Comrades,
The flash strike against the
recent PF Rules, 2016 of the Central Government (i.e., Centre’s new rule on
Provident Fund withdrawal) by large section of Garment Factory Workers and
other Industrial Workers of Karnataka State on 18th and 19th
April 2016 received immense response and there was a massive protest which
resulted in road blocks for hours together, thereby the entire traffic of
Bengaluru City was paralyzed. The
traffic was also severely affected on Mysore, Tumkur and Hosur roads.
The COC Karnataka extended moral support
and sympathy for this Labour Movement. The
February 10th notification was under attack from trade unions from
the beginning. The notification was
published in the gazette on February 26 and created technical problems.
The violence in Bengaluru prompted
the Labour Ministry, Govt. of India to cancel the February 10 notification
which put restrictions on 100% withdrawal from the PF account.
Within few hours of protest in
Bengaluru and other parts of Karnataka state , the Hon’ble Minsiter for Labour,
Shri.Bandaru Dattatreya acted upon and withdrawn the notification issued on
February 10th and informed that the old system will continue. This is
a victory for the workers of the country.
This clearly shows that the
Government of India does not want to antagonize the workers. If the Central Government employees also
participate in trade union action against the retrograde recommendations of the
VII CPC similar to the Garment Workers of Karnataka, we too can get similar
results and hope for a better wage revision and a decent wage hike.
This
Labour movement of the Garment Workers of Karnataka state is an eye-opener for
all other working class in the entire country, Comrades if one state and one
particular working class movement can bring changes to the policy of the Central
Government, if the entire the entire country the Central Government employees agitate
against the retrograde recommendations of the 7th CPC (where only 14
% wage hike was provided against the staff side demand of 80% wage hike and
also reducing the number of allowances and reduction in HRA rates) then the Central Government shall provide
the decent wage hike by settling the issue of wage hike with the staff side
NJCA like the PF issue being settled.
Comrades
it is high time to prepare for 11th July strike of Central
Government employees under the banner of NJCA.
We shall get good results and Central Government shall grant better wage
hike than the 7th CPC recommendations. Better we prepare for 11th
July strike better wage hike we get.
Comradely yours
(P.S.Prasad)
General Secretary