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April 2010

EDITORIAL

Heads of 8 South Asian countries will meet on 28-29 April 2010 for the 16th SAARC Summit at Thimpu. Since the formation of the SAARC in 1985, despite numerous meetings, there has been very little progress in promoting regional cooperation among nations and peoples in South Asia. There exists legal and illegal trade of goods and mobility of labour between the South Asian countries. With the negotiations on South Asian Preferential Trade Agreement (SAPTA) and of South Asian Free Trade Agreement (SAFTA) along with the other bilateral and multilateral trade agreements including FTAs between the nations in the region, the legal capital mobility within South Asia has not only magnified manifold but the scope for it is ever-widening with investments from large Multi National Corporations. However, these negotiations are beyond the reach of people.

Foreign policy, like any other policy, must be rooted in the democratic aspirations of citizens. It must be rooted in building a society that is based on economic, social and political equality and is free from all forms of discrimination where people are free to chart their own destinies without internal or external force or coercion. Such a policy must seek to defend and advance the right to independence and self-determination of nations, peace and cooperation between countries and build democratic international institutions based on equality of nations. This requires as a precondition a multi-polar world order. Indian foreign policy is out of sync with these aspirations.

It is in this perspective that the NTUI became involved in organising a Conference for ‘A People’s Foreign Policy of India’ in 2006 in Mumbai. The resolution of the Conference provided an overarching framework for building such a policy. Building a people’s foreign policy requires that people of different countries, their mass organisations, and civil society institutions share a common principle, build common approaches and policy frameworks and contend with their respective country’s governments and states to change their foreign policy towards such a policy convergence. The NTUI believes that the working class has a core interest in such a people’s foreign policy. The ground for people’s foreign policy is best developed in a region where people share common conditions of living and development, tradition and history. Although the historical legacy can also contain deep differences, animosity and oppression which make it very difficult to build such a people’s foreign policy.

The immediate neighbourhood of any country is the ground where the working class must first build a people’s foreign policy.

For the NTUI working class solidarity and trade union unity and a people’s foreign policy must be explored, engaged with, and built in South Asia first.

Several people’s organisations and social movements have also been mobilising around the SAARC summit for several years under the banner of Peoples’ SAARC which has developed as a platform for sharing, forging and strengthening solidarity and relationships between progressive organisations and individuals in South Asian countries with the common aim of promoting a movement for democracy and justice, and to build people’s resistance against the forces of globalisation and imperialism across nations. These mobilisation attempts have been able to create a public opinion for building a new South Asia on the principles of peace and development. But it still lacks the political force that can push the agenda of the people and change the structures and mechanism of the SAARC to enable cooperation among nations in the South Asian region. In particular the SAARC process has been weakened because of the fundamental discordant relationship between India and Pakistan, with Kashmir as the central issue. It is therefore imperative that a political force is built up to address the specific concerns of these relationships. In order to do this, it is NTUI’s understanding that the trade union movement in the region has to be linked up, and must coordinate its efforts to form the united force to shape the South Asian process.

In order to do so it is imperative that a core of unions of South Asia, in particular, India and Pakistan, move this process forward. NTUI’s initiative is for a regional process that has a component of bilateral, sectoral and regional elements to consolidate this process of solidarity and unity of action. Further, it envisages exploiting, expanding, and using all political space that emerges in the context of South Asia to build such a process. This coordination and consolidation can concretely begin with the framework for standardisation and promotion of core labour rights and the creation of a regional institution for their protection; Promotion of peace and development of a people’s foreign policy; Promotion of free movement of people in the region within a legal framework; and Expansion of the scope of SAARC by inclusion of labour rights in its areas of cooperation. NTUI is committed to initiate bilateral discussions with unions from different political traditions in Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.

SPECIAL REPORT ON ASSEMBLY TOWARD UNION OF SOUTH ASIA

Over 300 participants from across South Asia representing social movements, civil society organisations, trade unions, peasant organisations, women’s groups and human rights activists gathered at Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi between 22 – 23 April for the two day Assembly towards Union of South Asian Peoples.

