In the history of workers in struggle in India the
nationwide strike of Central Government Employees on 19thSeptember,
1968 has a prominent place. This year we are celebrating golden jubilee of that
historic strike. All the leaders who lead and participated in the strike have
retired and some of them are no more.
The indefinite strike of Central Govt. Employees in1960 was the first
major strike of Central Government. Employees after independence. The five days
strike from 1960 July 11 midnight was brutally suppressed by the Central
Government declaring it as “Civil Rebellion”. The main demand of the strike was
improvement and modifications in the 2nd CPC recommendations. The Need Based
Minimum Wage, though adopted by the 15th Indian Labour Conference in 1957, was
rejected by the 2nd CPC.
The Joint Consultative machinery (JCM)
was constituted in 1966 as a forum for discussing and settling the issues
raised by CG employees. GL Nanda then
Home minister of India inaugurating the JCM on 28-10-1966 expressed a hope that
“that the strikes will be made superfluous”.
Jagajivan Ram then labour Minister expressed a hope that “I wish that
the Council will function in such a way that all the disputes or differences
that may arise, will be resolved by them and no occasion will be provided for
the Labour Minister to exercise his authority of setting up of the Board of
Arbitration.”
There was an apprehension among sections of leadership that this
negotiating machinery may not settle any major demands of the Central Government
employees and may become just a talking shop or a time killing business,
ultimately resulting in abnormally delaying the genuine demands. Unfortunately this apprehension became
reality within one year of formation of JCM. In the very first meeting of the
National Council JCM, the following three demands were notified by the staff
side.
1. Grant of Need Based Minimum Wage as approved by the 1957 Tripartite
Labour Conference. 2. Merger of DA with Pay and 3. Revision of DA formula.
After prolonged discussion for more than one and a half year
disagreement was recorded. According to
the JCM scheme once disagreement is recorded the matter should have gone to
arbitration, but Government refused to refer the matter to arbitration. Protesting against this arbitrary stand of
the Government, the staff side leadership walked out of the JCM and decided to
go for one day’s strike. A Joint Action Committee was formed and the date of
the strike was decided as 19th September 1968. The following were the main
demands of charter of demands for the strike
1. Need Based Minimum Wage. 2. Full neutralisation of rise in prices. 3.
Merger of DA with Basic Pay. 4. Withdrawal of proposal to retire employees with
50 years of age or on completion of 25 years of service. 5. Vacate
victimisation and reinstate victimised workers. 6. No retrenchment without
equivalent alternative jobs. 7. Abolition of Contract and Casual Labour System.
Strike notice was served and the Joint Action Council (JAC) decided to
commence the strike at 0600 AM on 19th September 1968. Intensive campaign was
conducted throughout the country. AIRF, AIDEF and Confederation was the major
organisations in the JAC. Government invoked Essential Services Maintenance
Ordinance (ESMO) to deal with the strike. Government also issued detailed
instructions to impose heavy penalty including suspension, dismissal,
termination, break-in-service etc. on the striking employees. Para-military
force (CRPF) and Police were deployed to deal with the strike. Central
Government gave orders to all State Governments to suppress the strike at any
cost. Kerala was ruled by the Communist Government during the strike. Chief
Minister. E. M. S. Namboodiripad declared Kerala Government’s full support to
the strike of Central Government employees. The Central Government threatened
dismissal of the Kerala Government for defying the Centre’s directive to suppress
the strike.It was a war-like situation. Arrest of Leaders started on 18th
September itself. About 3000 employees and leaders were arrested from Delhi
alone. All over India about 12000 Central Government employees and leaders were
arrested and jailed.
At Bangalore
the preparations for strike was well done under the dynamic leadership of Com.
P. R. Chabaque who was the convenor of the Joint Action Committee here.
Intensive campaigning was done through pamphlets and office centric meetings. A
massive rally was held in Railway Institute ground behind City Railway station.
Some arrests under ESMO were made at Bangalore. Some of the leaders arrested included
Chabaque VV Jacob, K.P. Nair and A.K.P Pille from Survey of India, Jayaram,
Kopeswar Rao, and Namboothri from Railways and many other leaders from other
organisations. Houses of many leaders
were raided and searched. Some of the leaders who were very active in the
preparation of strike are Raghothaman,
CV Ananda, N Bhaskaran, Muthu Subramanian (RMS), MM Farooqui (Telegraph), BN
Prakash (Postal), Ramakrishna Shastri,
MS Nagaraj (AGS)and many others.
In spite of all these repressive measures the strike commenced on 18th
after noon itself at many places and was a massive success all over India and
in all departments including Railway, Defence, P&T, Audit etc. About 64000
employees were served with termination notices, thousands removed from service
and about 40000 employees suspended. Seventeen striking employees were brutally
killed at Pathankot, Bikaner, DelhiIndraprasthaBhavan and at Upper Assam in
lathi charge, firing by police and military and by running the train over the
bodies of employees who picketed the trains.
Though the strike was only for one day on 19th September 1968, the
victimisation and repression continued for days together. Struggle against
victimisation also continued including work-to-rule agitation, hunger fast of
leaders from 10th October 1968. There was unprecedented support to the strike
and relief work and also to agitation for reinstatement of the victimised
workers, from National Trade Unions, state Government
employees and teachers Unions/Federations etc. A mass rally was organised
before the residence of Prime Minister of India Smt. Indira Gandhi on 17th
October, 1968.
19th September 1968 strike is written in red letters in the history of
Indian Working Class. The demand raised by the Central Government employees –
Need Based Minimum Wage – was the demand of entire working people of India.
Even today, the Central Government employees and other section of the working
class are on struggle path for realisation of the Need Based Minimum Wage.
There
are pages and pages to be written on the sacrifices of the workers in
connection with the strike. The strike
was historic in more than one sense. The same government which refused to
accept the demands were compelled to implement some of them afterwards. No struggle goes in vain. The long term impact of a struggle for a
genuine cause should be understood properly. The benefits of past struggles
often accrues to the present/future generation.
Struggles are inevitable to establish more and more equitable peaceful
society.
Let us
salute the martyrs of past struggles.
Let us
remember with gratitude all those who suffered immensely in the past struggles.
Let us carry
forward the proud legacy left behind them to make the life of future
generations brighter.
Let us
resolve to make future struggles massive success.
