WB: Employees’ Associations Calls for Renewed Struggles to ‘Save LIC’

The thirteenth state conference of Life Insurance Corporation Agents Organisation of India (LICAOI), West Bengal, was held on September 21-22 at Taki in North 24 Parganas district with a resolve to transform the united movement of all agents, employees, and policyholders into a mass movement to “save LIC”. All India president of the organisation, Basudeb Acharya was present at the conference.

The voices of various delegates of the conference, like Shubra Pal of Sodpur, Sultana Khatun of Airmari village in Murshidabad district, and Kanika Majumdar of Behala, echoed that the organisation must be strengthened at any cost. 

Basudeb Acharya said in the public rally at the ground of the Taki Biblabri Sangh at the beginning of the conference that, “The Central government's policy of killing people has started to weaken the LIC. We have to take up the challenge of saving LIC. Forty-two crore people in the country are policyholders. We have to save our country. The danger is not only for LIC; we are all in danger.”

Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) state secretary Anadi Sahu said that the BJP is ruling the country in the same manner as British-ruled India. “The politics of division is pushing the country to destruction and privatising state-owned enterprises. The unemployment rate is growing. Workers' safety is decreasing. No social security. Working hours are increasing. The new labour code law must be stopped. If not, the lives of the workers will be in dire danger.”

On the second day of the conference on Thursday, delegates were divided into three groups to discuss the report and discuss the commission's paper and exchange views. Sushant Samaddar addressed the topic of 'Life Insurance Corporation, Changed Situation, Responsibilities and Duties of Agents'.

Ishita Mukherjee discussed the 'Cancel LIC Privatisation Plot', while Anvika Ganguly discussed the topic of 'The historical role of women since the dawn of civilisation.’

From the conference, ten resolution was raised, including against LIC disinvestment, saving nationalised industries and saving the country's economy, cancelling the four labour codes, ensuring social security of LIC agents, full status for women in all fields to build a better society, for better business and better organising, against communalism and separatism, against corruption, fraud and looting, against price hike, protection of the environment for better livelihood, etc.

Two hundred seventy-five delegates from 8 divisions attended the conference. In the discussion, delegates said that there was no alternative but to fight fiercely by taking responsibility from past experience and standing on the ground of reality. The conference resolved to regularly publish the organisation's mouthpiece 'Jiwan Barta', and hold education camps.

CITU North 24 Parganas district secretary Gargi Chatterjee, former MP Nepaldeb Bhattacharya, and the zonal secretary of the organisation, Manoranjan Sarkar, gave congratulatory speeches.