CITU opposes the freezing of Dearness Allowance for Central Government Employees

CITU opposes the freezing of Dearness Allowance for Central Govt Employees

CENTRE OF INDIAN TRADE UNIONS (CITU)

CITU DENOUNCES CENTRAL GOVT DECISION TO FREEZE AND CONFISCATE INCREASE IN DEARNESS ALLOWANCE FOR CENTRAL GOVT EMPLOYEES AND PENSIONERS

The Centre of Indian Trade Unions denounces the Central Govt’s decision to freeze, rather confiscate the increase in Dearness Allowance payable to Central Govt employees and pensioners falling due from January 2020 and also future dues, falling due on July 2020 and January 2021 on the plea of financial crisis arising out of COVID 19 vide Finance Ministry Order no 1/1/2020-E-II(B) dated 23rd April 2020.

No doubt, the country has been passing through a financial crisis but why should the workers and employees be made the sacrificial item for the same who themselves suffer most owing to Covid-19 followed by lockdown. Quite a number of employees are deployed and consequently are involved in various governmental activities and services meant to combat the spread of the pandemic Covid-19 especially of those departments declared as emergency services viz, health, postal, defence, railways etc. While taking such decision Govt did not bother to consult the unions and federations of the central govt employees, displaying rabid authoritarianism.

CITU strongly urges that response to financial crisis by the central govt must start with measures to garner resources where it is there aplenty at the disposal of handful of ultra rich class. As Per OXFAM Report, combined wealth amassed by only 63 billionaires in India is more that the total Union Budget in 2018-19 which was at Rs 24, 42, 200 crore. Top 10% of population cornered 77% of national wealth. Wealth of India’s richest 1 per cent is 4 times more than the bottom 70%. Govt must tap this huge accumulation of wealth with barely 5% of ultra-rich, amassed mostly through undue and illegitimate patronization of the economic policy regime, through appropriate direct taxation/wealth tax measures instead of brutally pouncing on the working peoples’ earnings and livelihood. And this right is vested with the Central Govt only

CITU strongly condemns this retrograde decision of the Central Govt to confiscate outright the legitimate dues of the employees and pensioners on account of increase in DA till January 2021, although prices of all essentials will continue to increase to further increase the profit of the big-business / corporate.

CITU demands withdrawal of this DA Confiscation order by the central government also demands that the state governments be extended financial help to enable continuity of variable DA payment to their employees. CITU calls upon the Govt employees’ movement in particular and the trade union movement in general to unitedly oppose this retrograde anti-worker measures.

(Tapan Sen)
General Secretary

Via: citucentre.org

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CITU Congratulates the Gramin Dak Sevaks for the magnificent united all India strike

CITU Congratulates the Gramin Dak Sevaks for the magnificent united all India strike

Demands the Government immediately implement the pro employee recommendations of Kamalesh Chandra Committee Report

Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) congratulates the nearly three lakh Gramin Dak Sevaks (GDS) of the Postal Department for the magnificent united all India Strike. All the four GDS Unions (AIPEU-GDS, AIGDSU, NUGDS & BPEDU) are on an indefinite strike from 22 May 2018. All the postal employees’ unions have supported the strike. As per reports the strike is total and 1,29,500 Branch Post Offices remained closed.

More than 60% of the employees of the Postal Department are GDS and more than 80% of the Post Offices are GDS Branch Post Offices. Major revenue of the department comes from GDS. They are not treated as Postal employees and were paid a pittance. The Gramin Dak Sevaks have a great legacy of struggles and whatever facilities they are enjoying at present is the result of their bitter struggles along with the postal employees.

This strike was forced by the NDA government which not only denied to address the long pending demands of the Gramin Dak Sevaks for regularisation as government employees, but refused to implement the recommendations of Kamalesh Chandra Committee Report on the service conditions of the GDS. The Committee which was appointed by the government to look into the service conditions of the Gramin Dak Sevaks had submitted its report as early in November 2016. The Union Minister had promised to implement the pro-employee recommendations of the report. Even after eighteen months the orders are still awaited. The GDS and their unions were forced to go on an indefinite strike after the government had failed to meet even the latest deadline of April 2018, it had promised.

