she labeled the so-called ‘privatization of PSUs’ as handing them over to private companies at ridiculously low costs. Not only were jobs being lost, but the loss of profit making PSUs, like Modern Foods and BALCO, was depriving govt. of its own source of income.

She condemned the Govt. for going for projects like Enron, which are bleeding the country. Ruling politicians are cheating the people by claiming that globalization will mean cheap goods, when actually goods from America and European Union are being dumped here.

Outlining further features of attacks on people under globalization, Dr. Brahme said that the problems about all movements against it is that we are not able to forge unity across various sectors. It makes forceful struggles difficult. Today the peasantry is facing a very serious crisis and the working class must come forward to lead their struggles. Another problem with the current struggles is that they are within the limits of trade union. We must politicize these struggles. To explain the politics of globalization to the people we must disseminate adequate literature in the language of the people. While the task is big, she expressed confidence that after two days of deliberations, the delegates would be able to lift the movement to new heights.

She further said that globalization is being forced throughout the world. Several countries have been ruined. All this underlines the importance and urgency of building the people’s struggles.

Com. Deepti Gopinathan (General Secretary, Airport Employees Union) and AD Golendaz (Vice-president, MSEB Workers’ Federation) also addressed the Council. Deepti stressed that today there is an urgent need of class outlook in various struggles. All the effects of globalization, which progressive and revolutionary forces had been alerting the country to, are coming true today. She stressed the need for unity of the struggles. AD Golendaz spoke about the effects of Enron on Maharashtra’s economy, and described the struggle being built up jointly by TUs in Maharashtra (IFTU is also a part of it).

General Council’s deliberation started after the Inaugural Session, with a Martyrs’ Resolution and observance of two minutes’ silence. President Com. Paltu Sen presented the draft resolution which called on the working class “To Save National Industry, and Defend Every Job and Every Right, Beat back the Offensive of the Ruling Classes.” Several delegates offered suggestions to enrich the document, most of which were accepted. (This is being published in this issue as a separate article.)

On 16^th Morning, General Secretary Com. DV Krishna presented the Organization Report to the Council. Many delegates spoke on the Report and offered their criticisms and suggestions on various aspects. After a lively and lengthy discussion, the Report was passed by the Council, after introducing several amendments.

The Council passed several resolutions: (1) Demanding scrapping of Balco Deal and support to the struggle of Balco workers (General Council sent a delegation led by Com. Upadhyay to express solidarity with struggling Balco workers); (2) Demanding extension of PDS, decreasing prices of items under PDS, and condemning the withdrawal of FCI from procurement of foodgrains; (3) Demanding scrapping of Enron Deal; (4) Extending support to the 25^th April Maharashtra Bandh against attacks on workers’ rights and against Enron; (5) Demanding action against corrupt politicians, officials and public figures; and (6) Condemning Advani’s statement on Babri Masjid. The May Day call of IFTU, demanding that Indian Govt. Quit WTO, was also passed. On 15^th June, a protest day would be observed by all IFTU units on the occasion of 10^th anniversary of implementation of NEP. The General Council concluded to the strains of the ‘Internationale’.

Mass Meeting

On 16^th April, a mass meeting was also organized at Sahar in the CPWD Colony, jointly by the IFTU and the CPWD Employees Union. It was addressed, among others, by Com. Pravin Nadkar and Com. Ganesh, from Maharashtra IFTU Committee and Com. Paltu Sen (President, IFTU), Com. DV Krishna (General Secretary, IFTU) and Com. Upadhyay (Vice-President, IFTU).

Resolution of the General Council

To Save National Industry and Defend Every Job and Every Right,

Intensify Workers’ Struggles to Beat Back the Ruling Class Offensive

Heroic struggles by various sections of Indian working class against pro-imperialist policies and their effects, including attacks on jobs and rights, have been the hallmark of the period intervening since our last All-India Conference. Alongside, the period has been marked by an intensification of the drive of the ruling classes to implement WTO-IMF-WB dictated policies. These are being pushed through both via the BJP led NDA Govt. at the Centre and through various State Govts. This intensive and diverse drive of “Second Generation Reforms” is putting an intolerable burden on the working class and other toiling sections of the people, while the satisfaction of the comprador big bourgeoisie and imperialists can be seen in the praise showered on the Finance Minister for his recent ‘Dream Budget’.

