50th year
of 1968 september 19th strike
M. Krishnan
Secretary
General
Confederation of Central Govt. Employees & Workers
2018
September 19th (Next year) is the 50th Anniversary of 1968 September 19th one
day strike. All leaders and workers who
led and participated in that historic strike have either retired from service
or are no more.
The
indefinite strike of Central Govt. Employees in1960 was the first major strike
of Central Govt. Employees after independence.
The five days strike from 1960 July 11 midnight was brutally suppressed
by the Central Government declaring it as “Civil Rebellion”. The main demand of the strike was improvement
and modifications in the 2nd CPC recommendations. The Need Based Minimum Wage, though adopted
by the 15th Indian Labour Conference in 1957, was rejected by the 2nd CPC.
The
Joint Consultative Machinery (JCM) was constituted in 1966 by then Home
Minister Gulsarilal Nanda, as per the decision of the Government. The apprehension of the progressive
leadership that this negotiating machinery may not settle any major demands of
the Central Govt. employees and may become just a talking shop or a time
killing business, ultimately resulting in abnormally delaying the genuine
demands, came true within a year of its formation. In the very first meeting of the National
Council JCM, the following three demands were notified by the staff side.
1. Grant of Need Based Minimum Wage as
approved by the 1957 Tripartite Labour Conference.
2. Merger of DA with Pay
3. Revision of DA formula
After
prolonged discussion for about one and a half year, disagreement was
recorded. As per JCM Scheme once
disagreement is recorded, the item should be referred to compulsory
arbitration. But Govt. rejected the
demand for arbitration. Protesting against
this arbitrary stand of the Govt. the staff side leadership walked out of the
JCM and decided to go for one day’s strike.
A Joint Action Committee was formed and the date of the strike was
decided as 19th September 1968.
Eventhough, the INTUC affiliated organisations were initially a part of
the strike decision, later on they decided not to join the strike due to the
intervention of the then Congress Government headed by Smt. Indira Gandhi.
The following were the main demands of the
strike charter of demands.
1. Need Based Minimum Wage.
2. Full neutralisation of rise in prices.
3. Merger of DA with Basic Pay
4. Withdrawl of proposal to retire employees
with 50 years of age or on completion of 25 years of service.
5. Vacate victimisation and reinstate
victimised workers.
6. No retrenchment without equivalent
alternative jobs.
7. Abolition of Contract and Casual Labour
System.
Strike
notice was served and the Joint Action Council (JAC) decided to commence the
strike at 0600 AM on 19th Septembe r 1968.
Intensive campaign was conducted throughout the country. AIRF, AIDEF and Confederation was the major
organisations in the JAC. Govt. invoked
Essential Services Maintenance Ordinance (ESMO) to deal with the strike. Govt. also issued detailed instructions to
impose heavy penalty including suspension, dismissal, termination,
Break-in-service etc. on the striking employees. Para-military force (CRPF) and Police were
deployed to deal with the strike.
Central Govt. gave orders to all state Governments to suppress the
strike at any cost. It was a war-like
situation. Arrest of Leaders started on
18th September itself. About 3000 employees
and leaders were arrested from Delhi alone.
All over India about 12000 Central Government employees and leaders were
arrested and jailed.
Inspite
of all these brutal repressive measures the strike commenced on 18th after noon
itself at many places and was a thundering success all over India and in all
departments including Railway, Defence, P&T etc. About 64000 employees were served with
termination notices, thousands removed from service and about 40000 employees
suspended. Seventeen (17) striking
employees had been brutally killed at Pathankot, Bikaner, Delhi Indraprastha
Bhavan and at Upper Assam in lathi charge,
firing by police and military and by running the train over the bodies of
employees who picketed the trains.
Though
the strike was only for one day on 19th September 1968, the victimisation and
repression continued for days together.
Struggle against victimisation also continued including work-to-rule
agitation, hunger fast of leaders from 10th October 1968. There was unprecedented support to the strike
and relief work and also to agitation for reinstatement of the victimised
workers, from National Trade Unions, state employees and teachers
Unions/Federations etc. A mass rally was
organised before the residence of Prime
Minister of India Smt. Indira Gandhi on 17th October, 1968.
Kerala
was ruled by the Communist Govt. during the strike. Chief Minister Com. E. M. S. Namboodiripad
declared Kerala Govt’s full support to the strike of Central Government
employees. The Central Govt. threatened
dismissal of the Kerala Govt. for defying the Centre’s directive to suppress
the strike.
1968
September 19th strike is written in red letters in the history of Indian
Working Class. The demand raised by the
Central Govt. employees - Need Based Minimum Wage - was the demand of entire
working people of India. Even today, the
Central Govt. employees and other section of the working class are on struggle
path for realisation of the Need Based Minimum Wage. The demand of the Central Govt. employees to
modify the recommendations of the 7th Central Pay Commission to ensure Need Based
Minimum Wage is not yet conceded by the BJP-led NDA Government. Even the assurance given by three Cabinet
Ministers including Home Minister, Finance Minister and Railway Minister
regarding increase in Minimum Pay and Fitment formula is not honoured by the
Govt. even after a lapse of one year and
entire Central Government employees feel cheated.
It
is in this background, we are entering into the 50th year of 1968 September
19th strike. Let us pledge that we shall continue our struggle for realisation
of the demands raised by the matryrs of the 1968 strike. Let us pay respectful homage to those valiant
fighters who sacrified their life for the working class of India. Let us salute and honour all those who participated
in the historic strike, especially those who had been victimised severaly for
joining the strike. Let us organise
various programmes throughout the country at all levels, to commemorate the
inspiring memory of 1968 September 19th strike.
