National Convention of Workers: Calls for year-long Actions Against Modi Government

National Convention of Workers:

Calls for year-long programme of Actions Against

Disastrous and Divisive policies of the Modi Government

 

The National Convention of workers was held on 30th January 2023, the martyrdom day of Mahatma Gandhi, at New Delhi. The well-attended and spirited convention resolved to launch an year-long programme of actions to fight out the anti-worker, anti-people, anti-national policies of the Modi Government.

The convention was presided by ten member presidium in which comrade KK Bora, one of the national secretaries, represented AICCTU. The worker representatives from almost all sectors of economy and all categories of workers in the country– informal / unorganised, organised, industrial workers and the self-employed – joined the convention. The leaders of almost all sectoral national federations were also present. The participation of workers under the banner of AICCTU from Zydus company (Sitarganj, Uttarakhand) and health contract workers of government hospitals of Delhi, who were all on a path of continuous struggle for a long time, was very impressive. 

The leaders who addressed the convention included Rajiv Dimri, the General Secretary of AICCTU; Amarjeet Kaur, General Secretary of AITUC; Tapan Sen, General Secretary of CITU; Harbhajan Singh, General Secretary of HMS; Ashok Singh, Vice President of INTUC; Rajinder Singh, Working Committee member of AIUTUC; K. Indu Prakash Menon, President of TUCC; Sonia George, National Secretary of SEWA; Shanmugam, General Secretary of LPF and Ashok Ghosh, General Secretary of UTUC. 

The speakers called for a determined struggle to fight back labour codes, the policies of privatisation of PSUs, the sale of national resources and assets to the Indian and foreign corporates, and attacks on Indian sovereignty and independence. They exposed the Indian government for serving crony capitalists and demanded a probe into the allegations and exposures of Adani companies made by the Hindenburg research report. Quoting the latest Oxfam report, they explained about the growing disparity and inequaliity which has made the life miserable for common masses.   

The speakers particularly highlighted failures of the Modi government on all fronts to deliver on the promises, its machinations of fomenting communal hatred, communal polarization and violence under various pretexts. The speakers also exposed the government’s ploy to divert people from real issues and to weaken the unity and united agitations of common people. The speakers raised the urgency of fighting out the government’s moves to destroy the secular democratic ethos of our society and to stifle the voice of opposition to the government policies. 

The convention resolved that the rank and file under their unions would fight together to safeguard national unity and harmonious living of the people. The convention also called upon the working class to resist such policies in the interest of the country and to oust Modi and his disastrous and divisive policies of the government in coming elections this.  

The convention adopted the Declaration unanimously and resolved to resort to a nationwide strike action in the end of the year.

The convention, while reiterating the 14 point charter of demands of workers, which projects an alternative to the entire gamut of the neoliberal policy regime, resolved to work in this direction and proposed to organize the following programmes:

  • Month of March 2023 to May 2023 should be devoted to organize state/district/and sectoral conventions.
  • Jatha programmes: Padyatras/jeep jathas/cycle jathas/motorbike jathas, etc. from June onwards.
  • The mass campaign of various forms of jathas would culminate in a state-level Mahapadav (several days sit-ins) from 09th August the ‘Quit India day’.
  • The sectoral struggles to be supported and developed including strike actions.
  • To carry forward the worker-farmers unity strengthened in the course of farmers’ agitation at Delhi borders, joint programmes with farmers would be organised in this year.