(Pages- 28) Vol. 49 No. 9 May 2019 Price: Rupees Ten MONTHLY JOURNAL OF THE CITU Formation Rally, Kolkata - 1970 1970 - 2020 Mazdoor Kisan Sangarsh Rally - 2018 From The Archive Foundation Conference of CITU The All India Trade Union Conference was held from 28th to 30th May, as per the decision of a Convention of General Council members and State Committee members of AITUC, held at Goa on 9th and 10th April 1970. It was held at Lenin Nagar (Ranji Stadium) in Kolkata. A reception committee with Com. Jyoti Basu as Chairman and Com. Manoranjan Roy as General Secretary organized the conference. Reception Committee had enrolled 50,000 workers as members of the committee. The review made later noted that the enthusiasm among workers for this conference was such that, when a call was made for collection of Rs.2 lakhs, 3 lakhs was collected within a short period of 3 weeks! The Conference was attended by 4264 delegates representing 1759 unions with a membership of 8,04,637 from 18 states. Fraternal unions sent 116 delegates and 1134 observers attended the conference, making a total of 5514 participants. The Conference was guided by a presidium consisting of Mohammed Ismail, Suhrid Mullick Chaudhury, Haridas Malakar, E. Balanandan, Bimalanada Mukherji, A Balasubramaniam and S.Y. Kolhatkar. P. Ramamurti presented the report, which was earlier circulated in English, Hindi, Bengali, Urdu, Tamil and Malayalam. There were brief translation of all speeches in all languages for the delegates. The resolution on formation of a new All India Trade Union Centre, to be named Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) was moved in the Conference on 30th May, by Com.Manoranjan Roy (West Bengal) and seconded by E. Balanandan (Kerala); which was passed unanimously among thunderous applause and shouting of slogans. The Conference elected B.T. Ranadive as President, P. Ramamurti as General Secretary and Kamal Sarkar as Treasurer. Mohammed Ismail, S.Y. Kolhatkar, E. Balanandan, Suhrid Mallick Chaudhari and Sudhin Kumar were elected Vice-Presidents and M.K. Pandhe, Manoranjan Roy and Niren Ghosh as Secretaries. The Conference elected 158 General Council members and 33 working committee members were elected by the General Council. The Working Committee included Coms. Jyoti Basu and Samar Mukherji. On 31st May, a massive rally of 10 lakhs of workers was held in the Brigade Parade Ground. 50th Year of CITU : 100th Year of First Trade Union Centre 100 Years of Struggles and Sacrifices : 50 Years of Fight for Class Unity 30th May, 2019 marks the commencement of the 50th year of the foundation of CITU; 31st October, 2019 marks the commencement of 100th year of the formation of the first all India trade union centre. CITU decided to observe Golden Jubilee Celebration of CITU and Centenary Celebration of the first all India trade union centre through year-long programmes and activities With the slogan – “Carrying Forward - 100 Years of Struggles and Sacrifices; 50 Years of Fight for Class Unity”. The celebration will start with a meeting in Mavalankar Hall in New Delhi at 2 PM on 30 May. 2 THE WORKING CLASS May 2019 MAY DAY GREETINGS - 2019 Editorial Rededicating Ourselves CITU has given a call for yearlong celebrations of the WORKING CLASS Centenary of first Trade Union Centre (TUC) in India and Golden Jubilee of CITU beginning in 2019. MAY 2019 EDITORIAL BOARD Working class in India took birth with the extraction of India’s natural resources, establishment of Editor transportation by rail and sea and of communication, K. Hemalata packaging industries like jute and small engineering by Working Editor the British capital for their own class interest and almost J.S. Majumdar coinciding with the tribal revolt and people’s uprising in the First War of Independence. Members Tapan Sen It has grown with national freedom movement and A. K. Padmanabhan aligning with it. Strikes, struggles and sacrifices on class Amitava Guha issues and national liberation movement are the glorious history of working class movement in British India. Since Inside Page independence it carried on class battles on class and people’s issues against profit hungry exploiters and May Day Manifesto, 2019 5 people’s oppressors. 