Internationally too, there have been significant movements of the working class. From Seattle to Sidney to various other cities, a chain of demonstrations marked the meetings of WTO and other imperialist institutions, as world over workers and other sections protested against the policies of globalization. In Philippines and Indonesia, workers participated widely in the movements to oust corrupt Govts. Attacks on jobs and rights of workers of even advanced capitalist countries increased, as even America faces economic recession and large-scale retrenchment of jobs is on in various sectors including IT. In Europe, it is feared that mergers will result in loss of over 4 lakh jobs. The struggle of the workers of South Korea continued.

Imperialist countries, particularly USA, in their ongoing drive against  the third world, are trying to pressurize for inclusion of international labour standards and other so-called social clauses into WTO agenda. Certain sections of their working class too are influenced by this.  While there can be no dispute that all efforts must be made for improvement in working conditions and rights of workers anywhere, the very fact that this is sought to be linked with trade exposes the real motive of the imperialists. Further, these ‘benefactors’ of the workers of third world countries while demanding full freedom of movement of capital, are unwilling to concede any freedom of movement of labour. Along with their intensified offensive against the third world coutnries, the contradiction among the imperialist countries is continuing to grow.

 Rising Struggles in the Country

Within the country, while the working class in various sectors – markedly in the public sector or govt. employees – has even shrugged aside the established capitulationist leadership of reactionary and reformist trade unions to surge forward in often victorious struggles, in other places such leaderships have succeeded in throttling the tide. Examples of the latter are the Insurance Workers Struggle against privatization and the All-India Strike of Telecom Workers. The recent All-India Postal Strike was withdrawn before the struggling capacity of the workers could even come into bloom, just merely on the threat of ESMA.

In contrast, after seeing 1999 go past with a chain of anti-worker steps gaining ground, the year 2000 was ushered in with almost 5 lakh workers – all govt. employees or public sector workers – being in strike struggles. New heights, of course, were marked by the struggle of the UP Power Workers against World Bank dictated privatization. Braving ESMA and even brushing aside NSA, they won a temporary reprieve and also forced withdrawal of all cases and terminations foisted in the course of struggle. Almost at the same time, state govt. employees of J&K and of Rajasthan went on long strikes for implementation of agreements. ESMA was invoked against both, but the struggles continued. Similarly, Port and Dock Workers throughout the country struck work for implementation of their agreements.

The task begun by the UP Power Workers was taken up in another form by the people of Andhra Pradesh in a struggle built up by nine parties in which workers participated. This was against the power tariff hike, which resulted from WB dictated privatization. The State Govt. of Chandrababu Naidu sought to drown this struggle in blood. Coal workers of Coal India broke a self-imposed somnolence of decades, went on strike against an agreement brokered by capitulationist unions, and won a partial victory. The Indian working class also observed widespread All-India one day strike on 11^th May 2000 against the effects of ‘New’ Economic Policies and other imperialist dictated measures.

However, an important factor corroding the class unity of workers and undermining the struggles is the growing inroads made by communal forces in major working class centres. While the BJP-led Central Govt.’s intensification of ongoing pro-imperialist policies have exposed the hollowness of the Sangh Parivar’s slogan of ‘swadeshi’, some of its frontal organizations  including BMS continue  to intermittently pretend to oppose WTO and new economic policies without any struggle however. Rather they systematically promote  a policy of class-peace and class collaboration to dampen struggles, while lumpens of their ‘Hindutva’ allies – Shiv Sena –  physically attack and seek to demolish militant trade union movements and their leaders. In a bid to communalize the general situation and divert from the pressing economic issues, the BJP-RSS-VHP began uttering shrill cries about the Ram Mandir proposed to be built at the site of Babri Masjid demolished by them. The agenda of struggle against pro-imperialist policies is sought to be replaced by an agenda of majority communal chauvinism directed against minorities. Caste  polarization and playing up of regional sentiments resorted to by ruling class parties is also adversely affecting the class unity of workers.

Attack  on Labour Laws Intensified

Although, these struggles markedly slowed down the steps in some sectors, they have not stemmed the drive of WB-IMF-WTO dictated pro-imperialist policies. These are driving workers onto the streets, attacking jobs and hard won rights. All fighting unions have been demanding amendments in labour laws for expanding the rights of workers and strict implementation of existing laws. The Govt., on the other hand, in a bid to fulfil the longstanding demand of MNCs and comprador big bourgeois, have been trying to amend the labour laws in their own favour. The Central Govt. introduced the TU (Amendment) Bill in Parliament last year to drastically restrict the right of workers to form trade unions. The Bill has not been pursued fearing widespread resistance from workers. Rather, the Govt. had opened another front by establishing Second Labour Commission. Ostensibly slated to ‘evaluate’ labour laws, it has before it the agenda of making anti-worker changes in the ID Act 1947, particularly to restrict the right of strike and the right to relative job security given through Chapter V-B of the Act, the Contract Labour (Regulation and Abolition) Act and other labour laws. Only INTUC and BMS stand represented on the Commission, though it too is delaying release of its recommendations no doubt fearing the response of organized workers. Rather now various states are enacting or preparing to enact legislations to modify laws in their states. Such moves are on in Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra and other states; in Uttar Pradesh the right of Labour Dept. to even implement minimum wage has been waived aside in the name of removing ‘Inspector Raj’. Even otherwise, many of the labour acts, like Bonus Act and Payment of Wages Act, have become redundant for majority of the workers because the wage ceilings in them are less than even the minimum wages of most sections of workers. It is also worth noting that inordinate and overt powers are being increasingly exercised by employers’ organizations, who are openly dictating policies to the Govt. The Govt. now shamelessly associates big industrialists with its policy making bodies.

