Let’s march in unison with the inspiration of May Day

From time immemorial relentless battles are being waged against the slavery and misery of the humanity.  The rebellious flag of Spartacus against the Roman Empire, the heroic fight of Africans for generations together in search of Freedom from slavery, the flutters of red flag to save the human values which are under deadly attack on the anvil of industrial revolution.... all are noble struggles to stop the human exploitation.  19th Century stood mute witness to the bloody human history writ with oppression and suppression to maximize the profit at the cost of human lives.  Later part of the19th Century ushered in a new creed of slavery to machines.  The madness for profits peaked and the workers were reduced to the state of machines and the worker in the factory was a mere tool to earn profit for his master.  There were no definite working hours.  There were no respect for labour.   There was no value for labourer.  It is not exaggeration to say that the smoke ridden factories sucked out the life of a labourer at the young age of mere 20 years.  This was the state of condition of workers world over.

          Many dreamt a great society free from exploitation; many wished for a society of eternal source of full realization of human potential in a pleasant and healthy environment; respect for labour, equal opportunities are the hall marks of a new ideal society.  Many dedicated their lives to realize their dream society.  Many more risked their lives to realize and reach that goal.  Every defining moment, every upheaval in the history was the result of the struggles waged by progressive  minds.  These are the struggles that steered and decided the course of history of mankind.

          At its national convention in Chicago, held in 1884, the Federation of Organized Trades and Labour Unions (which later became the American Federation of Labour), proclaimed that “eight hours shall constitute a legal day’s labour from and after May 1, 1886.”  Working class heroes of Hey Market embraced the hanging noose with smile on their lips.  The fight for eight-hour working day spread like a wild fire throughout the Continents.  European and Russian workers jumped into strikes and walked out of their factories.  In India for the first time Howrah Railway workers went on strike for working hours in the year 1882.  Later on Indian workers struck the work for more than 25 times on the demand of working hours between 1882 - 1890.  Eight-hour work; Eight-hour recreation; Eight-hour sleep had become the slogan of the workers worldwide.

          The struggle for eight-hour work has become a stepping-stone for future architect of a new society.  The thought itself is horrifying that, had those struggles not happened and but for their sacrifices what would have been our condition in the present day society!  How degrading it would be to have no control on our own lives?  The struggle for eight-hour work challenged that de-humanizing state annihilating all the atrocities, laid a solid foundation for building a better future society.  Thus, the struggle which appears simple and of no consequence for this generation, stood as a single cause for sweeping changes in the present day society.

          This May Day is the occasion for remembering reverently all the sacrifices and prepare to shoulder the responsibilities.  Still the exploitation is continuing.  Only deference is that the exploiter and exploitation has wrapped in sophistication!  The form of exploitation changed but the reason and essence remains the same.  This situation encompasses all the countries in the world.  The three decades of implementation of so called omnipotent new economic policies destroyed the economic fabric of our country.  The country became dependent on foreign powers.  Our agriculture sector doomed.  Monopoly of our farmers on their own seeds ceased.  Health and education is not within the reach of common man.  Wealth of the nation has been handed over to the private corporates for plundering.  Corporate Sector dented the jealously guarded right of 8-hour work. Now we will find casual and outsourced labour working for 12 hours a day. Technology has not ceased the drudgery of the worker.  Instead workload increased due to the ban on filling up of vacancies.  Unemployment and under-employment increased alarmingly. Central government officers & employees are facing onslaught on their dignity by not honouring the assurance given on the minimum pay, fitment factor and allowances.  Attempts are afoot to weaken and render the unions, Associations and working class irrelevant.

          As the conscious workers, employees and citizens of this country, this May Day has manifolded our responsibilities.  The silenced voice of the Chicago Martyrs should explode in reverberation in the raised fists, throats and thoughts of millions of workers.  Let’s march in unison with the inspiration of May Day!  Let’s protect our own rights and be part of that great effort to build a society of equality, justice and usher in peace and prosperity to the toiling millions of our countrymen.