50 years of fight for unity of the working class 9 It also carried ideological battles within trade - KHemalata union movement on class perspective and against reformism. It carried struggles for class unity, as supreme task, against the rulers’ policies of division and attempt 100 Years of Struggle and Sacrifices 12 to isolate the leading core carrying trade union of the working class of India movement on class line. They have repeatedly failed. - J.S.Majumdar Yet, we must equip ourselves taking lessons from A Fraud on the Working People 16 history and remaining vigilant against any attempt of - Tapan Sen class collaboration and reformist diversion from any corner. Class struggles and class unity cannot be International 19 structurally institutionalised. These remain dormant and require struggles to bring these in the consciousness Industries & Sector 20 and for action. It has to be part of our day to day practice. Consumer Price Index 26 On this May Day 2019, we re-dedicate ourselves to this great cause. May 2019 THE WORKING CLASS 3 Condolences Comrade Ramanika Gupta CITU is deeply grieved on the passing away of the veteran trade union leader Comrade Ramanika Gupta on 26 March, 2019 after prolong illness at the age of 88. During her entire lifetime, she stood and resolutely fought for the economic and social justice of the workers and socially oppressed sections, particularly the Adivasis and Dalits. In her death, the workers and down-trodden sections of the people lost a tall leader and strong voice for their rights and upliftment. Her biggest contribution was the liberation of coal workers, particularly the loading and unloading workers, from the stranglehold of coal mafias in the Hazaribagh coalfield facing personal attacks by the hired criminals; and forming Coalfield Labour Union and spreading the same in Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh and later merging the same with CITU unions. Comrade Ramanika Gupta was an office bearer of CITU state committee, its national working committee member and of All India Coal Workers Federation. She was a member of CPI(M)’s Jharkhand state committee; two times MLC and later was elected as an MLA from the Mandu Assembly constituency in Hazaribagh district of undivided Bihar. Comrade Ramanika Gupta was a prolific writer in Hindi, exponent of Dalit Literatures, writer of several books and received several prestigious literary awards. She was also active in Janwadi Lekhak Sangh. Comrade Ramanika Gupta worked for the rights and welfare of the tribals; formed separate trust and worked vigorously in it. CITU pays respectful homage to the departed leader Comrade Ramanika Gupta and conveys heartfelt condolence to her comrade and the members of her family. Comrade Bamapada Mukherjee CITU is deeply grieved on the demise of comrade Bamapada Mukherjee, the legendary leader and an architect of the working class and Left movement in Asansol-Durgapur industrial belt since early fifties; on 13 April 2019 at the age of 98. His passing away is a great loss to the united working class struggle. Starting his life as a steel worker himself, Comrade Bamapada Mukherjee pioneered in building militant organisations and the movement of the emerging modern working class in coal, steel, aluminum and other industries in the this industrial belt braving brutal atrocities of the employers – state administrations with sacrifices and martyrdom of several comrades. He contributed immensely in building all India federations of coal and steel workers. He had been the driving spirit of the successful united struggle against privatization of IISCO despite several hurdles. CITU pays respectful homage to the departed leader and conveys heartfelt condolences to his comrades and family members. 4 THE WORKING CLASS May 2019 Centre of Indian Trade Unions MAY DAY MANIFESTO, 2019 On this May Day, the Day of International Solidarity of the Working Class, CITU – - Extends warm fraternal greetings to all working people across the world; and - Stands in solidarity with their struggles to defend their hard-won rights from the dogged onslaught of neoliberalism, particularly in the aftermath of the systemic global crisis of capitalism, which continues even after more than a decade. On this May Day, CITU – - Condemns in strongest terms the imperialist led interventions, sabotage activities, attacks and wars in Venezuela, Syria, Palestine, Iraq, Yemen, Afghanistan and other countries; Extends its solidarity to the people and all progressive forces in these countries fighting US imperialist machinations; Deplores Israeli attempts, with open connivance of US imperialism to annex Palestine territories; Demands recognition of independent sovereign state of Palestine with 1967 borders and East Jerusalem as its capital; - Reiterates firmly that fight against imperialism is an integral part of the class struggle to defeat the exploitative capitalist system and usher in exploitation free socialist system, to which CITU is firmly committed; - Stands with the people in socialist countries defending socialism and their right to independently and freely choose the social system of their choice without any external interference or aggression; - In Particular Reaffirms its solidarity with the struggle of socialist Cuba against US imperialist machinations and demands withdrawal