RESOLUTION adopted at the National Convention of Central Government employees on 4th April, 2014 at Nagpur.
1. The National Secretariat of the Confederation places on record its appreciation over the massive and magnificent participation of the largest number of our members in the 48 hour strike on 12th and 13th Feb. 2014. It was a great manifestation of the confidence the members had reposed in the organization and their determination to win the demands through struggles. The reports, the Confederation CHQ received both from the affiliates and the State Committee indicate the massive participation of the employees in the strike action throughout the county. In some of the affiliates, the participation had been cent percent. This must embolden the Confederation to pursue the issue with determination and organize further action programmes to ensure that the demands are got settled.
2. The Secretariat has noted that the Government had pretended to ignore the massive action of the employees. There had been no response from them so far. In the wake of the strike action, it announced the composition of the 7th CPC disregarding the united demand raised by the Staff side of the JCM National Council for the inclusion of a labour representative. The Government also chose not to convene the meeting the staff side to discuss the draft terms of reference submitted. It did not make any announcement on the question of merger of DA, Interim Relief, and inclusion of GDA within the ambit of the Commission and rejected the demand for making the recommendation of the Commission effective from 1.1.2014.
3. On every issue, which is included in the 15 point Charter of demands, the Govt. continued with its nugatory attitude. In the last session of the Parliament, they ensured that the PFRDA bill becomes an Act despite the strongest objection and resistance of the employees by eliciting and receiving the support and patronage of the dominant opposition party, the BJP. Even on an issue like compassionate appointments, no positive response emerged. The period witnessed increased outsourcing of governmental functions. Almost a third of the workforce is presently casual and contract workers with abysmally poor wages taking advantage of the acute unemployment situation in the country. There had been no settlement of any issue raised by the Staff Side in the National Council JCM. The JCM scheme has been made ineffective as not a single meeting of the Council was held in the last three years and even the decision taken at the National Anomaly Committee was thwarted through political intervention.
4. The plight of the three lakh Gramin Dak Sevaks of the Postal Department is highly deplorable. They constitute almost half of the Postal work force. But for them, the functioning of the Postal system will come to a grinding halt. Their service conditions are presently worse off than even a causal/daily rated worker. Despite the Supreme Court’s decisions that they are holders of Civil Post and consequently are entitled to the benefits and privileges of a civil servant, there had been no improvement in their service conditions worth mentioning. In spite of repeated presentation of their case both inside and outside the Parliament by people from all walks of life irrespective of party affiliation, the Government had been silent to the pleading for bringing them within the ambit of the Pay Commissions. Confederation is duty bound and determined to change the situation and to bring them within the purview of the 7th CPC.
5. During its five year tenure the UPA II was in power, it intensified the neo-liberal reforms; phased out all welfare measures; accentuated the unemployment situation; divested the PSUs; allowed unbridled entry of Foreign capital to subjugate the Indian people; ruined the indigenous industry; destroyed the livelihood of the farmers and agricultural labourers; allowed the prices of all essential food items to soar; privatised education and health care services; ensured that each of its decision was to favour the rich; granted huge tax concessions to the corporate; indulged in large scale corruption; squandered away the national wealth; siphoned off the poor man’s earning into the hands of a few rich in the country; sided with the entrepreneurs in all labour disputes; took each and every political decision to sub-serve the interest of the imperialist powers especially the USA. The pursuance of the neo liberal policies at the behest of the advanced capitalist countries drove the majority of Indian population to be below the poverty levels. In the comity of nations, India became the poorest and the last ranking in all fields. Indian youth were driven to be beggars at the doors of transnational corporations and developed countries.
6. Those who were responsible in driving our country men to unprecedented deprivation have to now seek mandate, for their tenure is to end shortly. No different is the approach of the major opposition party, BJP. There is nothing to choose from these two political dispensations. They were hand in glove together to demolish the sovereignty of the country; pauperisation of the people and supported every legislation to intensify the neo liberal exploitation of the common man. They supported to the hilt the corporate houses. But for the support extended by the BJP, the PFRDA bill would never have been made into a law. The Act now provides for the extension of the new contributory pension scheme to those who were recruited prior to 1.1.2004 and the existing pensioners. Despite the refusal of the Government to accept their suggestion to guarantee minimum pension, the BJP unashamedly supported the Bill, for they were the proponents of the neo liberal economic policies. They supported this Government to increase the FDI and FII in all sectors of economy and announced that they would intensify the reform process if elected to power. The conglomeration of Corporates in the country has now appointed the leader of that party to be the next CEO to run the country. They have no use for the discredited UPA howsoever subservient it could be. They know in a democratic system demagogy can play a vital role. They are certain that BJP and its allies if elected to power will be much more pliant and compliant.
