HAND BILL ON 28th FEBRUARY ONE DAY STRIKE

 MAKE THE ONE DAY NATIONWIDE STRIKE ON 28^th FEBRUARY 2012 A GRAND SUCCESS

Dear Comrades,

Confederation of Central Government employees and Workers, Federation of State Government Employees, Banking and Insurance Associations and eleven Central Trade Unions has jointly given a call to the entirety of the working class to observe one day nationwide strike on 28-02-2012. This unity among all the Trade Unions and Associations itself is unique and rare. This also reflects the most miserable conditions being faced by   the Indian Working Class, which forced the unity and the present united action.

Struggles and strikes will not happen just like that. The prevailing conditions in the society force the working class to choose the path of struggles. The Rulers have forgotten the responsibility of settling the issues amicably. They are just blindly going on implementing the neo liberal economic policies without caring for the welfare of the employees and workers. The rights of the working class have been clipped; welfare measures are crippled jeopardizing the living standards of the Indian working class. But the industrialists are being given crores of rupees in the name of rehabilitation packages.

The soaring prices are playing havoc with the lives of the common people and employees. The sordid part of the price raise is that the it is fuelled by the greed of the corporate and business world facilitated by the neo liberal economic policies like future trading in commodities. Since 01-07-2006 the Central Government employees are compensated for the rise in prices in the form of DA by 57%, whereas the price line has shot up by 174%. This means the Central Government employees are put to heavy loss due to price raise.

Wages of the Central Public Sector employees are revised for every five years. Employees of some State Governments too getting wage revision for five years.  Central Government employees are discriminated in this regard. Justice Pandyan has recommended 50%  DA merger as an interim measure as the 10 years is a too long period for wage revision of Central Government employees. The 5^th CPC has felt that ideally wages should be revised for every 5 years. Hence, the Confederation is demanding the wage revision w.e.f 01-01-2011.

Introduction of new pension bill in the Lok Sabha is the result of implementation of new economic policies at the behest of World Bank and IMF. This bill paves way for privatization of pension and places the huge pension fund in the hands of market, mortgaging the interests of lakhs of pensioners. The attack on the right of the employees and workers to get a defined amount of pension as a social security will have serious social consequences. The draft bill says that the new pension scheme is applicable to the employees who joined Central Government Service on or after 01-01-2004. But after the Bill becomes an Act , through  an executive fiat other employees too can be brought under its ambit. If the new pension scheme is so beneficial to the employees, why it should be forced upon? Let the option be given to the employee as recommended by the Bhattacharjee Committee. Hence, we are demanding to scrap the new pension scheme and retain the existing definite pension scheme to all employees.

We are demanding to fill up lakhs of vacancies in the Government Departments. We are demanding to undo the discrimination in the compassionate appointments. We are demanding to put a halt to the unethical practice of casualisation and contractorisation of permanent jobs. We are demanding to halt the trampling of workers’ rights and attacks on the trade unions. The detailed charter in two parts is given hereunder. Part-I reflects the collective anxiety of the entire working class of the nation. Part-II belongs exclusively to the Central Government employees. Let the working class of India assert its voice of resentment on 28-02-2012.

World has witnessed so many struggles in the year 2011. The nefarious economic policies prescribed by the World Bank and IMF made the lives of crores of common people and wage earners around the Globe wretched. The frustration fructified into various forms of protest in different nations. Greece has witnessed seven massive nationwide strikes. Great Britain has gone through the biggest ever strike after 1926 on November 30^th 2011. Armed forces of Portuguese have protested against the cut in their wages and perks. Entire nation took part in the agitation protesting the cuts imposed by the Government.

Wall Street movement shook the financial nerve centre of USA and American conscientious. The slogan ‘We are 90%’ reverberated the streets of America. The protest movement started on 17^th September 2011 soon engulfed 88 nations and 1500 cities all over the world emphatically announcing that we can’t be the silent spectators if 99% are looted to gratify the one percent. We can’t be made to pay for the misdeeds of the corporate world. This inspired the entire working class all over the world.

As the elite employees of this nation we can’t be the by-standers of these developments. We have to analyze the reasons for our woes in the back drop of world experience.  Our protests in the past stalled the economic policies bulldozing our lives. It is our pious duty to join the protesting voice of this nation on 28-02-2012 to announce strongly to the policy makers that the working class and employees will no longer take the things lying down. JOIN AND MAKE THE STRIKE A GRAND SUCCESS.

CHARTER OF DEMANDS

PART-A.

1) Concrete measures to contain price rise.2) Concrete measures for linkage of employment protection with the concession/incentive package offered to the entrepreneurs,3) Strict enforcement of all basic labour laws without any exception or exemption and stringent punitive measures for violation of labour laws.4) Universal social security cover for the unorganized sector workers without any restriction5) Creation of a National Social Security Fund with adequate resources in line with the recommendation, of NCEUS and Parliamentary Standing Committees on Labour, Stoppage of disinvestment in Central and State PSUs, the Central Trade Unions also demand immediate action by the Govt. of India to en sure:-6) No Contractorisatlon of work of permanent/perennial nature and payment of wages and benefits to the contract workers at the same rate as available to the regular workers of the Industry/establishment 7) Amendment of Minimum Wages Act to ensure universal coverage irrespective of the schedules and fixation of statutory minimum wage at not less than Rs 10,000/-, 8) Remove the ceilings on payment and eligibility of Bonus, Provident Fund; Increase the quantum of gratuity.9) Scrap PFRDA Bill/New Pension Scheme; Ensure pension for all. 10) Compulsory registration of trade unions within a period of 45 days and immediate ratification of ILO conventions 87 and 98.

PART-B

1. Stop downsizing, outsourcing, contractorisation, coporatorisation and privatization of Governmental functions. 2. Fill up all vacant posts and create posts on functional requirements. 3. Revise wages of CGEs with effect from 1.1.2011 and every five years thereafter. 4. Regularize the GDS, daily rated workers, contingent and casual workers by bringing about a definite scheme of regularization. 5. Remove restriction imposed on compassionate appointment (end the discrimination on compassionate appointment between the Railway workers and other CGEs). 6. Stop the move to introduce the productivity linked wage system; Performance related pay; introduce PLB in all Departments; remove the ceiling of emoluments for bonus computation. 7. Settle all items of anomalies (including the MACP related anomalies) raised in the National and Departmental Anomaly Committee within a fixed time frame of two months; Set up the anomaly committees in those Departments where it has not been set up till date with the Standing Committee Members of the National Council; Convene the meeting of the Departmental Council in all Ministries / Departments once in three months as envisaged in the JCM Scheme. 8. Make the right to strike a legal right and stop curtailment of TU Rights. 9. Implement all Arbitration Awards. 10. Raise the interest rate for GPF; Revise the OTA and Night Duty Allowance and Stitching and Clothing Rates of Uniforms. 11. Merge DA with Pay for all purposes including Pension as and when the DA rates cross the 50% mark. 12. Vacate all Trade Union Victimization.

                                                                       With Struggle Greetings