Let us Build A Militant and Radical Movement of Workers!
[The concluding speech delivered by comrade Shankar V, re-elected President of AICCTU in its 11th All India Conference held at Delhi on 24 – 26 Feb. 2025]
The year 2025 is set to witness an all comprehensive attack on the working class by the Modi government. Implementation of Labour Codes, indiscriminate privatisation of public and government sectors and to employ three new criminal acts to suppress the dissent are the strategy of Modi. 2025 is also set to witness a united movement of workers and farmers against the Labour Codes. The Platform of Central Trade Unions (CTUs), which includes AICCTU, is also gearing up for an all India strike. If the government will try to implement Labour Codes from 1st April, as claimed, the working class, joining hands with the farmers, is preparing to halt the wheels of the country.
Reclaim the Rights of Workers has emerged as the central slogan of the conference. When the Modi government is snatching away all rights, the working class is determined to reclaim the rights secured through endless number of struggles and sacrifices.
The draft document has outlined some major issues and the changing complexion of the working class movement in the context of mounting onslaught on workers by the Modi government. The model of Gig and platform economy workers is being promoted as future model of work and future labour relations in the country. Labour relations in Gig and platform economy is nothing but a relationship of slavery.
We are of the impression that gig and platform work is only about delivery workers and uber, ola drivers which is not true. The gig model is bound to spread to all sectors of the economy and labour including construction, house-keeping, sanitation, gardening, etc., blurring borderlines of formal and informal, organised and the unorganised. Modi claims that the future worker will voluntarily reject any permanent employment because he can make some quick money by engaging in gig economy. Against this Modi’s dream, workers are fighting for regularisation and stability of employment. In this context, the demand for stability of employment has emerged as a major question in the changing circumstances.
Gig workers are not named as workers but are called as partners, executives, short term contractors (not workers), etc., to assert that they have no employer and cannot claim workers’ rights. They are the workers without employer, without time, without space, without location and also without minimum wages and without any service conditions. The workers with uncertain future is the dream model of Modi to serve his corporate masters.
The dignity of employment against slavery, social dignity against caste discrimination of dalits and other downtrodden, gender dignity against sexual harassment and unequal remuneration and treatment against women workers, etc., are also emerging as major issues of the working class movement today, in addition to housing question. The days of workers movement confining only to job, wage and social security and working conditions are gone. In the changed circumstances, the working class movement need to address all forms of issues of dignity arising out of labour relations of slavery and gender and caste discriminations, including their right to live and housing.
With the implementation of neo liberal reforms, the workers are facing an uncertain future. The number of permanent workforce is drastically reduced. The number of contract, casual, temporary workers have become the majority not only in informal sector but also in the formal sector. In several industries such irregular and non-permanent workforce is either dominating or on the upswing. In such a situation, the demand for regularisation of services for a stability in life has become all the more important for workers. The implementation of Labour Codes are bound to legally eliminate the possibilities of regularisation.
With the implementation of neo liberal reforms, the workers are facing an uncertain future. The number of permanent workforce is drastically reduced. The number of contract, casual, temporary workers have become the majority not only in informal sector but also in the formal sector. In several industries such irregular and non-permanent workforce is either dominating or on the upswing. In such a situation, the demand for regularisation of services for a stability in life has become all the more important for workers. The implementation of Labour Codes are bound to legally eliminate the possibilities of regularisation.
Wage continues to be the foremost issue for the working class in the country. We need to organise struggles at industry level and state level on the issue to raise the level of wages, which is nothing but a pittance otherwise. The committee formed to determine the National Minimum wages (Floor Wages) recommended around Rs 10,000 as monthly minimum wage region wise. The committee was dissolved because the present level of floor wages is only around 5000 and Modi was worried about the “decreasing” profits of his corporate friends. Another committee formed in its place, is yet to submit its report.
The fall in real wages is a serious issue and the declared minimum wages do not even compensate the fall in real wages. The actual wages tend to decrease much below the level of real wages every year. The government now a days is talking about a new term, “working poverty”. The poverty is not eradicated even if someone found an employment. The income inequality in the so-called Independent India is much higher than the inequality witnessed in the period of British colonial period.
