A report on the Asia-Pacific regional
meeting of the
World Federation of Trade Unions.
The WFTU’s Asia-Pacific regional
meet was held at Chennai on 19th and 20th May, 2017. On behalf of the Confederation
of Central Government employees and workers, its President, Com. K.K.N.Kutty was
deployed to attend the meet.
WFTU, the World Federation of Trade
Unions is the world body of all Trade Union organisations of the world i.e.
only of the class oriented trade unions. The Trade Union organisations of 112
countries which together has roughtly a membership of 9.2 Million are
affiliated to WFTU. Besides, these Trade Unions, which normally represent the entire
corss section of the workers of each participating Nation, WFTU also is structured into various
TUIs (Trade Union Internationals) for different section of the workers, which
meet and discuss the industry-wise problems. The Public employees, i. e. the
workers who are employed directly by the sovereign Governments of these
countries have constituted themselves into the TUI-PAE (Trade Union
International- Public and allied employees) to which Confederation is directly
affiliated.
Apart from organisational set up
like Presidential Council, which comes into being following the
world conference that takes place once in five years, the WFTU has also regional
bodies. India is a member Nation of the Asia-Pacific regional
council of WFTU. The Regional meet normally and obviously
take up region-specific agenda for discussion. Cnennai meet was organised together
by all Central Trade Unions of India affiliated to WFTU. All India Bank Employees Assocaition
(aibea) was the host unit. The venue was Abu
Sarovar Portico hotel at Chennai. India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka,
Pakistan, Cambodia, Philippines, Indonesia, Iran, Kazakistan,
Vietnam, Laos were the Nations to take part in the meeting. The meeting was slated for two days
i.e. on 19th and 20th May, 2017. Pakistan could not send in their
representative for the Government of India, refused visa as the application was
said to have been received belated. Cambodia and Kazakistan could not make
it to attend the meet.
The meet began with the welcome
address by Com. C.,H. Venkatachalam, General Secretary, TUI- Finance as
also of the All India Bank Employees Association. Stating that Ist May day was
observed for the first time in India in Chennai in 1923, he pointed out the glorious tradition of
labour movements in Chennai. In his brief welcome address, he
drew the picture of the increasing pauperisation of the undeveloped,
under-developed and developing countries at the hands of the rich
Nations. He said that many of the giant Trans National Corporations
are bigger than many of these nations in terms of the GDP and thus they control
the governance of many of these Nations. He then narrated the hard resistance
being organised by the workers of different Nations for which the WFTU and its affiliated Federations and Trade Union provide guidance and
support. Specially applauding the efforts put in by the
General Secretary of WFTU Com. George Mavarikos , who is scheduled to address
the regional meet on 20th, he formally welcomed the delegates and
observers and assured them of comfortable stay in Chennai on behalf of the
Reception Committee.
Com. H. Mahadevan, in charge of Asia-Pacific
Regional office presented an elaborate report touching upon inter
alia, social security/social protection problems of workers in Asian Countries,
the overall economic situation of the region and the problems faced by the
workers in these countries, the trade union co-ordination,
common concerns and building cadre based and ideological oriented unions. He also gave a detailed report of the
working of the regional office and the e-publication of its journal. He also
said that he and the regional office had made strenuous efforts to ensure
the participation of Unions of all Nations in the region, but could not succeed
due to many impediments created by the Governments. He thanked specially those comrades
who have come from countries other than India, and stated that he would look
forward for a lively session.
Com. Deb Roye, the National Secretary of Centre of
India Trade Unions and the Deputy General Secretary of the WFTU in his presentation to the meeting emphasised the need
for the TUIs to grow into an effective instrument of mobilisation of workers
under the banner of WFTU. The Finance capital driven neo
liberal economic policies, which have now become the universal principle of
economic governance of all countries, except a few socialist Nations, he said,
has been conceived and designed to exploit the working class and transfer their
savings into the hands of the rich people. WFTU and its affiliates, he added
are evolving ways and means to combat this menace and ensure that the workers’
rights are protected.
In the discussions, that followed
thereafter, contributions and presentations were made by almost all the
delegates and observers, prominently by the National President of Central of Indian Trade
Unions , Com. Hemalatha and the National Secretary of All India Trade Union
Congress, Com. Amarjit Kaur. Com. Hemalatha in her brief
presentation touched upon the sustained and continuous struggles organised by
the Indian Working Class to oppose the economic policies of the Government of
India, which was fashioned on the lines dictated by the IMF and World
Bank. She also talked of the emerging right wing forces in the
country who could come to power exploiting the anger and anguish of the common
multitude of the Indian Population who were pauperised during the UPA regime
. She said that the greatest challenge for the Indian working Class was the
disruption of the social secular fabric of the country by the divisive policies
of the present Government. Com. Amarjet Kaur specially dealt
with the growing gender inequality in the world with particular reference to the
conditions prevailing in the Asia-Pacific region. While the world working class would
be celebrating the centenary year of the Great October revolution, this year,
it would do good that the seminars and conferences organised to commemorate
that great event, focuses on the plight of the proletariat in the present day
world, she added.
