Press
Release
1st September 2016
Foil the Conspiracy to Sabotage the
Countrywide General Strike:
STRIKE IS ON
The Union Labour Minister, Shri Bandaru
Dattatreya had sent a release to Media and press on 31st August 2016
at 9 pm trumpeting on “NDA Govt’s commitment to fair earnings and social
security for the workers.”
CITU considers this statement a
deliberate “misinformation campaign” to create confusion and to sabotage the
countrywide general strike on 2nd September 2016, which all sections
of workers and employees have already prepared to join.
The Labour Minister claimed to
have announced a 42% rise in minimum wage for the workers in central sphere.
What does that mean for the workers and the unions who have demanded fixation
of statutory minimum wage for all workers in the country at not less than Rs
18000/- per month? This means that minimum wage for workers in the “C” category
areas should be at least Rs 18000, making it proportionally higher in “B” and
“A” category areas, i.e., Rs 22320 and 26560 respectively. The government’s
offer of Rs 9100/-, Rs 11362/- and Rs 13598/- respectively for the workers
of central sphere in “C”, “B” and “A” category areas respectively is not
even half of what all the central trade unions including BMS unitedly demanded
and have been pursuing since last five years; they vociferously argued for
the same on the latest occasion in the meeting of the Minimum Wage Advisory
Board held on 29th August 2016. How could a trade union
worth its name accept such a mockery on their genuine demand formulated on the
basis of a formula accepted by the central govt also? BMS may consider this
mockery of offer a “historic achievement” owing to their compulsion, but others
cannot.
And who is going to be benefited by this
offer. This offer is for the workers in the central sphere which as per
Minister’s own estimate is 70 lakh. This will not benefit even one per cent of
the non-agricultural workforce in the country, if at all it is implemented. For
99% plus workers of the country this offer means nothing at all. Does the
minister have any answer for them?
The trade unions had been all along
demanding for a statutory binding arrangement for Minimum Wage applicable
throughout the country. Making noise over some marginal increase, that too
for the extremely minority section of workers in the central sphere is aimed at
deceiving the overwhelming majority of the workforce.
Hon’ble Minister announced that the Govt
will pay the employers contribution in provident fund and pension for three
years. Why should the national exchequer pay for employers’ statutory liability
toward PF and pension? But this is a government that has been
allowing the corporate to pilfer national exchequer by not paying due taxes (Rs
5 lakh crore), indulging them not to pay back loans taken from banks (Rs 8.5
lakh crore); they are also paying the employer the cost of training the apprentices
partially, and now the Govt has decided to shoulder employers’ statutory
liability toward PF and pension for three years not from their own pocket but
from the national exchequer. What else can be called loot on national asset?
Claiming these anti national measures as ‘commitment to national development’
is nothing but hypocrisy.
CITU asserts that this kind of gimmickry
will not deter the workers of the country from their struggle. THE STRIKE IS ON
(TAPAN SEN )
General Secretary
CITU
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