West Bengal CITU to Launch Series of Protests Against Centre, State

The West Bengal Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) will launch a series of protests in the coming months against corruption and inflation and demand employment for the jobless.

During its two-day convention at Shramik Bhawan in Kolkata, CITU said that its members would surround the offices of district magistrates in a district-wide protest on June 21 and 22. A symbolic two-day demonstration would be held at Esplanade to mark the Quit India Movement’s launch on August 8 and 9.

Besides, meetings will be held in colonies and on street corners throughout the state from the last week of July to August demanding an end to the “anti-people policies” of the Centre and the state.

“We observed that the social security net in the state has decreased to the lowest. A formidable movement is needed to apprise labour department officials in different districts,” CITU national working committee member and state vice-president Debanjan Chakraborty told Newsclick.

“Chittaranjan Locomotive Works (CLW) is not getting new orders. A Russian company has awarded the contract for producing Vande Bharat trains. More than 3,500 contract workers of Durgapur Steel Plant have lost their jobs,” he said adding that “but a formidable movement has not been forged”.
CITU also observed that tea gardens are increasingly hiring contract workers. Minimum wages haven’t been increased despite CITU’s best efforts with the “state government playing a spoilsport”.

Stressing the need for workshops to make unions more systematic, Chakraborty said, “Union expenses and annual returns should be filed online. CITU should organise workshops at the state and district levels.”

“Most state PSUs are in dire straits due to the Centre’s policies. We sent a memorandum to the Prime Minister and the President but to no avail. Without a massive mass movement, we can’t prevent the sale of 42 state PSUs,” he added.

There are lakhs of contractual coal miners whose salary increase is a far cry because of the Centre’s attitude. The convention noted that 42 collieries under the Eastern Coalfields Limited have already been closed down.

“The CITU-led fight prevented the strategic disinvestment of Alloy Steels Plant’s, giving hope to the working class,” he said stressing the importance of a mass movement to protect workers’ interests.

The convention called for a grassroots state-wide movement comprising farmers and the working class to counter the Union government from “transferring PSU assets to corporate groups”.

CITU members also noted that “an attempt is being made to weaken the working class’s unity by dividing them communally”. The convention felt the need to start trade union schools in every district to “ward off the RSS’s communalism”.

In his concluding speech to the delegates, West Bengal CITU secretary Anadi Sahu said that sector-wise movements should be launched for livelihood and to counter communal forces in the state. “CITU will play a decisive role in cementing the unity of the working class before the Panchayet elections.”

The delegates shared their experiences with protests in their respective districts. For example, North Bengal tea garden workers plan to intensify their protest demanding an increase in minimum wages.

“The state government is dilly-dallying about giving minimum wages to tea garden workers. Wages have not been increased for years,” Jiaul Alam, convener of the Joint Forum of Tea Garden Workers, told Newsclick.

During the convention, CITU general secretary Tapan Sen stressed “the need for deep ties in the working class. The aim should be to make workers aware of the anti-people policies of the state and Centre. Unless the working class realises the loss caused by such policies, a movement cannot be launched”.

Sen also strongly advocated a strong movement to demand a better social security net for the working class. He also launched two books written by veteran CITU leader Dipak Dasgupta on the working class movement in Howrah districts and by Debanjan Chakraborty Bikolpo Pather Khoje (In Search of an Alternate Path).