RESOLUTION ON MUMBAI TERROR ATTACK The 39th Session of the All India Trade Union Congress held at Thiruvananthapuram from 2nd to 5th December 2008 strongly condemns growing menace and fresh offensive of terrorism which has left Mumbai shattered and shocked rest of the country. The Congress notes which deep concern the magnitude of attack resulting in fierce gun battles lasting for more than 50 hours at several places killing nearly 200 persons and injuring many more. The conference Salute brave sons of the security forces who laid down their lived in the battle against terror attack and succeeded in flushing them out. The Congress offers its sincere condolences to the bereaved families of the people who were killed in this attack. This conference also notes with deep concern the ease with which the terrorists allegedly from Pakistan managed to enter Mumbai with heavy arms and ammunition without being detected by the police and other agencies etc. and feels that it was colossal failure of intelligence agencies and coast guards etc. The conference congratulates the people of Mumbai for their magnificent unity and for maintaining communal amity in the face of very grave situation. The conference urges upon the people of the country to strengthen the secular forces and not allow the communal and divisive forces to exploit the situation. The conference demands that since Mumbai terror attack exposed serious holes in the functioning of various intelligence agencies and other related organizations, a thorough probe and restructuring of these bodies is immediate necessity in order to prevent repetition of such unfortunate incidents in future. The conference further demands that in order to fight terrorism effectively there is need for a coordinated approach between India and neighboring countries and steps be taken in that direction. ***** RESOLUTION ON FUTURE TAXES The 39th Conference of All India Trade Union Congress being held in Trivandrum, Kerala from 2-5 December, 2008 having deliberated upon the Report of he General Secretary, identifies the fundamentals of the main tasks that the organization has to perform in the coming years: · To develop broadest resistance against the onslaught of capitalist crisis, impact of recession and unbearable inflation on the livelihood of the working masses, organized and unorganized, rural and urban, in all possible ways, taking to multiple forms at different levels, and prevent job loss, wage cut, withdrawal of benefits to the working population of the country; · To fight for an alternative economic policy for the creation of more job, improvement of living condition of the unorganized labour, fight for massive investment in agriculture and building up of social infrastructure for eradication of poverty, illiteracy, depravation and hunger against concentration of wealth and pauperization of the people for equitable inclusive growth with social justice; · To fight against mounting terrorism, increasing threat of communalism and rising menace of chauvinism and other divisive forces; · To organize a mammoth rally in Delhi in the middle of February, 2009 protesting against the pernicious impact of the worldwide crisis of the capitalism as reflected in growing attack on the jobs and the livelihood of the common people in collaboration with brotherly trade unions; · To organize a march to Parliament of the Working Women highlighting their problems preceded by a countrywide campaign in support of the demands of equal wage, for maternity benefit, for congenial working conditions, against harassment at working place and for more jobs to the women of the country; · To step up the campaign for the enactment of comprehensive legislation for the unorganized labour, including the agriculture labour; · To mount countrywide agitation for preventing violation of labour laws, attack on trade union rights, intervention of police for curbing trade union activities, undermining bi-partism and tri-partism. · To step up all round activities in the multiple form to expand trae unionism among the unorganized working masses for the improvement of their living conditions and strengthening their bargaining power. · To increase steeply the membership of AITUC, expanding the existing unions, unionizing the unorganized, forming new trade unions in the unchartered areas, both organized and unorganized and for doing the same, recruiting cadres, particularly drawing younger elements, women, Scheduled Caste, Scheduled Tribes and Minorities in its fold. · To lunch a planned campaign for politicalising the trade union cadres, inculcating the ideals of a classless society, socialist social order, exposing the dynamics of capitalist exploitation for creating a large mass of committed activists capable of leading undaunted militant battle against capitalism for the benefit of toiling masses; · To increase the circulation of Trade Union Record, English and Hindi; an develop the journals as the real mouthpiece of the working people of the country having increased circulation and much wider readership. · To seek to enrich the trade union movement by conduction research and survey to enable to understand the complexity of the economic fundamentals of the society and living condition of the working masses.While performing the tasks as above, developing broadest unity, expanding trade unionism, AITUC will have a number of organizational tasks to perform to be able to face the challenge of the time by setting up effective committed collective teams at all levels, breaking new ground, involving new elements. ***** RESOLUTION ON PRICE RICE This 39th Session of All India Trade Union Congress held at Thiruvananthapuram from 2nd to 5th December 2008 notes with grave concern sky rocketing prices of food and other