Among the prominent participating mass organisations were GEFONT from Nepal, All Ceylon United Workers Congress from Sri Lanka, Labour Party of Pakistan, Pakistan Fisherfolk Forum and Muttahida Labour Federation from Pakistan, and AITUC, NTUI, NFFPFW and National Fishworkers Forum. Serving parliamentarians of South Asia, Binda Pandey from Nepal, Senator Malik from Pakistan, and Mani Shankar Aiyer from India, participated in the debates around the question of a distinct South Asian identity, and people’s collaborative actions across borders for peace and development in the region.

Background of the Peoples’ Processes around SAARC

One of the initial platforms on record was the Conference on Trade Union, Human and Democratic Rights in Colombo in March 1991. Organised by International Trade Secretariats of three international trade unions brought together 60 activists from the 5 SAARC countries – India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Nepal. The Colombo Conference was followed by a Pakistan Conference held in Karachi in 1992. This process led to the informal discussion among activists for the need to devise a South Asian civil society mechanism for a collective regional voice. The notion of a civil society process parallel to the official SAARC was floated during these discussions. The last meeting of this process was held in Kathmandu in 1994 where the Kathmandu Declaration was adopted expressing the concern of the people of the region about the official SAARC. In July 1995, the People’s SAARC was held in New Delhi as a parallel event to the 8th official SAARC summit.

The process suffered many constraints in the following years. In 1999, the South Asian organisations made an effort to rebuild the process through a South Asian People’s Summit. However with deterioration of Indo-Pak relations the SAARC summits did not take place between 1999 and 2001. In December 2000, the first South Asian People’s Summit was organised in Colombo with the slogan – Listen to the Voice of the People. The second People’s Summit was held parallel to the 11th official summit in Kathmandu. The third and the fourth People’s Summits were held in Islamabad in 2003 and 2004 respectively. The South Asian civil society gathered in Dhaka in 2005 renaming the event as People’s SAARC. The 2007 People’s SAARC was held in Kathmandu, a week before the official 14th Summit in New Delhi. In 2008, the South Asian People’s Assembly was held in Colombo bringing together a large number of organisations from the host country as well as the region.

The changing name of the event – People’s SAARC, South Asian People’s Summit and now People’s Assembly shows the richness of the process and its evolution.

Towards A Union of South Asian Peoples, April 2010, New Delhi

The Assembly held in April 2010 in New Delhi reaffirmed the South Asian People’s commitment to creating a South Asia free from all forms of discrimination, exclusion and domination. It also called for the people of all SAARC countries to struggle against militarism and jingoism; and demanded of the governments to reduce defence spending and make available funds for socially useful spending on public welfare and social security for all; for a regional people’s perspective on Climate change and on environmental degradation. It also called for the right to mobility with dignity of people of the region in the region. It simultaneously called for equal respect among all countries irrespective of size and power. A broad public declaration was adopted at the conference reflecting the concerns of social movements across South Asia.

The conference was preceded by a number of thematic workshops addressing key issues of the region. The reports from these workshops were presented in the inaugural session, variously highlighting aspects of free trade in South Asia; environmental justice and livelihood rights of indigenous people; and rivers, people and climate change.

Of the many thematic workshops organised, NTUI played a key role in organising the workshops on Trade and Economic Cooperation with Forum against FTAs and on Rivers, people and climate change in South Asia with the India Climate Justice group. Both the workshops were well attended by participants from Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka along with organisations from across India. The workshops concluded with collective statements that were presented to the respective plenary.

The Workshop on Trade called for a regionalism based on complementarities between economies of the region and at a net expansion of domestic demand aiming at increasing employment and environmental sustainability. It should stress on the concept of non-reciprocity for large economies and special and differential treatment, in particular for less developed countries in the region. However, this should ensure equity within the country and between countries with a regional mechanism to compensate for the distortion created by trade in the region. It also stressed on the need for recognising and expanding the role of trade unions and other mass organisations in the policy framing process.

The Workshop on Rivers and Climate Change pointed out that the way to move forward in region should include creating civil society mechanisms to share vital information about rivers and water resources projects and ensuring transparency and participation in river governance. Given the vital importance and the common heritage of the Himalayan region, the participants also stressed on a regional water policy worked out through a credible participatory process based on the needs of the people and the environment. It should be based on the idea that rivers are endowments, to be sustained for future generations and not merely short term resources to be harnessed and degraded in one or two generations. South Asia’s rivers must be seen as sources for nourishing and uniting the region and its people, not dividing them.