7. The Corporate controlled media has created an illusion to the effect that there exists a consensus across the political spectrum in the country that the neo liberal policies will spur economic growth and the only point to be clinched in the forthcoming election is as to which political combination, whether the UPA led by Rahul Gandhi or the NDA of Narendra Modi is more efficient in pursuing the IMF dictated economic policies vigorously. Economic growth is not akin to development. In the initial years of the introduction of the LPG, no doubt, the economy grew phenomenally, but the large majority of Indian people suffered. It permanently halted the bringing up of an egalitarian society. It only enlarged the scope for maximisation of profit of the corporate giants; opened up larger and bigger avenues for corruption at the top of administration, whereby the ruling party and its leaders could amass wealth. The scams unearthed by the Comptroller and Auditor General of India during the last five years of UPA II Rule speak volumes of the cancerous growth of corruption in our country. The 2G spectrum involving Rs. 1.76 lakh crores, the Coalgate of the dimension of Rs. 1.86 lakh crores, the corruption involved in the commonwealth games, the Rs. 40,000 cr deal in the Delhi Airport Privatisation scheme, The KG Basin related Gas price deal with Reliance, topping with Rs 48 lakh crores are a few that surfaced during this period.
8. As part of the economic policy, concerted and continuous efforts were made to the job killing process in all sectors, through contractorisation, casualisation, outsourcing, privatisation etc. Contract workers now constitute 80% of the total work force in the private sector. After the implementation of the 6th CPC recommendations about 35% of the workforce in the Governmental sector is either contract or casual workers. They are paid quarter of or even less the wages of the regular workers.
9. This election is not only to decide who should govern this country but more so to determine for whom the governance is. UPA having been totally discredited in the eyes of the common man has no chance whatsoever. NDA must not have a chance once again for it is bound to pursue the neo liberal policies more vigorously than even the UPA. That is the one and only reason why the Indian corporate houses and the corporate controlled media solidly back the BJP and the BJP led NDA. The Political combination outside the NDA and UPA has a predominant presence in the 15th Lok Sabha. They are capable of being the largest segment in the 16th Lok Sabha too.
10. It is in this background that the workers must assess the political situation. In the forthcoming electoral battle, every worker must discharge his salutary responsibility. Since the present state of affairs is the product of the neo- liberal policies and since both the UPA and the NDA are the proponents of those policies, one must have clear vision and exercise the franchise effectively to ensure that a pro-worker, pro-people combination of parties is in governance. In the forthcoming election to the 16th Lok Sabha, the Central Government employees must become a vehicle for change in the interest of the common people; rise above the divisive ideologies and misleading propaganda; identify their friends especially in the Left parties; and ensure the success of those who stood with them and fought for the cause of the workers and common people.
11. The Secretariat came to the inescapable conclusion that the settlement of the demands in the charter will only be possible through intensification of the struggles. It recognised the need for larger unity. It will strive for bringing about such a united platform for joint action. The inevitability of an indefinite strike action has to be emphasised. The Confederation and its affiliates must prepare its members for such an eventual and unavoidable action, if the proposed 7th CPC is to really revise the wages. It is needed to ensure the withdrawal of the pernicious contributory pension scheme. It only will ensure that there are no casual or contract system of employment in Government service. The Government employees must be bestowed with democratic rights and above all must enjoy the facility for collective bargaining and right to strike. The Gramin Dak Sevak system is a colonial legacy and no civilised country must endure such brutal exploitation. All is possible through united and sustained action. The Confederation has proved beyond any iota of doubt that it has built up an organisation capable of carrying out such an action.
12. To ensure that the Indian people have food security, the farmers are not driven to commit suicide, the workers do have decent job environment and emoluments, the prices of essential commodities do not soar, there is universal public distribution of essential food articles; India has an independent foreign policy, this great Nation is not enslaved by western imperial powers once again, all communities and people of different faiths are allowed to live in peace and harmony; no communal violence erupts; all able bodied people have jobs and livelihood, there must be a Government which exist for the sake of the poor inhabitants of this country. Central Government employees must take an active role in the ensuing General election and strive with their best to bring about such a Government.
13. This convention calls upon every worker of the Confederation to fan out and reach out to the rank and file of its membership, explain the stupendous task ahead; to work in consonance with the understanding depicted in this resolution and ensure that they become instruments for a great political change in our country.
14. The Convention authorises the National Secretariat to review the political situation emerging after the election and take appropriate decision to mobilise the rank and file of the workers for an eventual industrial action to seek settlement of the 15 point charter of demands.