essential commodities of daily use which is causing deep distress to “Aam Admi” in the country. Nearly 77% of the people living on a meager amount of Rs.20/-per day are worst affected. The unprecedented rise in prices is due to disastrous economic policies which UPA Govt. has been following during last 4/5 years of their rule. While corporates are being pampered and given generous concessions, no action has been taken against hoarders who are playing havoc with the people. The monetary measures taken by Government have failed to stem the price rise; instead it has only created difficulties for the middle class. The All India Trade Union Congress and other Trade Unions have since long been demanding immediate steps be taken to revive the Public Distribution System all over the country and universalize it so as distribute food articles & other essential commodities at fixed prices which was dismantled first by BJP led NDA Government and subsequently by UPA Govt. This conference also demands the Forward Trading in Food grains and essential commodities be stopped, immediate land reforms, Remunerative prices to farmers for food grains, massive investment in Agriculture/Irrigation in order to stop economic distress in rural India. This Session while welcoming the initiative taken by AITUC in unleashing relentless struggle against rising prices together with other Central Trade Unions against soaring prices since last one year or more, calls upon the AITUC centre to intensify the stir further in order to compel the Govt. to change their policies & revive PDS. ***** RESOLUTION ON COMMUNALISM, REGIONAL CHAUVINISM & TERRORISM This 39th Session of the All India Trade Union Congress held at Thiruvananthapuram from 2nd to 5th December, 2008 strongly condemns fresh offensive of communalism, growing menace of terrorism and regional chauvinism in the country. More than 60 Bomb blasts killing more than 250 people have been reported in 2008. The bloodiest were Assam serial blasts killing more than 250 people have been reported in 2008. The bloodiest were Assam serial blasts killing more than 75 people. Media reports suggest that Muslim fundamentalists helped & supported by fundamentalist organizations in Pakistan & Bangladesh were involved in this heinous crime. A vicious hate campaign based on hospitality has been unleashed by Sangh Parivar against minorities in the country. False and baseless allegations are being levelled by top leaders of the Sangh Parivar against minorities in order to polarise the people on communal lines. The recent repeated terrorist blasts and communal killings in different parts of the country have completely exposed the failure of the intelligence system in the country in unearthing the Bomb blasts. What is most deplorable the intelligence/Investigating agencies are underplaying the role of the Sangh Parivar especially in organizing the Bomb blasts in Malegaon etc. The arrest of serving Lt. Colonel links with Sangh Parivar and Malegaon bomb blast is a serious matter. The incidents of large scale communal violence in different parts of the country like Orissa, Karnataka etc. where pre-planned attacks on Christians were organized is a matter of grave concern, especially because there communal attacks were organized due to connivance of the State administration of two states which overlooked the dastardly attacks. In fact in almost all states ruled by BJP there has been increased in communal violence. The Maharastra Navnirman Sena has resorted to poisonous hate campaign against North Indians rousing regional chauvinism in the country. This Shiv Sena & Maharastra Navnirman Sena are competing with each other in fomenting chauvinistic feelings in Maharastra & the State administration in quietly overlooking, taking no steps to stop this poisonous campaign. Thousands of workers have been forced to migrate & leave Mumbai. This Session calls upon the working class of the country & other sections of the toiling masses to unite against these anti-national forces expose their dangerous policies in order to isolate them and save integrity & unity of the country. The working class & toiling masses should uphold the banner of secularism, national unity, socialism and highlight the role of the radical progressive forces in the country in order to preserve the unity of the country. ***** RESOLUTION ON UNORGANISED WORKER’S SOCIAL SECURITY BILL, 2008 The Unorganized Workers Social Security Bill, 2008 is renamed and amended form of the Unorganized Sector Workers Social Security Bill, 2007 tabled in Rajya Saba on September 10.2007 which was criticized severally by trade unions and political parties particularly left. Subsequently the Bill was referred to parliamentary Standing Committee on Labor for examination. The Standing Committee headed by Com.S.Sudhakar Reddy examined the issue in detail and consulted all the stakeholders including trade unions. The Standing Committee presented its report to parliament on December 3, 2007. The Chariman of the Standing Committee again wrote a letter to the Union Labour Minister on August 13, 2008 and suggested some of the main issues to be incorporated in the proposed Bill. During discussion with the Union Labour Minister the representative of all the Central trade unions organizations supported the recommendation made by Parliamentary Standing Committee and demanded that a fresh Bill be drafted on the basis of the Standing Committee report and also the recommendations made by National Commission of Enterprises in Unorganized Sector (NCEUS) Chaired by Arjuna Sen Gupta. But the government instead of redrafting the Bill on the line aforesaid on October 23, 2008 introduced 34 amendments in the previously tabled Bill in Rajya Sabha i.e, on 10 September 2007 with new