NTUI along with AITUC and AICCTU also organised a meeting of trade unions on 21 April. The meeting was attended by trade unions from Pakistan, Nepal and Sri Lanka. This was a step towards building coordination between trade unions in the region to promote fraternity and peace based on a systematic coordination of ideas, people and of institutional exchanges in order to build a process for dialogue and consultation of all South Asian trade unions within an agreed democratic framework. It was agreed that this coordination and consolidation can concretely begin with the framework for Standardisation and Promotion of labour rights and regional institution for protection; Promotion of peace and development of a People’s foreign policy; Promotion of free movement of people in the region within a legal framework; Expansion of the scope of SAARC by inclusion of labour in its areas of cooperation.

The Assembly concluded with the New Delhi Declaration that envisioned a People’s Union of South Asia. It reaffirmed the South Asian People’s commitment to creating a better South Asia free from all forms of discrimination, exclusion and domination. It also called for the people of all SAARC countries to struggle against militarism and jingoism. It called for equal respect among all countries irrespective of size, and power. It recognised the prevalence of patriarchy, masculinity, religious extremism and caste-based discrimination that deny human dignity, socio-economic and political equality and justice to millions of backward classes, in the SAARC countries. It reiterated the need for an alternate regional trade and economic framework that meet the needs and aspirations of the people in the region. It also recognised that terrorism has been a serious problem in Pakistan, India and recently in Sri Lanka. Where these movements involve alienation or deprivation of natural resources, there must be dialogue. Most terrorist movements are political. Military means should not be the method of countering them. Fundamentalist movements who refuse dialogue should be suppressed. It stressed that militarism as a State ideology is a threat to democracy and peaceful dissent. Finally it resolved to lobby the SAARC governments on the following demands:

• The SAARC governments should seriously engage with the issue of Climate Change and apart from adhering to the existing international commitments, should consider a common South Asian Policy on this vital issue. The developing countries in the SAARC region should fulfill their responsibilities vis-à-vis the less developed countries and most vulnerable in the region via financial and technological means.
• The proposed SAARC University must become operational this year as envisaged originally. Students and faculty of the SAARC University in New Delhi must be granted a restriction free SAARC Visa by the Indian government.
• SAARC Governments should start sincerely and genuinely cooperating according to the commitments made in the SAARC charter and its various conventions and protocols. All governments in the region must put a halt to all kinds of covert activities against each other. They should also establish a joint mechanism to combat terrorism as per the requirements of the SAARC regional convention of 1987 on suppression of terrorism.
• SAARC Development Fund and Food Bank should become operational forthwith.
• All South Asian governments should enter into a No War Pact with a commitment to resolve all disputes through peaceful and democratic means only. Military expenditures should be reduced by 10% per year and funds be diverted towards social spending.
• All governments without further delay should establish a universal and portable Social security system as envisaged in the SAARC social charter.
• All governments in the SAARC region must ensure freedom of movement, the right to work and to conduct business for SAARC citizens.

At the conclusion of the Assembly, the Steering Committee of the People’s SAARC met and decided that:

1. A secretariat for the People’s SAARC process will be established at Kathmandu;
2. The Thematic working groups that were formed in this Assembly would develop regional campaigns on respective themes;
3. A People’s SAARC process will be established in each country to mobilise public opinion towards a Union of South Asian People;
4. A South Asians People’s Regional Assembly will be constituted.

The Working Groups were constituted on: 1. Militarism and Terrorism in all its Forms; 2. Food, Land and Livelihood; 3. Religious Fundamentalism and Rights of Minorities; 4. Gender; 5. Climate Change and Water Sharing; 6. Human Rights, Human Rights Mechanisms and Human Rights Tribunal; 7. Labour Rights and Social Security; 8. Democracy and Democratisation; 9. Trade and Economic Co-operation; 10. Freedom of Movement, Work and related issues including Visas; 11. Neo- Liberalism and Alternative Paradigm; and 12. Caste based Discrimination and other Related Issues.