An attempt to force through wage freeze at various levels continues unabated. On the one hand, virtual non-implementation of minimum wage, open contractualization of jobs, have both depressed wages in private and unorganized sector. In many places no new notification is being issued for minimum wages in past few years. At the same time, everywhere work-load is being increased for the same wages. In fact, even where some wage increase is secured, it is all sucked back by the state. The income tax minimum bar has not been raised in successive budgets even to keep pace with the price rise. In addition, the move in public sector is to inordinately delay wage settlements and then lend acceptability to a proposal for ten year wage agreements offering some incentives, but which will decrease the overall wage benefit. In these cases, workers are not being paid arrears, which again amounts to a wage freeze. In West Bengal, the CPM led State Govt. has ensured that tripartite industry level wage settlements in jute, engineering and textile remain pending for years. In almost all industries in West Bengal, there is now no increment in the VDA neutralization rates. In Maharashtra, the Govt. has directly declared a wage freeze on Bonus and DA for state govt. employees, even as the State Govt. empties its treasury to foot the bills of Enron. In Delhi, Variable DA announced six monthly for private sector workers, is now announced only once a year; that too never without some struggle being built up.

Pollution an Excuse to Force Closures

The trend observed earlier of the courts of India moving in to bypass ID Act provisions and force closures (especially in small scale sector) in the name of ‘pollution control’ has gained ground. In Delhi, the Supreme Court itself led the drive and was out to force closure of almost a lakh of small scale and tiny units. The resistance and struggle of small owners and the workers has forced a dilution of the drive, but still thousands of industries in Delhi have been forced to shut down or relocate – the Supreme Court specifies closure even if anti-pollution measures have been undertaken. In Thane district of Mumbai, similar closures are being affected. In West Bengal, the CPM led Govt. itself has displaced 370 tanneries from Tangra in the name of pollution, and is also forcing relocation of SSIs from Howrah. Alongside, last year’s Budget removed many industries from within the purview of small scale sector reservation and this year, the list has been further restricted to open up markets for MNCs. In addition, under garb of pollution control attacks are increasing on workers homes – the jhuggies or slum colonies of large cities.

Control of pollution and saving the environment are relevant concerns. However, they should not  be pitted against development, rather development should be planned scientifically giving due importance to the environmental concerns and people’s interests.

While maximum environmental damage is being caused by the imperialist countries, the shrillest cries are raised against industrialization in third world countries. Similarly, in India all the ‘pollution’ is found by the Supreme Court in the colonies of poor or industries of small owners only. Courts order shifting of industries without giving any direction on the control of pollution within these concerns. The whole question of ‘pollution control’ in the big cities is being tackled to transfer pollution outside and as a weapon against workers’ jobs, rights and homes.

Disinvestment and Sale of PSUs Continues

Disinvestment of PSUs has continued, with  profit making PSUs being sold at throwaway prices. After the gifting of Modern Foods to Hindustan Lever and management control of Maruti to Suzuki, now the Balco deal has exposed the loot in the guise of disinvestment, whereby assets created out of public funds are sold at throwaway prices to multinational corporations or foreign investors in the garb of non-resident Indians. The ‘Tehelka’ exposure has torn away the last shreds of the mask of ‘clean Govt.’ of Vajpayee and leaves little doubt that vast commissions are being earned by the rulers in the process of disinvestment too.

New Textile Policy has been passed, belying all promises of revival of National Textile Corporation mills and allowing free entry to MNCs in textiles and garments sector.

Downsizing of the work-force is in full flow. VRS is being pushed through vigorously with specific targets in Banks and other public sector undertakings. The fact that in Mumbai, recuperating institutions have been opened to help senior managers taking VRS cope with joblessness and attendant woes should suffice to indicate the devastating economic and social effects of VRS on workers.

