EDITORIAL - DAK JAGRITI - AUGUST 2015

 2015 SEPTEMBER 2^nd ONE DAY STRIKE

INDIA WORKING CLASS UNITEDLY DEMANDS CHANGE OF POLICY

On 26^th May, The day Modi Government at the Centre completed one year in office, Workers National Assembly at the Mavlankar Auditorium in the National Capital, New Delhi, in one voice condemned BJP-led NDA Government’s anti worker, anti-peasants, anti-people and pro-corporate, pro-MNC one year’s rule and declared country wide united protests and resistance through General Strike on 2^nd September 2015 against these policies and to pursue 12 points charter of demands.

The unanimous declaration of the National Convention, organized by All the eleven Central Trade Unions and National Federations of Employees of all sectors and services condemned the Modi Government for bringing sweeping changes in the Land Acquisition Act permitting forcible acquisition of land from the farmers and drastically curbing farmer’s right to land and agricultural worker’s right to livelihood, bringing sweeping changes in the labour laws in favour of the employers, attack on the existing social securities like EPF, ESI benefits, cutting budgetary allocations to scheme which benefit the poor like MNREGA, dismantling of the Public Distribution System, disinvesting profit making public sector undertakings, Not implementing tripartite decisions of the successive Indian Labour Conferences (ILCs), Ignoring the 10 point demands submitted earlier by the Central Trade Union pending since UPA Government etc.

The Central Government Employees in general and Postal Employees in particular are the worst sufferers due to the policy offensives of the Government. No DA Merger, No Interim Relief, No retrospective date of effect to 7^thCPC from 01.01.2014 as demanded by JCM Staff Side, refusal to include Gramin Dak Sewaks under 7^th CPC, denial of revision of wages and regularization of casual labourers, non implementation of Cadre Restructuring agreement signed by Postal department and Postal federations, 5% condition on Compassionate appointment, non revision of bonus ceiling, non implementation of arbitration awards, non convening of JCM National Council are the one year balance sheet of the Modi Government in the Central Government employees sector. Over and above this, policy offensives like Task Force Committee Report on Postal Corporatisation, Bibek Debroy Committee Report on Railway privatisation, corporatisation of the 41 Ordinance factories in the defence sector, move to close down printing, stationery and publication department and Medical store depots, non filling up of vacancies, downsizing, outsourcing, contractrisation, privatisation, are also being implemented in an aggressive manner.

The atrocious attack on the working people of the country including Central Government employees should be combated resolutely. The anti worker character of the neo liberal policies and the capitalist class interest behind these policies must be thoroughly exposed. It is to resist and repulse these attacks on the working class that the united trade union movement gave a call for a country wide general strike on 2^nd September 2015.

From 1991 onwards, when the Congress government started implementing these policies, Confederation of Central Government Employees & Workers and NFPE has been opposing it and had joined the main stream of the working class in resisting the onslaught of imperialist globalization policies. Confederation National Executive and NFPE Federal Secretariat had decided to join the one day strike on 2^nd September 2015.

This strike must act as a strong warning to the BJP-led Government that the working class of the country, which has a great history of struggles and sacrifices, is not going to let these attacks pass. We call upon the entire Central Government employees and Postal Employees including Gramin Dak Sewaks to join the strike en-masse and make it a grand success.