REPORT ON NTUI WORKSHOP ON REVIEW OF THE ECONOMY

With the objective of developing a programme on the challenges imposed by the economy on the working class, a two day workshop was organised by NTUI at Rajendra Bhavan, New Delhi on 9-10 April 2010. The workshop provided an opportunity to specifically analyse the issue of minimum wage, inflation and the share of wages in the GDP. It was attended by union leaders from Thermax Kamgar Sangathana, Sarv Uttar Pradesh Grameen Mazdoor Union, Sakhar Kamgar Union – Kolhapur, Rajasthan Khan Majdoor Union, WPTUC, Mulazim Manch- Punjab, Grameen Mazdoor Sabha – Gujarat, Power Workers Unity Centre – Kerala, Cochin International Airport Mekhala Construction Loading and Unloading & General Workers Union, TMKTS, Plantation Working Class Union – Kerala, Nirman Mazdoor Shakti Sangathan – Delhi. It was also attended by Comrades D Thankappan, Ashim Roy, M Subbu, N Vasudevan, Chandrashekhar, Anuradha Talwar, Gautam Mody and Mohan Kothekar.

The workshop began with a brief overview of the economic scenario and its impact on working people presented by Prof. Nirmal Chandra, IIM Calcutta. Neo-liberalism, he pointed out, is a product of the cold war. It destroyed all anti-capitalist forces, crippled the Soviet Union and weakened the social democrats and national liberation movements in the third world. The oil shock of 1970s saw the emergence of Thatcherism but it also gave birth to new forms of opposition as was evident in the anti-WTO protests at Seattle. Prof. Chandra optimistically pointed out that the relative economic position of the US has been on the decline since the 1950s. The financial crisis of 2008 has severely further eroded the economic position of the US and hence the emergence of the G-20. The world capitalist order however is now taking shape with new co-operations like the BRIC emerging as major players. Looking inwards, he noted the ever declining responsibility of states, including India, towards the people. With tax rates declining and increasing subsidies to capital, the government is progressively reducing its expenditure on social sectors leading to further immiserisation.

The following two sessions, on Industrialisation and Agriculture and their impacts on wage setting concluded on the note that though with growth in the economy, employment is being created but these jobs are almost necessarily low quality, low paid jobs under precarious conditions of employment. In its attempt to expand and maintain surplus, capital in its spontaneity, as pointed out by Prof. C P Chandrashekhar, JNU is moving backwards to a world where extraction of absolute surplus value matters rather than extracting relative surplus value. There is a concerted effort to undermine the standard set by the organised sector in the effort to extract more surpluses, sometimes even absolute surplus. The attack on Public Sector also derives from this as it is the highest standard setter. Wages therefore are being reduced to less than the level required for reproduction of labour power.

Prof. Mritiunjoy Mohanty discussing issues of wage setting in rural economy spoke at length on the emergence of the non-farm sector as generators of employment. Movement of labour out of agriculture is an important way in which non-farm economy growth contributes to wage growth in agriculture. However between 1983-2004/5 movement of labour out of agriculture accounted for only 22% of the increase in wages. Therefore according to Prof. Mohanty growth in agricultural productivity can be identified as the main mechanism for wage growth. Hence, he laid emphasis on agricultural growth and increases in agricultural productivity. If labour continues to be surplus then wages cannot rise and hence it will be impossible to enforcing minimum wages. Therefore, he stressed, it is important to change growth patterns where non-farm growth becomes more labour absorbing complemented by a wage subsidy for increased employment along with industrial growth.

The Workshop was concluded with a session of absorbing the learning of the two days. Comrade Gautam Mody in summing up emphasized the need to look at problems that cut across sectors and how a trade union addresses them. Implementation of the minimum wages is a problem today across sectors. Alternatives such as development of a small industries model, cooperatives, or a wage subsidy are strategies that need to be worked on, along with large scale investment and reform of the public sector, to improve the employment situation.

AFFILIATE NEWS

Sanghati Swasthya Prakalpa Convention at Badu on 25 April: With the collapse of the public health system in the past three decades, expenses on health care are one of the major causes of rural indebtedness. PBKMS has initiated a process of setting up a hospital for rural workers. An OPD was inaugurated on 21 February which has operates thrice a week. Over 700 members have been enrolled in Badu. In the past 2 months low cost medicines and pathological services along with treatment has been provided to about 800 patients. Patients have also been helped to get affordable treatment from other hospitals. PBKMS has also expanded its village health camps to 6 locations in Purulia, South 24 Parganas and North 24 Parganas. Each camp caters to an average of 150 patients once or twice a month. Sanghati Jana Swasthya Prakalpa will organise its first convention at Badu on 25 April.

