For the first time, nine CTUOs, including five major ones - INTUC, BMS, AITUC, HMS and CITU - and four juniors - UTUC, AICCTU, AIUTUC and TUCC - held a joint national convention at Mavlankar Hall, New Delhi, on September 14, 2009. The declaration adopted at the convention outlined the issues to be taken up during the national campaign and the programme of the protest movement. The campaign will culminate in “dharnas” in all State capitals and New Delhi.

One significant point about the convention was that the conventionists did not hide their separate viewpoints. They, however, seemed to have realised that the way the Manmohan Singh Government was maltreating industrial labour in particular, they cannot separately defend the industrial working class from the offensive of the corporates. This only indicated that their coming together was not accidental. This was reportedly made abundantly clear by INTUC president G. Sanjeeva Reddy himself in his opening remarks. He said he was a Congressman and the INTUC was close to the Congress. But INTUC had joined hands with other CTUOs to build pressure on the Government to take corrective measures in the matter of injustices being done to labour.

The issues, which were focussed at the convention, had been thoroughly discussed and given shape to, during the preparatory stages of the convention. The issues are: rising prices of foodgrains and other essential goods; continuing job losses resulting in loss of livelihood of millions across sectors owing to recession and economic slowdown; non-implementation and rampant violation of basic labour laws pertaining to minimum wages, working hours, social security, safety in working place and trade union rights; extreme inadequacy of programmes and schemes under the Unorganised Workers Social Security Act, 2008, owing to the restrictive provisions and absence of any National Fund for the Unorganised Sector as recommended by the NCEUS and the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Labour; and last but not the least, the Government's move for disinvestment of shares in profit-making Central Public Sector Enterprises.

The convention decided to submit a memorandum to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh . INTUC was authorized to seek an appointment from the PMO. Enquiries with the INTUC office showed that even the preparation of the memorandum would start only after the PMO indicates the date of appointment. This is one element of uncertainty because of the PM's apathy towards meeting trade union leaders. This has a history; he even refused to give a date for inaugurating the 42nd session of the Indian Labour Conference. It is an uncanny job for the INTUC but it is hopeful of getting an appointment from the PM.

The convention has also outlined a roadmap for the nationwide campaign. The workers and employees of all affiliations were called upon to “unitedly highlight their concern” over the issues facing the workers. It has also been decided to hold centrally planned conventions at Hyderabad, Mumbai, Chennai and Lucknow. The responsibility for each of these conventions was also fixed. BMS and INTUC will be responsible for the convention at Hyderabad; CITU and AITUC for the Mumbai convention; HMS and AITUC for Chennai and BMS and HMS for the Lucknow convention. The possibility of holding a convention at Kolkata has been kept pending.

There were some skeptics who raised doubts about the end product of this campaign and sought an answer as to what will be the future course after dharnas. Obviously, they were skeptic about the Government's response. The general view was that these questions become relevant only after the campaign as planned reaches the point of dharnas and the Government keeps its mind closed as of today.

The issues like rise in prices of essential commodities and foodgrains, rising unemployment, non-implementation of labour laws and “poverty” of the Unorganised Workers Social Security Act are impacting on a much wider section of population than the industrial workers and employees. This implies that the united nationwide campaign of left, centre and right CTUOs has the possibility of drawing into the campaign much wider segments of working people, men and women, white collar and blue collar workers besides urban and rural working people. It all depends on how wider, deeper and serious is the CTUOs nationwide campaign.

In an informal talk with this writer, CITU President M K Pandhe while calling the convention a very significant development, also underlined the need to take this joint trade union move at the apex level, down to the grassroots workers who suffer the most. HMS secretary Mittal expressed similar feelings; he was happy that such trade union unity at the national level has taken place after two and a half decades.

There is no gainsaying the fact that the trade union conventionists have demonstrated their will to unite and fight the anti-labour policy at a time when the policy-makers of liberalisation, privatisation and globalisation are seeking to make trade union movement an irrelevant factor in economic policy-making.

Is the Government taking note of it? It does not seem so on the face of it. But, then, the Government notified on September 1, 2009 the setting up of a tripartite committee comprising three representatives each of central trade union organisations and employers' organisations along with the participation of inter-Ministerial representatives. Labour Secretary is the convener. This Committee is to “monitor implementation of the decisions of the 42nd Indian Labour Conference” which was held in February this year.

This can be a move to silence the rising crescendo of labour unrest being mobilised by the CTUO conventionists. The bureaucrats have a knack of making such moves and then forgetting about them. Or, may be it is in response to the reminder to the Labour Ministry, sent by the ILO-promoted Tripartite Expert Group member and AITUC Deputy General Secretary Mr Mahavevan about the urgent need to implement recommendations of the Expert Group. Whatever the case, it is a sign of some mobility in the otherwise immobile Labour Ministry. (IPA Service)