The Hindu : FACT employees union poll today

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Apr 25, 2003

Southern States

Southern States - Kerala

FACT employees union poll today

By Our Staff Reporter

KOCHI APRIL 16. The election to the FACT (Cochin Division) Employees Union, affiliated to the CITU, is to be held tomorrow.

The election has attracted media attention as the CITU leader, K. Chandran Pillai, MP, and former CPI (M) State committee member and dissident leader, V. B. Cherian, have locked horns for the presidentship of the union.

The panel led by Mr. Cherian had a walkover as the pro-CPI (M) panel withdrew from the contest leaving Mr. Pillai to take on Mr. Cherian.

The following are the office-bearers of the union who were elected unopposed — vice presidents, V. Tom Jose and M. A. Suresh Kumar, general secretary, P. S. Asharaf, joint secretaries, M. M. Mathew, M. N. Surendran and K. Rajan and treasurer, Manoharan.

Mr. Cherian, who was expelled from the party following his alleged involvement in the activities of the Save CPM Forum, had won a few elections in the past against the pro-CPI (M) and CITU panels.

Those who tasted defeat at the hands of Mr. Cherian include the CPI(M) leader, K. Suresh Kurup, MP.

Mr. Cherian defeated Mr. Kurup twice at the Cochin Shipyard Employees Union election and also trounced the DYFI leader, N. N. Krishna Das, M.P., at the Indian Rare Earths Employees Union election.

Mr. Pillai is the third MP that Mr. Cherian is taking on in a union election after being expelled from the party.

The FACT (Cochin Division) Employees Union is one of the largest trade unions affiliated to the CITU among the Central Public Sector Units of the State.

The office-bearers of the union, in a press conference held on Wednesday, had alleged that the CPI (M) was unleashing terror and was using goonda elements for sabotaging the free conduct of the election.

The union leaders, Mr. Asharaf, Mr. Rajan, and Mr. Suresh Kumar had also alleged that the party was deploying outsiders to wrest the control of the union using muscle power.

The CPI (M) district committee member and CITU district joint secretary, K. N. Gopinath, denied the allegation that the party was plotting to sabotage the election.

The CITU would ensure that there would be a peaceful atmosphere for the conduct of the election, he said.

According to him, there is nothing like a CITU or CPI(M) panel for the election. The Communists in the union had decided to elect Mr. Pillai, a CPI (M) leader and CITU national council member, as the president of the Union, he said.

Referring to the CITU leaders' statement that Mr. Cherian was expelled from the organisation, Mr. Cherian said no individual could be expelled from the CITU, as individuals were not given membership.

``I was excluded from the CITU leadership along with a few others at the Hyderabad conference of the organisation and it cannot be termed as an ouster'', Mr. Cherian said.

The CITU membership was open to only unions which subscribed to the political policies of the CITU centre and the membership was given only for a period of one year. The unions needed to renew it each year, he said.

He criticised the "interference" of CITU leaders in the election as it was "violating the rights of the members of the trade union to elect their union." There had been instances in the past when non-CITU leaders like S.C S. Menon were elected to the leadership of trade unions affiliated to the CITU, he pointed out.

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