2017 May Day- Challenges Before the Officers & Working Class

"The Day will come when our Silence will be more powerful than the voices you are throttling today”

These are the words engraved on the Haymarket Monument in Chicago. The origin of May Day is related to workers struggle for shorter working hours. In the 19^th century, in the United States of America, this struggle for shorter hours gained momentum after August 1866 when the National Labour Union at its founding conference voted for action to secure legal enactment of the 8 hour day. Later, the American Federation of Labour was formed which in its convention in 1885 took a decision for strike on May 1, 1886. Preparations started for the strike. The 8-hour movement culminating in the strike on May First 1886 became in itself a glorious chapter in the fighting history of the American working class.

On May 4, a demonstration was held at Hay Market in Chicago to protest against the brutal attack of the police on a meeting of striking workers at the McCormic Reaper Workers on May 3^rd, where six workers were killed and many wounded. The meeting was peaceful and about to be adjourned when the police again launched an attack on the assembled workers. Somebody threw a bomb, killing a police man. A battle ensued with the result that seven police men and four workers were dead.

After a farce of legal proceedings, workers leaders – Albert Parsons, August Spies, George Engel, Adolph Fischer and Louis Lingg were sentenced to death, while three others, Samuel Field on, Oscar Neebe and George Schwab were awarded 15 years in jail. Parsons, Spies, Engels and Fischer were hung to death. Lois Lingg committed suicide the night before. Fieldon, Neebe and Schwab were pardoned six years later by Governor Altgeld who publicly termed the judgment as a travesty of justice.

On November 11, 1887, the prisoners were brought to the hangman’s platform. Albert Parsons, August Spies, George Engel and Adolph Fischer stood before the crowd with hoods covering the faces. And then Spies spoke: “The day will come when our silence will be more powerful than the voices you are throttling today”.

In June 1893, a monument was unveiled in Chicago’s Waldheim Cemetery in the honour of these May Day Martyrs.

            It was at the first congress of the Second International, held at Paris in 1889, that May First was set aside as a day upon which the workers of the world organized in their political parties and trade unions, were to fight for the demand of 8-hour day. Since then, the working class in countries all over the world started celebrating the May Day.

            May Day was first celebrated in India on May 1, 1923 in Chennai. Founder of Labour Kisan Party and one of the founders of the Communist Party of India, Malayapuram Singaravelu Chettiar was the spirit who organized the May Day celebration for the first time in India. The red flag – now a symbol of left movement –was used for the first time during the event, held on the beach opposite Madras High Court.

            This Indian working class is now facing a very adverse situation. Their hard won rights are under attack. Whatever legal protections and rights the Indian working class got after almost ten decades of struggles and sacrifices in the form of various labour laws are being diluted in the name of labor law reforms.

            Contract work and outsourcing of work has become the order of the day. Violating all norms of law and even violating the principle of “equal pay for equal work” has become a norm. Regular nature of work is carried out through contract /casual workers who are paid much less than  regular workers despite doing the same work. Labour laws are being violated with impunity. The right to organize a union is under attack. The right to collective bargaining is under attack. Some workers, especially all those in the information technology sector are not allowed to form a union. Concerned government officials just refuse to register unions. Union workers are victimized. Workers are prompted by the employers not to join the union. Social securities are being diluted. So much so that the right to assured pension has been curtailed for government servants and others, and a new pension scheme, which does not assure pension and is share market linked, has been imposed. Public sector units are being sold at a song. Contract /casual workers as also many regular workers are forced to work for more than 10, even 12hours a day without any compensation. The workers in the information technology sector are the worst victim of this, most of whom are engineers and they are forced to work more than 10 and even 12 hours a day.