title un “Unorganized Workers Social Security Bill 2008” which completely ignores the main recommendations of the Standing Committee. This new titled Bill is same as old one with some cosmetic amendments which does not fulfill the needs and aspiration of the unorganized workers. It is to be noted that the Bill contains only enabling provisions to enable the governments to frame schemes of social security. The Bill has no provision to regulate in the employment and service conditions of workers, nor has any grievances redressal mechanism. The National Common Minimum Programme (NCMP) of UPA Govt. promises separate comprehensive protective legislation for agricultural workers, but the government has backed out to enact the same as promised in NCMP. Obviously under the pressure of industrialists and landlords the government has failed to implement its own promises made in the NCMP. The 39th Session of AITUC condemns the dilly dallying practice of the government and demands the enactment comprehensive protective legislation for agricultural and unorganized workers along with schemes of social security and statutory provisions for state allocation of the fund. Accordingly the government must come in the ensuring session of Parliament with redrafted and improved version of Bill on the basis of suggestions made herein above. The Session calls upon the unorganized worker in particular and working class in general to intensify the struggle to achieve the comprehensive protective legislation for unorganized workers. *****
RESOLUTION ON ECONOMIC BLOCKADES SANCTIONS & IMPERIALIST AGRESSION The 39th National Session of the AITUC being held in Thiruvananthapuram during 2nd to 5th December, 2008, notes- · That the US imperialism, utilizing the servile governments outside the will of their peoples, have imposed aggressive policies of all kinds of criminal economic and commercial blockades against the people of Cuba. · That the US imperialism, having failed in its very many attempts to impose its rights wing polices in most of the Latin American countries, which have chosen their own politics and path of development, has been repeatedly interfering in the internal affairs of those countries and carry on subversive activities in Venezuela, Bolivia etc. · That the Bush administration had chosen to name those countries which do not follow its policies such Iran, DPR Korea and certain countries in middle east as Axis of evil and threatened to declare the so-called pre-emptive wars of aggression · That the imperialist government led by USA having caused serious havoc and destruction in Iraq and Afganistan continue with their aggression despite overwhelming world public opinion. · That the United Nations, General Secretary had repeatedly and almost unanimously voted to end the economic and trade blockade against Cuba but the Govt. of USA and its accomplices continue to refuse the resolutions of the USA.The AITUC’s 39th National Conference, therefore, resolves- · To condemn the policy of aggression, blackmail and threats and criminal activities having been perused by the imperialists led by USA. · To condemn the acts of terrorism and violation of sovereignty of Cuba and other similar nations, supported by the CIA and other specialized agencies of the Govt. of USA, UK etc. to demand the immediate release of 5 Cuban, citizens now imprisoned in USA only for the fact of having struggled against the terrorism and in defence of the dignity and security of their people. · To urge upon the Govt. of USA o stop forthwith all its exercise of blockades, sanctions and threats against the nations which are not in favour of its policies of hegemony and imperialism. · To urge upon the US and its cronies to follow UN Resolutions and desist from violating the International call of these bodies. ***** RESOLUTION Opposing Government’s decision to hike FDI TO 49% from 26% in Insurance Sector The 39th Session of the AITUC notes with concern that the UPA Government has decided to introduce Bill in the winter session of parliament seeking hike in FDI to 49% from 26% foreign equity in private insurance companies. Since opening up of the industry to private players, the MNCs are vociferously demanding the removal of cap of FDI. The Government at the Centre made attempts in the past also but in vain, as they met the strong resistance from Trade Unions and Left parties. Again the present UPA Government has decided to hike FDI limit to 49% thinking that the political atmosphere is conducive to carry on the offensive. This Conference notes that the Govt. proposes to amend GIBNA Act, enabling Four Public Sector Insurance Companies to go to Public to raise their resource to fund their capital requirements through disinvestment of their shares and this is the maiden step to privatize the profit earned by Public Sector Insurance Companies. In the USA, facing severe ‘meltdown’ not only the Banks are collapsed, also AIG- Insurance Company is in big financial turmoil. The impact of global meltdown or economic crisis is not felt that severe in Indian Insurance Sector, since the Public Sector Insurance Companies have played a major domination role. This session is of the strong view that the proposed increase in FDI is not in the national interests, and to allow Foreign Companies to control our domestic savings with lesser investments. This Conference while strongly opposing the proposed hike in FI to 49% from 26% fully supports the struggle of the Insurance employees who have resolved to launch Direct Action including Strike if and when the Govt. introduces the Bill on the insurance sector in Parliament and appeals to other sections of the working class also to extend support to this just cause. *****
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