CITU expresses solidarity with the striking employees and demands that the NDA government must immediately settle the issue by agreeing to the just demands of these grass root level workers who deliver valuable service to the common people.

Issued by

Tapan Sen

General Secretary

Source : CITU

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Meeting of Labour & Employment Minister with Central Trade Union Organizations on 12 Point Charter of Demands

Meeting of Labour & Employment Minister with Central Trade Union Organizations on 12 Point Charter of Demands

The Minister of State for Labour and Employment(Independent Charge), Shri Santosh Kumar Gangwar met the representative of all Central Trade Unions in Shram Shakti Bhawan on 7th November 2017 to discuss the issues raised in 12 Point Charter Demand of CTUOs. The meeting was attended by representatives of major Central Trade Unions including BMS, INTUC, AITUC, HMS, CITU, AIUTUC, TUCC, AICCTU, LPF, UTUC and NFITU as well as Secretary, Labour and Employment Mrs. Sathiyavathy and other the senior officers of the Ministry. 12 Point Charter Demand of CTUOs inter alia raises issues of minimum wages, price rise, unemployment, disinvestment, universal social security, compulsory registration of trade unions, increase in minimum pension under EPFO and strict compliance and enforcement of labour laws. The Minister said that the Government has highest regard for the consultative process and he is committed to uphold it. He referred to the calls for nation-wide demonstrations on 9th-10th and 17th November by the CTUOs and BMS respectively and appealed the Trade Unions to rather engage in the constructive discussions on each of the issue raised by them.

Minister said that the Government and the Ministry of Labour and Employment has consistently and continuously taken pro-labour decisions and initiatives. He talked about initiatives like simultaneous increase in Minimum wages, the provision for National Floor Level Minimum wages in the proposed Labour Code on Wages. The Bonus Amendment Act, the decision to enhance Minimum pension to Rs. 1000/- as well as the other initiatives taken by other Ministries.

Trade Union representatives primarily demanded the Government to address the issues of enhancing Minimum Pension to Rs. 3000/- as well as Minimum Wages. They also talked at length about the issues related to enforcement of labour laws, and social security for unorganized workers including growing contractualization.

A presentation was also made by the Ministry to present an updated status on the 12 demands raised by the CTUOs.

Addressing the Media persons the Minister expressed hope that the talks with the Trade Union Representatives was positive and it was done in a cordial atmosphere. He appealed to the Trade Unions to call off the proposed Dharna.

PIB

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Centre okays ordinance for wage payment via e-mode, cheques

Centre okays ordinance for wage payment via e-mode, cheques

New Delhi: Promoting less-cash economy, the government today brought in an ordinance to enable industries covered under the Payment of Wages Act to pay workers through cheques or crediting money into their bank accounts, although employers will have the option to pay in cash.

Labour Minister Bandaru Dattatreya had introduced The Payment of Wages (Amendment) Bill, 2016 in Lok Sabha on December 15 but it could not be passed because of continued disruption of the Winter Session of Parliament due to ruckus over demonetisation.

The decision to adopt ordinance route to amend the Act was taken by the Union Cabinet.

Trying to clear the air, Dattatreya told reporters at a press conference after the Cabinet meeting that employers will have the option of paying wages in cash after notification of industries by Centre and states.

Confusion prevailed earlier in the day whether it would be mandatory for employers of the industries notified by the Centre and states, to pay wages through cheques or by crediting the same into employees bank account.

The bill however clearly states that "appropriate Government may, by notification in the Official Gazette, specify the industrial or other establishment, the employer of which shall pay to every person employed in such industrial or other establishment, the wages only by cheque or by crediting the wages in his bank account”.

The amendment enables the Centre as well as state governments to notify industries where employers shall have pay wages either through cheque or crediting that into workers’ bank account.

Despite repeated queries the minister maintained that employers will have the option to pay wages in cash after the amendment in the Act through ordinance as well as the bill.

Dattatreya said however that the government has adopted the ordinance route because it was long pending demand of the trade unions.

Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) General Secretary Tapen Kumar Sen said: “They are lying. The bill introduced in the Parliament clearly bars payment of wages in cash by industries notified by Centre and States. They just want to please Prime Minister Narendra Modi.”