            Against this, the working class is mobilizing and uniting itself to face this challenge. It has organized several protest actions and nationwide strikes to defend its rights. The last such big action was the all India strike on September 2, 2016, which was unprecedented in terms of participation of workers, its spread and mobilization. But despite all such united and country wide protest actions and strikes the government is going ahead with its anti-working class stance and continues taking more and more decisions against the interests of the working class.

            The May Day calls for carrying out more struggles to counter the offensive of the government. The central trade unions realize the serious challenge before the Indian working class. They are organizing a massive convention workers in Delhi sometime in the last week of June or first week of July to chalk out an action programme.

Long live May Day! Workers of the world unite!!

ALLOWANCES COMMITTEE SUBMITTED ITS REPORT TO UNION FINANCE MINISTER

The Committee on Allowances headed by Shri Ashok Lavasa, Finance Secretary and Secretary (Expenditure) submitted its Report to the Union Finance Minister Shri Arun Jaitley yesterday; The Report will be now placed before the Empowered Committee of Secretaries (E-CoS) to firm-up the proposal for approval of the Cabinet. 

The Committee on Allowances, constituted by the Ministry of Finance, Government of India to examine the 7th CPC recommendations on Allowances, submitted its Report to the Union Finance Minister Shri Arun Jaitley yesterday. The Committee was headed by Shri Ashok Lavasa, Finance Secretary and Secretary (Expenditure),M/o Finance, Government of India and had Secretaries of Home Affairs, Defence, Health & Family Welfare, Personnel & Training, Post and Chairman, Railway Board as its Members and Joint Secretary (Implementation Cell) as its Member Secretary.

The Committee was set-up in pursuance of the Union Cabinet decision on 29.06.2016 when approving the 7th CPC recommendations on pay, pensions and related issues were approved. The decision to set-up the Committee was taken in view of significant changes recommended by the 7th CPC in the allowances structure and a large number of representations received in this regard from various Staff Associations as well as the apprehensions conveyed by various Ministries / Departments. The 7th CPC had recommended that of a total of 196 Allowances, 52 be abolished altogether and 36 be abolished as separate identities by subsuming them in another allowance.

The Committee took note of all the representations received from various stakeholders on the 7th CPC recommendations on Allowances. Representations and demands for modifications were received in respect of 79 allowances which have been examined in detail by the Committee. In doing so, the Committee interacted with all the members of the Standing Committee of National Council (Staff Side), Joint Consultative Machinery (JCM) as well the representatives of various Staff Associations of Railways, Postal employees, Doctors, Nurses, and Department of Atomic Energy. It also interacted with the representatives of the Defence Forces, DGs of Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) namely CRPF, CISF, BSF, ITBP, SSB, and Assam Rifles as also senior officers from IB and SPG to understand the viewpoint of their personnel.  As mentioned in the Report, the Committee held a total of 15 meetings and was assisted by a Group of Officers headed by Additional Secretary (D/o Expenditure) in examining the representations. 

Based on such extensive stakeholder consultations and detailed examination, the Committee has suggested certain modifications in the 7th CPC recommendations so as to address the concerns of the stakeholders in the context of the rationale behind the recommendations of the 7th CPC as well as other administrative exigencies. Modifications have been suggested in some allowances which are applicable universally to all employees as well as certain other allowances which apply to specific employee categories such as Railway men, Postal employees, Scientists, Defence Forces personnel, Doctors and Nurses etc.

The Report, now being examined in the Department of Expenditure, Ministry of Finance, will be placed before the Empowered Committee of Secretaries (E-CoS) set-up to screen the 7th CPC recommendations and to firm-up the proposal for approval of the Cabinet. It may be recalled that while recommendations of the 7th CPC on pay and pension were implemented with the approval of Cabinet, allowances continue to be paid at old rates. After consideration by the E-CoS, the proposal for implementation of 7th CPC recommendations on Allowances after incorporating the modifications suggested by the Committee on Allowances in its Report shall be placed before the Cabinet for approval.