Contractualization of jobs has reached an all time high, with even Labour Depts. and Ministers shutting their eyes to the violations of provisions of the law. The exploitation of contract labour is widespread and deep-seated. The incident at Baranagar Jute Mill (West Bengal), where enraged workers burnt alive two officials after a General Manager shot dead a contract worker at point blank range simply because he questioned his arbitrary termination, only points to the desperate situation of such workers throughout the country and to their blatant exploitation. The Baranagar incident itself is not isolated. Such incidents are on the rise, as in Dalhousie Jute Mill, Gondalpara Jute Mill etc. Workers in these mills gave vent to discontentment not only against owners and the govt. but even exhibited their ire against established trade unions.

Safety norms for workers, concern about their health and well-being have ofcourse no place in the imperialist dictated schemes of anti-worker ruling classes. The extreme callousness in ignoring warnings and blatantly violating statutory norms for accident prevention as well as rescue operations, was brought into sharp focus with two consecutive mine-flooding accidents in Dhanbad area leaving over 30 workers dead. Similarly, the Gujarat Earthquake has brought to light the feudal and barbaric practices of diamond merchants of Ahmedabad, who locked in workers into the factory, so that they should not ‘steal the diamonds’, thereby ensuring their death in the quake.

If the all round attacks by the ruling classes are seen in totality, there is an attack to break up the organized strength of the working class and weaken its capacity for resistance as a class; curb its right to organize and struggle and attack its livelihood, wage, home, etc.

Repressive Instruments being Strengthened

As courageous working class struggles threw NSA and ESMA to the winds, the ruling classes have begun honing up instruments of repression. The PoT Bill, which will attack all struggling sections, especially militant trade unions and CRs, has been in the offing for some time now, though in the view of lack of all India consensus, various states are passing even more draconian versions at the their own level. Police intervention against struggles is on the rise.

Role of Judiciary

A factor which deserves special attention is the active role of judiciary in pushing through pro-imperialist, anti-worker, anti-struggle measures. The leader in this is the Supreme Court itself. It refuses to intervene in decisions of govts. to allow MNC entry – whether in Telecom sector, whether on the validity of the anti-people Enron agreement. The Court, which could not arrest the owner of Union Carbide for the biggest industrial tragedy in the world, has moved in Delhi to empty the city of its poor, to attack the SSI and tiny industry. Courts have forced industrial closures bypassing all existing labour laws. Courts are moving all over the country to ban Bandhs and pass stay orders and strictures against the struggles. As the Courts act in the place of the executive and are taking over matters which are executive functions, they are also, just like executive, becoming intolerant to criticism. They seek to stifle by the halo of ‘court judgements’ and contempt proceedings the justified fight of the people to oppose their pronouncements.

Even as the ruling classes are intensifying the imperialist plunder of the country, voluntary agencies form those countries have spread their tentacles in the country. Many of them are linked to MNCs operating here, and try to gain respectability by projecting themselves as NGOs. These get huge funds form imperialist agencies, routed either through smaller western countries or even the Indian Govt. Their objective is to protect imperialists’ interests. Often they do relief work to gain credibility among the workers and people. They try to influence struggles of workers and other sections, project them as independent of the revolutionary transformation of society, propagate the idea of ‘insider unions’ and ‘insider leaders’. They target activists of revolutionary trade union movement and try to corrupt them. We should exercise utmost vigilance against their nefarious designs.

Meanwhile, WTO dictated policies have increased prices and the burdens on all sections of the people, especially the peasantry. Farmers in Punjab fought valiant struggles for procurement of paddy at MSP and against effects of lifting of quantitative restrictions on many items. Landless and poor peasants are being adversely affected by reversal of land reforms and grant of vast tracts of lands to MNCs. The increasing pressure on land is increasing migration to cities, swelling the ranks of the unemployed and causing further depression of wages and service conditions. Students’ struggles against privatization and commercialization of education also came up in various parts of the country.  Old actions of kowtowing before MNCs are showing their effects and are placing the ruling classes in sharp crisis. The Enron backed Dhabol Project has forced approval of the second stage of the project, even as it extracts a price of Rs. 7.80 per unit of electricity and the MSEB’s shares have been brought down to bear the cost of financing Enron’s bills.

The sharp economic crisis in the country has only brought forward the political instability of the ruling classes of India. Thus, the BJP led NDA Govt. is looking for options of fixed parliamentary terms or Presidential forms.

