Expanding its organisational activities in the information technology (IT) sector, special economic zones (SEZs), and in the Hindi heartland is among the priorities identified at the four-day general council meeting of the CITU that concluded here on Monday.
As many as 22 immediate tasks have been identified and endorsed at the meeting held to update the organisational document approved by the previous general council in Bhubaneswar in 1993.
“More attention must be paid to organise workers in strategic and key sectors and modern hi-tech industries and in the SEZs. Road transport, electricity, and mines and energy sectors should be given priority.
Efforts should be made to consistently and continuously develop national and industry-level coordination wherever possible,” the document says. CITU national secretary and head of international affairs Swadesh Dev Roye told The Hindu that the technology sector had been one of the weak areas of trade union movement. “However, we have taken the initiative to bring the young generation into our organisational activities. This is a major task before us,” he said.
Lacklustre presence
Pointing to the lacklustre presence of the trade union in Hindi-speaking States, the document says the State committees of the CITU should identify priority sectors and industrial clusters and prepare a plan to strengthen the trade union in these sectors with focus on these States. About 60% of the 60.4 lakh members of the CITU in 2015 was from West Bengal, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu. However the membership in 14 north Indian States, including non- Hindi speaking States of Gujarat, Jammu and Kashmir, Maharashtra and Punjab, was only 13.45% of the total membership. The document says “certain segments in the unorganised sector like road transport, construction, MGNREGS, mandi workers, manufacturing, including home-based manufacturing, shop employees, private hospital, and private educational institutions should be prioritised.” For unorganised sector unions, it says a conscious drive needed to be taken up for renewal of membership every year.
For the organised sector, the document says a special initiative needed to be taken to organise contract workers in the trade unions. “Widen our membership base by organising wider sections of the working class and taking up their day to day issues,” it said.