Minimum Wage Campaign for Garment Workers in Chennai: GAFWU in its first general body meeting on 28 March resolved to launch a campaign to educate their members and other workers on wages. Following this, activists of GAFWU along with union members from Celebrity Fashions Ltd. in MEPZ started a campaign in villages in the Kanchipuram district. They organised meetings in the four villages of Manamadhi, Sathinampettu, Agaram and Aamayampettu. Most of the young men and women from these villages work in the garment factories of Roverco Apparel, PS Apparels, Intimate Fashions and Celebrity Fashions Limited. GAFWU activists also distributed leaflets at the factory gates of the SIPCOT Apparel Park SEZ in Irungattukottai. Activists also held a meeting with workers of Unitex Exports. Community level meetings were also organised.

NFFPFW Activist attacked in North Bengal: 8 April, 2010: A team of unidentified police personnel entered the house of Sunder Singh Rava in the Kurmai forest village of Chilapata forests under the Coochbehar Forest Division at 3 AM on 8 April. They did not reveal the nature of complaints, if any, against Sundar, and forcibly dragged him out. Meanwhile other villagers assembled, and resisted the arrest and did not allow the police to take Sundar away. The police have now started arrest proceedings against the villagers who resisted Sundar’s arrest. The movement for forest rights and the implementation of the Forest Rights Act properly has been on for several years now in the Chilapata area, in which Sundar played an important role.

CAMPAIGN NEWS

CAMPAIGN ON RIGHT TO FOOD

Dharna and Hunger Strike against Proposed Food Security Act: The Right to Food Campaign launched a dharna and relay hunger strike at Jantar Mantar from 15 -19 April, 2010 to protest against the Food ‘Insecurity’ Bill sent to the Union Cabinet by the Empowered Group of Ministers (EGOM). This draft bill proposes a single entitlement of Rs. 25 kg of grain per BPL household in the name of Food Security.

CAMPAIGN ON TRADE

Mass organisations meet Members of European Parliament to express concern over EU-India FTA: 26 April: Representatives of the Forum Against FTAs met with the Members of European Parliament (MEPs) and expressed their concerns. NTUI was part of this delegation. The MEPs stressed on negotiating a Sustainable Development chapter in the agreement which their Indian counterparts are strictly opposed to.

Protest at Udyog Bhavan against EU-India FTA on 30 April 2010: While Indian negotiators met their European counterparts in Brussels to commence the final round of negotiations with the European Union on the EU-India Free Trade Agreement, the Forum Against FTA organised a protest before the office of the Ministry of Commerce.

The FTA negotiations have been shrouded in secrecy even though they will require amendments in Indian legislations which can seriously impact agriculture, domestic production of medicines, environmental safety, labour rights and livelihoods, among others. Repeated requests for consultations and transparency on the FTA have gone unheard.

India plays an important role in making access to medicines possible in developing. For example, 92% of the people living with HIV/AIDS in low and middle-income countries use antiretroviral medicines produced by India at more affordable prices. India’s importance in access to medicines is illustrated in Brazil’s compulsory license for AIDS medicine in 2007. The immediate provision of the medicine after the license was issued was only made possible because Brazil could import its Indian generic version until the production of a Brazilian version began in 2009.

India, Japan resume talks on market opening pact: 7 April: India and Japan have resumed talks here on an FTA that will break duty and other barriers for bilateral investment and commerce in goods and services. India is seeking market access in Japan mainly for its agricultural products and pharmaceuticals.

The proposed free trade agreements between Japan, EU and others besides the recent amendments to existing Hazardous Waste Rules promote trade in hazardous waste unmindful of the National Environment Policy that acknowledges how “Environmental factors are estimated as being responsible in some cases for nearly 20 percent of the burden of disease in India”. This has been done in Philippines and other developing countries in pursuance of the principle of transferring harm to less polluted countries.