In the coming period, the attacks on the working class will be greatly intensified. The second generation reforms essentially involve firstly economic reforms for unrestricted flow of capital, and secondly labour reforms for unrestricted exploitation of labour. The former is already  well under way with disinvestment and privatization being speeded up, restrictions on capital investment and inflow of capital and outflow of profits being removed, entry into banking and insurance sector being permitted, ending of Govt.’s ability to put restrictions on imports and all sectors being opened up including industrial, financial and agricultural. Labour reforms have so far been lagging behind, but now the Govt. in its budget proposals has quite firmly and unequivocally declared its intention to amend the labour laws to give freedom of ‘hire and fire’ to employers and to give full freedom for employment of contract labour, which will inevitably further depress wage levels and service conditions and intensify the exploitation of workers. It is clear that now as far as the Govt. is concerned, the labour reforms are only awaiting  support in Parliament of the opposition, particularly the Congress, which is temporarily hesitating because of immediate electoral considerations.

Today the situation is that globalization has been proved to be a disaster for workers, peasants and other sections, in fact, for the country. This, along with the deteriorating economic situation, has intensified contradictions between the ruling class parties and even within these parties. Unable to ignore the anger of the people against globalization, large sections of ruling class parties are forced to speak against it, but they restrict themselves to struggle within WTO or demanding removal of agriculture from its ambit. It is only the communist revolutionaries who have consistently and clearly raised the demand to quit WTO.

Hence, trade unions like BMS and INTUC are also making a show of opposing these policies. Others, like AITUC and CITU, are taking up some struggle against the effects of globalization policies, but these lack conviction and are ineffective. This is because they only oppose the effects of these policies, while refraining from demanding to quit WTO. On the other hand, the effects of globalization are spurring various sections to fight back, and they are coming out in struggles – workers, peasantry and even national bourgeoisie. Today there is urgent need not only of trade union solidarity but also for joint struggles of all the struggling sections.

Tasks

At the national plane, there has been no persistent broad-based struggle against the pro-imperialist policies as a whole in the last few years which is understandable given that the political masters of the reactionary and reformist trade unions are committed proponents of these policies. The NPMO therefore is not issuing the call to quit WTO or even withdrawal of new economic policies. Thus it is not building struggles to a level to actually challenge these policies and has been reduced to ritual, token programmes of opposition as can be seen in the silence after the 11^th May 2000 all-India strike.

However, we have seen that workers in various sectors have repeatedly risen in struggle against the effects of the new economic policies on them, compelling these unions to come forward for struggle often reluctantly . However these unions can neither determinedly pursue these struggles nor link them to a struggle against the root cause, the pro-imperialist policies and they seek to gain control of these struggles to limit them. There is a need for a revolutionary trade union centre to fill the void of leadership to rising workers’ anger and to knit struggles into decisive all-India blows against the anti-worker policies and to provide an alternative to the capitulationist policies of these TU centres. IFTU’s strength is small compared to the magnitude of the task. IFTU must strengthen itself to try to fulfil this need while aiming to forge the widest possible class unity for struggle. It is a protracted task requiring consistent hard and patient work. IFTU activists must be prepared to win this battle inch by inch.

First and foremost IFTU must build struggles and also actively intervene in ongoing struggles against the effects of these policies wherever even the smallest possibility exists, targeting the main enemy in each case and flexibly uniting with struggling forces. The forms of unity in struggle will vary depending on the character of the forces involved, our strength, the stage of the movement, etc. Today only in this manner can we realize in practice our call to ‘Fight to defend every job! Fight to defend every right!’

Faced with the challenges posed by the continual attacks on rights and jobs and homes of workers in the relentless drive to implement WTO-IMF-WB dictated policies, the IFTU General Council calls upon the working class of India to rise to defend every job and every right and to forge ahead to build broad-based, persistent and determined struggles on the following issues. While combatting communal, casteist and other divisive efforts of the ruling classses:

1.  Fight for  demand that Govt. of India Quit WTO, Stop implementation of pro-imperialist policies and reverse New Economic Policies.

2.  Fight against attacks on existing Trade Union Rights and against the notorious TU (Amendment) Bill and the bid to amend ID Act, Contract Labour Abolition Act and other labour laws with a view to constricting workers’ rights.

3.  Fight attack on SSI in the country, against closures in the name of ‘pollution’ and for extension of protection to SSI as well as implementation of labour laws in this sector.

4.  Struggle against disinvestment of PSUs, for immediate finalization of pending wage settlements and against prolongation of periods of wage agreements in PSUs.

5.  Fight for restriction on imports which are killing off indigenous industry.

6.  Build struggle for better wages, working and living conditions. 

7. Build solidarity struggles with the struggles of other sections especially peasantry