Communal hate and politics of violence is another major problem confronted by the working class movement. Modi government and RSS are trying all possible means to communalise and to torn away the secular fabric of the society. Communal psyche is being internalised. The task of uniting workers against communal divisions and politics of hate is bestowed on the shoulders of the working class movement.
We are organising the most downtrodden and unorganised workers like sanitation workers. Our municipal and sanitation workers federation has expanded to several new states including Tamil Nadu. Our sustained and consistent struggles of workers of Pune, Maharashtra, Bihar, UP, Jharkhand, Odisha, etc., are well known. In most places, regularisation is one of the major issues. Workers are regularised in many places through court cases, etc. But, our experience in Karnataka is most significant because the victory was secured through consistent political struggles of workers and trade unions including joint actions now and then. Now, the services of all sweepers across the state are being regularised by the Karnataka state government. AICCTU has played a leading role in the struggle.
Despite the work being perennial in nature, the services of scheme workers are not regularised and not accorded the status of government employees. They are not paid even minimum wages, leave alone the respectable living wages. No social security benefits. There is a need to strategise and organise struggles to secure their demands. Scheme workers are a section in turbulence among the working class. We need to intensify their struggle to achieve their rights and benefits.
Reorienting the construction labour movement as a class struggle centric one is a beginning of changing the face of the movement in the construction sector. “Union first, Board Next” has been our slogan. We also comprehensively addressed the question of reorientation to build a radical construction workers movement in the country in a booklet released sometime back. Reorientation and restructuring is our top priority in the construction workers movement.
In the recently held elections for union recognition, IREF has emerged as a third major federation in the railways. This performance is all the more noteworthy because this is first time that IREF contested the elections and also because BRMS affiliated to BMS did not get recognition even in a single zone. These victories and over-all performance are definitely a major step towards our efforts to develop IREF as an alternative, struggling, left federation in the railways.
We have also made strides among tea workers, health workers, port workers, public sector workers, etc.
We are growing in states, like Rajasthan, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Chhattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh, etc. We were successfully able to bring Tamil Nadu work back on track after a brief spell of disturbances and is now again back to the number one category of states in the AICCTU map. Telangana has joined the category of emerging states with an experienced team of activists and leaders. Odisha has also grown in strength. A renewal process of our work has begun in Assam. Bihar, Maharashtra, Jharkhand and West Bengal and are on a steady pace of growth.
We organized an all-India workshop of young activists of AICCTU on Aug 31 – 1 Sep 2019 on “The Challenges of the Working Class Movement Today” that provided a new perspective and insights on recent changes in laws, changing composition of workforce and on the concepts of politicization of the working class.
If we have to fight the increasing onslaughts of the Modi government, we need to strengthen our organisation. We need to form district committees in remaining districts. The district committees should act as a vibrant and dynamic organisation in mobilising workers at a large scale in struggles. Women and youth should be made part of the decision making bodies at all levels and their composition should, at least, be 20 percent each. Senior and experienced comrades shall help the youngsters and women comrades to gain expertise and required practical training. Only in this process, the struggle against the communal, corporate, Manuvad, fascist Modi government can be sharpened.
Many new forms of struggle, including digital strike are emerging. ‘App’s are being developed by unions as workers complaint filing and redressal mechanism in western countries. Artificial Intelligence and Robots are expected to replace the existing workforce by 30 percent in the coming decade. Still, there is no alternative for a militant radical movement of workers. The changing scenario may snatch away legal rights but is providing the ground fertile for building a militant and radical movement of workers. The workers and the AICCTU are determined to counter onslaughts of Modi government by building a militant and radical movement of the working class and to overthrow the Modi led BJP government.
This is the 75th year of adoption of the constitution and the 75th year of the country as a republic. But, the constitution which is the basis of Indian democracy and secularism is being destroyed and intended to be replaced by Manu Smriti. It is a full scale declaration of war against the Indian people’s values of secularism, socialism and democracy. It is against the foundations of a modern India.
In such a backdrop, the working class should resolve to defend the constitution and democracy and to uphold the sacrifices of the working class for the establishment of a secular, socialist, democratic and a sovereign constitution and the republic.
Inquilab Zindabad!