Lack of solidarity among the trade unions and the inability to fight the sustained push towards privatisation was rued by veteran trade union activist H.R. Seshadri here on Sunday.
He was speaking at the 103rd Foundation Day of All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC) and said that the situation had worsened since the last 8 years ever since the BJP government under Narendra Modi came to power at the Centre.
What is regrettable is that the lack of unity and solidary among the trade unions and its pitfalls were oblivious to the workers themselves who had failed to grasp the undercurrent of change, he added.
Noting the growing trends towards privatisation of public sector undertakings such as banking and insurance, Mr. Seshadri. said the future was grim. The sustained struggle of the trade unions like the AITUC had resulted in the nationalisation of these sectors in the 1950s and 60s but today the trade unions have weakened and privatisation had become the norm, Mr. Seshadri added.
The public sector was contributing nearly ₹3.7 lakh crore by way of revenue to the State exchequer and yet it was being put up for sale, said Mr. Seshadri who flayed the government’s ‘’anti-farmers, anti-poor and anti-workers’’ policies.
He said the industrialists have been rewarded by slashing of the corporate tax while funding for social welfare projects have been reduced and the trade unions were unable to fight such policies as the government had broken their solidarity.
Delving into the history of AITUC and the political situation of the country when it was established in 1920, Mr. Seshadri said the founders had prepared a framework in 1927 for the role of the working class in an independent India and wanted a socialist form of government. The sustained struggle enabled the introduction of various laws to protect the collective interest of the workers, said Mr. Seshadri
He also refuted the narration being promoted by the BJP that nothing was done for the development of the country during the first few decades after independence.
‘’It is a fallacy to say that nothing was done in India during the first few decades after Independence by the Congress government under Jawaharlal Nehru as the BJP want its constituency of followers to believe. India was a net importer of food and thanks to the green revolution which was made possible by the network of dams created immediately after independence that India could become self sufficient in food,’’ said Mr. Seshadri. Similarly, the foundation for industrial India was laid by establishing giant public sector units, he added.
The BJP government was flayed for flawed implementation of policies and Mr. Seshadri said introduction of GST, demonetisation etc. were examples of it and had pushed people to the brink. Senior district level office bearers and members of the trade union were present.
