General Strike on 29 September 2005
NTUI Appeal
Participate in the General Strike on 29 September 2005 and make it a success
A Convention of trade unions and federations met in Delhi on July9, 2005, and unanimously decided on an action programme to culminate in a General Strike on September 29. NTUI fully endorses this strike call, and exhorts all members to fully participate in the strike and demonstrate the strength of a combined working class resolve and presence.
The basic demand of the working class movement at this juncture is the unfettered right to collective bargaining. This is the right that the Government has sought to curtail, whether through restrictions on the right to strike; or through various restrictive laws on democratic articulation – POTA, PESA, etc.; or the dilution of regulations on capital to freely move in and out of business. This is the right that various working class struggles are essentially fighting for – whether the struggle of adivasis of Kashipur in Orissa against bauxite mining, or the Honda workers struggle in Gurgaon for fair labour practices. The Government has been equally brutal in these struggles in siding with capital to curtail the freedom of collective bargaining. All in the name of economic development under globalisation.
The nineties saw an accelerated loss of “good” jobs, jobs with a decent wage, social security, and the dignity of tenure of employment. New jobs in manufacturing and services were mostly of a contractual nature. The Contract Labour Act enacted in the seventies sought to progressively bring to an end what was then seen as a pernicious system of employment without the protection of tenure. Globalisation and the new slogan of “labour flexibility” have in effect turned around all the gains made under this Act. It is the contract labour system that forms the backbone of the new economy, and weakens the essential strength of workers to organize and struggle for a more equal relation with capital. It has gained global acceptance and support from capital and governments. The challenge before the trade union movement is to unite in a struggle against this system, at the level of the industry and region; nationally; and globally. This is the principle task before unions in order to correct the imbalance in relations between capital and labour.
The past decade has seen a progressive impoverishment and loss of democratic rights of the bottom half of the population. This section of the population is largely outside the purview of any government regulation. Their access to basic health and education, and even basic subsidized food grains and household items has been curtailed by an ideology that seeks to reduce direct government in all social security. They have been pushed out of their traditional sources of livelihood – whether land, forests or the seas. An “Umbrella Legislation” for regulation of employment and social security for these workers has been under consideration by successive governments for the past decade. After a whole year in government, the UPA has finally legislated a limited form of its election promise of an Employment Guarantee Act. However, this like all other legislations aimed at the poor will remain on paper unless the working class are directly involved. What is needed at this junction is a comprehensive legislation, which regulates the employment and provides minimum wage and social security including the minimum labour standards for the unorganised labour. This is the other major task of the trade union movement to deepen democratic organization of workers among this section of the working class, and to force the government to recognize the participation of trade unions in enforcing the rights of these workers.
In this context, participation and campaign for sharpening the focus on working class issues is the need of the hour. We call upon the working class to rise to the occasion to focus the issue with a view to build solidarity and strength that alone will ensure the success of the working class.