IMPHAL, December 7: All the 11 trade unions at national level irrespective of political differences met at the 40th Congress of All India Trade Union Congress, AITUC held from November 27-30 last in Mumbai.
The session took various resolutions regarding the labour issues.
Addressing media persons in a press conference held today at Irawat Bhawan, President of AITUC Manipur State Committee Dr M Nara Singh said the entire trade unions are united under the slogan “Fight the new economic policy of UPA-II”.
Common man and practically each one of us are affected by the new economic policy which only favours for the rich people, he said.
The 40th Congress of AITUC expressed its deep concern at the unbearable, unabated, unparalleled price rise particularly all round inflation of all essential commodities, he said.
The total collapse of the public distribution system, large scale hoarding, black marketing, forward trading and corporatisation of the whole society has made the working people suffer. It can be said that the government is now of the corporate, for the corporate and by the corporate, Nara continued.
He further said the corporate can select and appoint ministers of their choice. All policies are guided and dictated by them. Due to commercialisation and privatisation of the education and health services, common man are now finding difficulties to get medical treatment, and get education. Also due to privatisation of public utility services, common people could not have access to clean drinking water, sanitation facilities and electricity etc.
There are lakhs of posts vacant in the government sectors. Instead of employing people the finance department has ordered to abolish all those posts that have been remaining vacant for more than a year. AITUC has opposed this. The norms evolved by the 15th Indian Labour Conference and reiterated by 44th Session of ILC for fixing minimum wages have not been enforced by the government deliberately under the pressure of employers, he added.
Nara further said the AITUC demanded that contract labour should be regularize, the wide disparity in wages between regular employees and contract labour should be eliminated. The trade union called the contract system as the system of “Hire and fire”. The Foreign Direct Investment allowed by the UPA government in Multi-brand Retail Trade is opposed by the trade unions.
The 40th Congress has called upon all its units, its entire membership to plunge into mass action and as a beginning, organize Rail Roko and Rasta Roko agitation and take to law violation in multiple forms including street marches on December 18 and 19, 2012 with firm determination.
The Session also called upon the entire working class to unleash massive campaign in order to mobilize thousands of workers for march to parliament on December 20, 2012 and make two day strike on February 20 and 21, 2013 a grand success to shake the UPA government.
Nara appealed the people to join and support the nationwide agitations against the new economic policy of the UPA government. All the trade unions are urged to fight the new economic policy from the platform of AITUC. It will be a battle between common people versus the ruling party.