NEWS UPDATES

DEFOI dharna in Delhi: 26 April 2010: More than 500 members of unions affiliated to the Dairy Employees Federation of India (DEFOI) from the states of Goa, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Gujarat, Punjab, UP and Rajasthan assembled in Delhi at the Jantar Mantar to demand immediate implementation of 6th Pay Commission wages to dairy workers with retrospective effect; regular payment of wages; and a stop to contract work. The Government of Bihar is the only state government to have implemented the Sixth Pay Commission benefits to the Dairy Employees. Dairy Employees Federation of India (DEFOI) is the largest national federation of dairy workers in the country. Formed in 2009, DEFOI affiliates belong to National Trade Union centers under INTUC, HMKP, AITUC, and CITU. Many independent state federations and unions across the country too are affiliates of DEFOI.

Bhopal Survivors on Indefinite Dharna in Delhi: 22 April 2010: Members of the Bhopal survivors’ organizations presented documents obtained through the Right to Information Act to point out that in its Rs 982 crores Action Plan submitted to the Central government, the state government accepts that 16,000 people died and 5000 women were widowed by the gas disaster. It also accepted that the toxic wastes in and around the abandoned factory of Union Carbide’s had polluted the environment and that the genetic effect of the toxic gases will affect the next generation of the survivors.

Visakha Steel Workers Union protest against privatisation: Visakha Steel Workers Union demonstrated outside the Visakhapatnam Steel Plant administrative building on 13 April to protest a government decision to divest 20 percent of its equity in SAIL. The 6600 member union threatened that if the government did not withdraw its privatisation plans members threatened further action.

Exide workers in Haryana on ‘go slow’: 147 workers at the Exide plant at Bawal, Haryana have been agitating and adopted a ‘go-slow’ strategy against the 3 year contract signed by the union since end of March. The Haryana government has declared this to be ‘illegal’. Workers are demanding higher wages and a change in productivity norms at the factory. Exide has a monthly production figure of 3.5 lakh units at its Bawal plant, of which 70 per cent is supplied to Hero Honda and 30 per cent to Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India.

Bosch workers secure pay rise: Workers and their unions at two Bosch plants – Naganathapura and Audugudi – secured wage increases in renewed four year agreements after they staged go-slow protests, which saw a 40 per cent drop in production at the plants. The workers at both plants launched a go-slow strike from February 12, 2010 demanding an increase of Rs 15,000 in their monthly salaries and medical facilities to their dependents among other benefits. The workers at the Naganathapura plant secured an agreement on 25 March which included a raise of Rs 8000 per month to the 715 workers at the plant. The four year agreement also allows for the salary package to come into retrospective effect from 1 January 2009. On 24 March, workers at the Audugudi plant also reached agreement for a raise of Rs 8000 per month to the 3,500 workers employed at the plant for the same time period.

India Raises Poverty-Rate Estimate: The Planning Commission raised its estimate of the nation’s official poverty rate to 37.2% of the population from 27.5%. It pegs the number of Indians in poverty at around 410 million—more than 100 million above the previous estimate.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS UPDATES

Municipal workers down tools across South Africa: 12 April: Members of the SA Municipal Workers’ Union (SAMWU), with a membership of 130,000, embarked on a nationwide strike on 12 April. The union said that among the issues giving rise to the strike was SA Local Government Association’s (SALGA) refusal to introduce a system that would grade all jobs in the municipal sector. The absence of such a system allowed individual municipalities to arbitrarily grade jobs and assign their own salaries. SALGA also wanted to peg wages at 2008 levels while municipal managers and councillors continued to pay themselves hugely inflated salaries and bonuses and granted themselves other perks.

Bangladeshi police attack striking garment workers: About 50 workers from the Nasa Basic garment factory at Nishintapur Ashulia, Dhaka were injured when police and the Rapid Response Battalion used water cannon and batons to support security guards and management in a clash with striking workers on April 15.

Several hundred workers had downed tools over charter of demands that included wage and transport allowance increases, an end to employee harassment, and the removal of some factory officials. Workers clashed with management after a worker was beaten up by a supervisor. Police intervened when the clash spilled out of the factory and security guards stationed in the manufacturing zone became involved.

In a similar dispute in Savar on 12 April police and the Rapid Action Battalion baton-charged striking Navana Textiles employees and fired live ammunition in an attempt to disperse them. On the same day several hundred Pearl Fashion employees in Palashbari protested over the assault of a fired fellow worker. Management dismissed this worker and when he came to collect his dues he was severely beaten by security guards. Protesting workers held the security guards captive until police arrived.

