Kerala CITU Conference Calls for United Protest Against Hindutva, Privatisation

The Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) has called for a united class struggle to “defend rights and save the country” against the BJP government’s policies and save the public sector from privatisation.

At the three-day 15th Kerala state conference of CITU held in Kozhikode from December 17 to 19, prominent speakers termed the Hindutva agenda of the RSS “anti-worker and not anti-minority alone” and called for “exposing such policies”. Resolutions on saving public sector organisations, including Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) and the Railways, and the demand for withdrawal of the National Monetisation Pipeline (NMP) were passed. 

The conference, which culminated with a massive rally of workers from Tagore Hall to Kozhikode beach and was followed by a public meeting, was attended by 604 delegates representing 14 district units and state-level federations. 

Inaugurating the delegates session, CITU general secretary Tapan Sen called for “exposing the BJP’s political agenda and the Sangh Parivar in implementing Hindutva”. 

“The anti-worker policy pursued by the BJP government does not have any religious bias. It is not merely religious and against minorities. The Hindutva agenda is against the working class and favours corporate entities,” Sen said.

“The BJP government is handing over national assets to corporate entities as if they are its parental property. With increasing unemployment, decreasing wages and violation of labour rights, workers must join in fighting as a class and should not remain divided based on religion and caste,” Sen added. 

A resolution calling upon the people of the state to fight unitedly against the BJP government’s moves to privatise the LIC was passed. 

Pinarayi Vijayan said that social welfare measures are “not awarded by any government one fine morning”. “Such rights were won after sustained struggles and sacrifices across the country. The present government is snatching the fundamental rights of the workers,” he said at the public meeting at the end of the conference. 

Mentioning the increasing unemployment and reduced appointment in Central services and public sector organisations, Vijayan accused the Centre of “betraying the youth”. “Both the Congress and BJP have followed the same policies. There are 10 lakh vacancies across different services. The LDF government has ensured jobs in government and other sectors contrary to the Union government”, he said.

Kerala has ensured the highest wages for workers across the country, as per RBI reports and the LDF government is opposed to the Labour Codes. 

“With alternate policies, the LDF government has the courage to speak against privatisation, NMP and labour law codification. We will have to protect our rights through a unified struggle,” said Anathapavattan Anandan, who was re-elected as president of CITU’s state unit.

The LDF government has taken over Hindustan Newsprint Limited and relaunched it as Kerala Paper Products Limited, preventing its privatisation.

The conference elected Elamareem Kareem as state general secretary and P Nanda Kumar MLA as treasurer along with 42 office-bearers. CITU also ensured 25% of office-bearers, general council members and delegates elected at the conference were women.