Despite the fact that the organised working-class constitutes only 7 per cent of the total work-force of 400 million, it did play an important role in defending the rights of workforces in the country and frustrating many anti-worker and anti-democratic steps of the NDA and the UPA Governments.

What has been the role of the organised working class during the ongoing 15th Lok Sabha elections? This deserves to be probed because all central trade union organisations, irrespective of their affiliations, claim to be committed to defending the rights of the working people. Establishment of a new Government at the Centre after the elections should be of vital interest to the organised labour. After all, the economic crisis and the slowdown have badly affected the workers, generated more unemployment and resulted in high prices of essential goods affecting every working-class family. If they do not speak against it, who will speak up for them?

Five major CTUOs, including the BMS, INTUC, AITUC, HMS and CITU, and as many smaller CTUOs have over 20 million members. How have they conducted themselves during the 15th Lok Sabha elections?

It can be seen that BMS, INTUC and HMS have maintained complete silence on the Lok Sabha elections. BMS does not hide the fact that it is the labour wing of the RSS, which stands for the divisive Hindu Rashtra philosophy. The INTUC, on the other hand, is known to be the labour wing of the Congress. The HMS is now an independent trade union; originally, it used to be the labour wing of the Socialist Party which underwent various transformations over the years.

The point is: are they doing justice to their own members, in particular, and the working class in general by maintaining silence on their problems? General Election is an apt occasion for pro-worker organisations to educate the working people on the socio-economic policies that are adversely impacting their life.

The HMS secretary, Mr. Mittal, for instance, did outline the issues that working-class should keep in mind in these elections. Poverty, unemployment and ever-increasing disparities, he said, constitute one set of issues. Strengthening of the public distribution system, universal coverage through the employment guarantee scheme and the right to work form another important set which needs to be emphasised by working people. The right to organise, the right to collective bargaining and the right to strike constitute yet another set of issues that deserve to be widely focussed in these elections, Mr. Mittal said.

Neither BMS nor INTUC would disagree with the issues posed by the HMS secretary. Why then, have they not raised these issues in their official organs in the context of the general election? This would make their commitment to workers suspect.

In contrast, the official organs of the Left CTUOs, AITUC and CITU, have repeatedly been calling upon the workers to actively join the election campaign in favour of candidates and political forces who have been fighting for workers' rights and the country's democratic development. The “Trade Union Record” of the AITUC in its “Appeal to the Working People of India” says that “during the first four years of UPA rule, the Left parties tried to ensure that the pro-people issues contained in the NCMP were implemented. Whether it be the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, or the legislation for provision of land rights for tribal people in the forest areas, or ensuring an effective Right to Information legislation, the Left endeavoured to see that these were taken up in Parliament and adopted. They can rightly claim that these pieces of legislations were improved and their scope expanded due to the Left's persistent intervention in Parliament.” Moreover, “the increased allocations in education and health and some of the measures taken to revive agriculture can be attributed to the constant pressure of Left parties,” it said, and appealed to voters to “strengthen the Left in Parliament”.

Interestingly, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh did not deny the Left parties' and left trade unions' claim on contribution but tried to wish it away by remarks like “it is self-praise”. It only showed the “poverty” of the Prime Minister.

The CITU, in its “May Day Manifesto-2009” has said : “The bail-out packages of the UPA Government are still prioritizing on pumping funds to financial market to allure foreign and Indian speculators and not at all on protecting employment, promoting public investment in agriculture, infrastructure, public services and material production and expanding social security and public distribution system -which alone can improve the purchasing power of the people, expand domestic market and save national economy and the mass of the people from the onslaught of the crisis.” In this context, it has charged the Congress-led UPA Government with lack of commitment to the people and the country and called upon the toiling people “to ensure defeat of the Congress-led UPA and the BJP-led NDA in the ongoing parliamentary elections”.

There are a number of labour leaders contesting the parliamentary elections. The coming political scenario will need greater effort in Parliament to defend the working people's rights against increased onslaught by the corporates. It is, therefore, necessary that the number of labour leaders, especially those belonging to the Left, increases in the Lok Sabha.#