Bank Employees March to Parliament

To reject the government`s financial sector policies, on November 27, 2002 more than 50,000 employees from all over India assembled at the Ramlila ground and marched towards the Parliament shouting slogans and carrying placards, banners and red flags. The march reached Jantar Mantar on Parliament Street where a dharna and a public meeting took place. A petition signed by more than three crore people was also given to the President of India which expressed concern over the attempts at privatisation of public sector banks, privatisation of IDBI and bifurcation and privatisation of UTI. This march was organised on the death anniversary of Prabhatkar, an All India Bank Employees Association (AIBEA) activist.

A bill was introduced in Parliament on 15 April,2002, regarding the reduction of government`s equity share to 33 per cent and that 67 per cent of the equity would be held by the private sector. This meant that banking institutions will be handed over to private vested interests in the name of reforms.

The call for the march to Parliament was given by AIBEA. The employees besides opposing the privatisation of public sector banks and the selling out of public sector (national assets) to national and foreign capitalists in the garb of disinvestment, also demanded:

a)     Recovery of bad loans (NPA), in banks totaling more than Rs1,50,000 crores.

b)     Stringent legal and penal steps against willful bank loan defaulters.

c)     Publication of defaulters` list and their debarment from holding any public office.

d)     Accelerated flow of bank credit to agricultural and rural sectors involving employment generation and poverty alleviation.

e)     Opening of more branches, particularly in rural and semi-urban areas.

f)       Increase in the rate of interest of small savings, bank deposits etc.

 Speaking at the meeting Tarakeshwar Chakraborti, General Secretary, AIBEA said, "Any attempt to privatise banks will be answered by strikes and indefinite strikes." Many big industrialists, corporate houses, VIPs, political personalities, according to AIBEA are bank defaulters. Tarakeshwar Chakraborti said, "The bank defaulters should be declared as criminals and politicians who are defaulters should be debarred from the electoral process." Adding to it, Sitaram Yechuri, polit-bureau member, CPM said: "The Government was deliberately hiding those who have taken crores of rupees from the banks." Congratulating AIBEA, he said, "AIBEA had the courage to publish the defaulters list."

While addressing the meeting, Tarakeshwar demanded, "We want more banks to the country side, more loans to agriculturists, our country depends on agriculture, therefore 18 per cent of bank credit should go to agriculture which has come down to 12 per cent." Ram Vilas Paswan, ex-Cabinet Minister, who was also present, said, "No public sector banks are running in loss and to privatize them, which gives a profit of Rs 8111 crore is an act of disloyalty towards the people and bankmen. The banks not only provide jobs or loans but they also work for poverty elimination, agriculture development and several other nation building works, which will stop after privatisation."

Medha Patkar said that only a secular pro-people government can save the country, she added that the globalisation and privatisation policy of the government was ruining the country. The people should come forward and fight unitedly. Amarjeet Kaur presented her a scarf of AIBEA.

Various leaders from central trade unions and political parties, bank employees` representatives and activists addressed the meeting. The speakers unanimously condemned and opposed the government`s move towards privatisation and selling out of public sector units. Some of the prominent speakers were Gurudas Das Gupta, MP, (General Secretary, AITUC), Amarjeet Kaur, (AITUC), AB Burdhan, (General Secretary, CPI), Raghuvansh Prasad, (RJD), Margaret Alva, MP, (Congress), AD Nagpal, (Secretary, HMS), Manoj Bhattachary, MP, (RSP), Medha Patkar, (NBA). Dalit Ezhilamalai, MP (AIDMK), MK Pandhe (Secretary, CITU).

A New Trade Union Initiative Demonstration at Parliament

A mass demonstration before the Parliament was organised by the constituents of the newly formed New Trade Union Initiative (NTUI), on the recommendations of the Second National Commission on Labour, on December 2, 2002. This demonstration was preceded by a national convention of NTUI, which took place earlier that day at JNU City Centre (Mandi House) under the chairmanship of YV Chauhan of Sarva Shramik Sangh.

A strong demonstration of more than 1000 people started from JNU City Centre, culminated in a public meeting at Parliament Street and a memorandum was handed over to the Prime Minister.

The speakers highlighted the necessity of a campaign and struggle against the Report of the Second National Commission on Labour, its anti-worker policies and plans to divide the working class. The other issues of emphasis were the new economic policy and its impact. The rally called for unity among the entire unorganised and organised sector, which was currently missing.

Manoj Bhattacharya, Member of Parliament, RSP, criticising the Government said, “This government wants to destroy the trade unions in the garb of the Second National Labour Commission.”D Thankappan of Kamani Employees Union said that the government did nothing for the unorganised sector workers. He also criticised the lay-off policy of the Second NLC.

The others who spoke on this occasion were HL Gupta of Hindustan Lever Employees Federation, Kamal Tiwari of CSWTU, Cyril Fernandez of Goa Shipyard Workers Union, Chandra of Colliery Workers Sangharsh Samiti, Yashwant Chauhan of Sarva Shramik Sangh, Chandan Sanyal of National Federation of Sales Representative Union, Ashok Chowdhary of Forest Workers Union etc.

Ashim Roy of Chemical Workers Panchayat conducted the proceedings of the meeting and welcomed the steps taken by the New Trade Union Initiative. The meeting ended at 5.15 p.m.

The constituents of NTUI who participated in the convention and demonstration are National Federation of Sales Representative Union, All India Building Workers Federation, Hindustan Lever Employees Federation, National Federation of Construction Labour, National Forum of Forest People and Forest Workers, Sarva Shramik Sangh, Kamani Employes Union, Working Peoples` Trade Union Council, Mukund Workers Union, Forest Workers Union, Colliery Workers Sangharsh Samiti, Tea Workers Unions of Bengal and Assam etc.

Auto Union Strikes

 A day-long strike of auto-rickshaws and taxis was observed in New Delhi on 2 December, 2002. Although the call for the strike was given by the Congress backed FTUC, drivers affiliated to other unions also supported the move evoking a "near total" response. Auto-rickshaws and taxis stayed off the road against the decision of the Delhi government, to make the use of electronic meters compulsory and also demanded an upward revision in the fares.

The absence of around 50,000 autos and taxis left the people with no option but to depend on cycle-rickshaws, buses and RTVs, as there were very few vehicles on the roads. According to Transport Minister Ajay Makan, Delhi Transport Corporation had put 250 additional buses on the roads to cover crisis.

 In order to implement the city Government`s directive, around two dozen enforcement teams of the State Transport Authority (STA) launched a drive and those found violating the orders were booked. "Once the enforcement teams came into action, they impounded 700 autos as their electronic meters were not working. Each three-wheeler operator had to deposit Rs 4,500 in court. Over 23,000 auto-drivers out of 45,000 operating in the city have already installed the electronic meters. So there is no reason why the Delhi Government will relax the rules for the remaining auto drivers," said Transport Minister, Ajay Maken. He, however, added: "We are ready to give an audience to auto unions and meet their grievances if they agree to abide by the government order on electronic meters."

FTUC President Jaswant Singh Arora said, "We are demanding an increase in the fares, which is presently the lowest in Delhi." Mr. Arora said that the phone help line campaign of the Delhi Government against autos and taxi drivers had been, the cause of tremendous harassment to them.

Jaswant Singh Arora said that Chief Minister, Sheila Dikshit, had invited the union for a meeting on December 3, 2002 to consider their demands. However, the Delhi Government had made it very clear that they would have to charge the commuters only by the electronic meter. "This is just a token strike. We will go on an indefinite strike if our demands are not met soon," FTUC President Jaswant Singh Arora said.