He also said, “It is not correct to take away workers’ right to demand wages in cash amid currency crunch when the entire banking service in the country is in disorder facing an abnormal situation.

“This is not the right time for bringing this ordinance as workers are already going through tough times due to currency crunch following demonetisation.
In a statement, CITU said: “This right to consent is

important for workers since at least 35 per cent of the habitations in the country are still out of the coverage of bank branches in the vicinity and also a big majority of workers including those in urban areas, particularly those in low-paid unorganised sector, do not have bank accounts. And in case of compulsory bank payment of wages, the migrant workers will be put in serious difficulty.”

As per the Bill, the new procedure will serve the objective of “digital and less-cash economy”.

The Act had come into force on April 23, 1936, providing for payment of wages in coin or currency notes, or in both. The provision for payment of wages by cheque or crediting it into bank account after obtaining the requisite authorisation of employee was inserted in 1975.

At present, the Act covers all those employees in certain categories of establishments whose wage does not exceed Rs 18,000 per month.

The Centre can make rules regarding payment of wages in relation to railways, air transport services, mines, oil fields and its establishments while states take a call on all other cases.

By making state-level amendments to the Act, Andhra Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Kerala and Haryana have already made provisions for payment of wages through cheque and electronic transfer.

At present, with the written authorisation of an employee, wages can be given through cheque or transferred to his or her bank account.

PTI

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CITU Salutes the Working Class of India for the Historic Strike On 2nd September 2015

CITU Salutes the Working Class of India for the Historic Strike On 2nd September 2015

Press Release

2nd September 2015

CITU Salutes the Working Class of India for the Historic Strike On 2nd September 2015

The Centre of Indian Trade Unions congratulates and salutes the working class of India for the unprecedented and historic strike today against the anti worker, anti people and anti national policies of the BJP led NDA government.

Over 15 crores workers employed in almost all the sectors of the country’s economy covering the organised and unorganised sectors, public and private sectors, the central and state government sectors and the scheme workers participated in this strike. Protest demonstrations, rasta roko and rail roko were held across the country in which thousands of workers participated.

Police was used on the workers in several states. The Trinamool government in West Bengal used the brutal force of its police as well as its goons to physically attack the workers on strike. In fact attack by Trinamool goons to foil the strike started at least three days before the strike date and during this period several processions and meetings for strike campaign in different places in the state were attacked, offices were ransacked and many activists were injured. On the day of the strike, police along with Trinamool goons carried on brutal attacks on the strikers and TU activists throughout the state severely injuring many of the activists including senior leaders. Workers and their leaders were arrested in several places in the state. Police resorted to severe lathi charge and arrests in many other states including Assam, Jammu and Kashmir etc. CITU congratulates the workers, particularly in West Bengal for heroically resisting these attacks and participating in the strike in a massive manner.

In many states, including West Bengal, Kerala, Tripura, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Haryana, Telangana, Himachal Pradesh, many districts of Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh etc the strike turned into a virtual bandh with road transport and normal activities coming to a grinding halt. The manufacturing activities in several industrial clusters across the country totally stopped due to the strike.

The unprecedented response to the strike reflects the anger and resentment of the workers against the attacks on their working and living conditions and the attempts to deny their basic justifys by amending the labour laws to benefit the national and multinational corporations. It reflects the anger at ignoring their basic demands that were being raised since the last several years. It also reflects the determination of the working class to fight back the nefarious design of the corporate-serving Govt at the centre to impose slavery on them through draconian changes in all labour laws. Through this strike the working class of India has warned the government that it was not going to take lying down the attacks on its basic justifys. It also warned the government that policies that mortgage the country to corporate interests, both foreign and domestic will not be tolerated.

The CITU extends its gratitude to the massive support and solidarity extended to the strike by various sections of the people including kisans, agricultural workers, adivasis etc.

CITU demands the government to scrap all the anti worker amendments to the labour laws and take immediate concrete action on all the demands raised by the joint trade union movement.

It calls upon the working class to further strengthen the unity at the grass root level and be prepared for more intense struggles if the government chooses to continue with its policies.

Issued by,

(TAPAN SEN)
General Secretary

Source: Confederation

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