Com. KKN Kutty, who made the
presentation at the meet on behalf of the Confederation of Central Govt.
employees detailed the issues and problems faced by the Public employees in
India. He made particular reference to the increased outsourcing of
governmental functions, contractorisation etc, whereby almost one third of the workforce in
both Federal and provincial Governments in India have become contract workers. He particularly referred to the
withdrawal of the fine social security system of pension that was available for
the civil servants in India since the beginning of the 19th Century at the instance of the world
bank. By introducing the defined contributory system of pension,
the Indian Government had been successful in mobilising huge funds to be placed
at the disposal of the Indian and foreign corporate entities through the stock
market. He said that the Government (from the employees of the Central
and State Governments together) collects on an average of Rs. 192,000 crores
per year as Pension contribution and the same is channelled through mutual
funds to the stock market. Stating that every section of the working
class is discontent due to the incessant attack on
their livelihood and their rights by the successive Governments that came to
power at the Centre and the States in the last 2-3 decades, he added that the ruling class had been able
to garner their support through
projection of divisive politics. He added that a
concerted effort was needed to face and defeat this great danger to the unity of the working class.
Regional meet of the WFTU is the perfect platform to discuss the danger of the
emerging right forces all over the world which acts as a catalyst for the brutal exploitation of the
workers, he added.
The deliberations at the meeting was
regulated by a Presidium selected from the Presidential Council members.
Com.George Mavarikos, General
Secretary, WFTU, who addressed the meet the next day i.e. 20thMay,
2017 passionately emphasised the need for a very strong, militant and class
oriented world union of workers to combat the machinations of the ever greedy
Transnational Corporations. He added that only an ideological
based and class oriented union would be able to protect the interest of the
workers and fight against the National Governments, who help the corporate to
loot and exploit. He added that unfortunately, the entire working community of
the world is not united. The workers are misled by
mal`-propaganda. He said that most of the Multi National Corporations indulges in plundering the natural
resources with the active assistance and help provided by the National
Governments, whom they control with money power. He said that the globalisation and
the present neo liberal policies pursued by most of the countries at
the instance and direction of the world financial institutions like World Bank
and International Monetary Fund and the World Trade Organisations are the instrumentalities
to perpetuate poverty permanently on the working people. As has been seen in most of the
developed countries, the right wing forces have been
successful in brazenly manipulating the public resentment emanated from
the ever decreasing standard of life in their favour and usurp state
power. The agenda of the TNC to own and control the media was in
realisation of its extreme potential to manipulate public opinion. He said that WFTU is in the pursuit
of transforming the present situation into a powerful proletariat controlled
State power to ensure that the wealth and resources of the world do not become
the province of a few. He wanted the delegates who attend
the meet to realise that over the years, when these policies were in currency,
wherever they were, the inequalities have grown and the
wealth and National assets have gone into the hands of a few
private citizens. This phenomenon is true, he added, in all cases, be it a developed or developing nation. He specifically referred to the
Durban declaration adopted by the WFTU in its 17th international Congress and exhorted
the affiliated Associations the need to propagate those amongst the rank and
file of the workers to bring about the desired transformation of the
society.
At the end of the deliberations, the
Regional meet adopted a declaration called the Chennai conclusion. The operative portion of the
declaration, which deals with the programme of actions is reproduced below:
1. Observation of International working
class day (May Day) WFTU day (3rd October,) International Women’s day
(8th March) on a grand scale involving the mass of workers in
each country in the region.
2. Solidarity programme in support of
Garment textile and allied workers of the Asian region, spread over in many
countries of the region.
3. Campaign and mobilisation against
the increasing trend of atypical of employment such as casual, contract, outsourcing
etc. including other precarious forms of working and the supply chains of
MNCs/TNCs using these systems.
4. Formation of Asian women workers
forum and sustained campaigns on their specific demands; forum for
domestic workers in the region and fight for their cause.
5. Platform for young workers on their
related issues and demands through campaigns workshops, programmes etc.
6. Observation of the Centenary of
October revolution under the banner of WFTU. ( as also the bicentenary of Karl Marx)
7. Campaign against embargo on Cuba and
closing down of US Prison in Guantanamo Bay and handing over the land to Cuba.
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