Global trade union network established at Caterpillar: Over 70 trade union delegates representing workers at Caterpillar facilities from Germany, Belgium, Italy, France, Japan, USA and the UK met on 28-29 April in Grenoble, France. The delegates agreed to reinforce their international cooperation and establish a Caterpillar trade union network. The objective is to deepen the exchange of information on the situation in the various countries, work together to promote workers’ rights at Caterpillar, its suppliers and sub-contractors throughout the world, and develop joint initiatives and action. They also agreed to establish links and build solidarity with Caterpillar workers in other countries that were not represented in the meeting.

Caterpillar has manufacturing units in India at Hosur, Mathagondapalli, Thiruvallur in Tamil Nadu and in Pondicherry.

PRESS STATEMENTS

OPPOSE THE NUCLEAR LIABILITY BILL: 5 April 2010, Bangalore:

NTUI is totally opposed to the Nuclear Liability Bill that proposes to bring a cap in nuclear liability in case of an accident/ disaster, and to further limit the liability of the power generation enterprise towards the disaster. It also notes with concern the underlying framework for the bill that envisages and supports the privatisation of nuclear power generation and is opposed to such a policy.

In principle we are opposed to any concept of limiting liability of the operator and exonerating the design, technology equipment suppliers for any of its actions. With no proven and tested technology for nuclear waste decontamination and nuclear radiation and contamination being the worst polluter, the “polluter-pays” principle has to be strictly adhered to. Capital can not be allowed to transfer all or part of costs arising as a consequences of its business to the state. We are opposed to any attempts of capital to shift the burden of the costs of its actions on the people through a budgetary liability. Corporate responsibility for all programmes of capital has to be fully recognised and enforced in the Bill.

We also recognise the grave and high risks involved in nuclear power generation, and oppose any attempts to reduce the responsibility of capital or the state towards disaster mitigation and rehabilitation. The precautionary principle should be the primary framework for the Bill and a measure of full liability for all onsite and offside consequence of accidents will foreground this principle. The provisions in the Bill include both the proposal to cap the rehabilitation amount, and to bring in a limitation in the period for responsibility towards rehabilitation. We believe that such a Bill should take into account the very long term, and inter-generational impacts of nuclear disasters and provide for full compensation and rehabilitation rights to affected people without the necessity burden of proof.

We are extremely concerned that the suppliers of technology and equipment are protected from any liability. The experience of the Bhopal Gas disaster clearly shows how less safe technology is exported to countries with lower safety and compensation norms, in order to cut costs and increase profits. Dual design and safety standard to increase profitability is an inherent tendency within an imperialist global order that devalues nations, regions and sections of people. A clear and strict design, technology equipment liability can contribute to containing such factors. We fear that in the absence of stringent liability clauses the country will be the recipient of projects that are lacking in safety standards.

We are aware that government attempts will be to cover nuclear establishments under various “safety” clauses, and prevent any form of information or democratic action, including actions by workers in the nuclear establishments to protect their own rights. This will become more opaque with private participation In the context, this further places the burden on compensation rights and laws governing rehabilitation to ensure that nuclear establishments are forced to abide by best practices for ensuring safe operations, not only for workers in the establishment, but for the people in the potential affected area.

We therefore also strongly demand that any nuclear power generation programme in the country should have as a pre-condition, the formation of a Nuclear Safety Commission that is independently constituted to cover all nuclear power establishments with powers to enforce information disclosures, frame safety rules, risk assessment methodologies and protocols, periodic risk assessment report and safety audit and put it all in public domain. It should have powers to give safety directives including shut down of plants. The commission should include, beside credible independent experts, elected representatives of workers, scientists and professionals working in the industry and all other stakeholders of affected communities.

We are finally opposed to “development” where costs are transferred to local people, without their knowledge, and their full participation in the process of deciding development parameters. We see the nuclear cap bill in the context as another step towards further restricting participation of people in decisions of the industry, its establishment and operations. We therefore totally oppose the bill.

NTUI recognises the grave and high risks involved in nuclear power generation, and is therefore totally opposed to the Nuclear Liability Bill which seeks to limit the liability of the nuclear industry towards nuclear disasters.

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