Friday, April 24, 2020
All India Trade
Union Congress
AITUC Bhawan:
35-36, DDU Marg, Rouse Avenue, New Delhi – 110002
E Mail: aituchq@gmail.com Tel:
+91 1123217320
Request for coverage in the media
Date: 24.04.2020
Following
statement was issued by Comrade Amarjeet Kaur- General secretary AITUC to the
Press today
AITUC
deplores the policy of Central Government to transfer all the burden of its own
mis-management of Economy to the Working Class
AITUC
protests against the arbitrary decision of the BJP led NDA Government to freeze
the Dearness Allowance (DA) due to the Central Government Employees and
DR due to the Pensioners.
Taking
shelter under the umbrella of COVID-19 Virus, every day the Govt. is taking one
or other decisions to attack the working class of the country who are already
in deep crisis, distress after the lockdown in the country. AITUC has made
several representations to the Labour Minister in this regard as well as about
the violations of the government’s advisories, but in vain.
The latest attack of the Govt. is the freezing of DA to Central Govt. Employees
and its pensioners. The Cabinet already approved during the month of March 2020
to release 4% additional DA to the Central Govt. Employees and Pensioners in
accordance with the increase in All India Consumer Price Index(Workers).
Instead of issuing the Govt. order to implement the decision, the Ministry of
Finance issued an order on 23/04/2020 freezing of DA of Central Govt. Employees
numbering 48 lakhs (including Armed Forces) and 65 Lakhs pensioners which
includes 60%, Ex-serviceman who defended the country during their service life.
DA is not a gift of the Govt. DA is paid to the employees only to
compensate the cost of living and to protect the wages from erosion
in the real value on account of inflation. Govt. has got no moral
authority to freeze the DA of the Central Govt. Employees & Pensioners. By
not paying the increased DA to the Govt. Employees & Pensioners for 18
months the Govt. is saving more than 50,000 Crores. This savings will go to
whom ?, whether to the Corporate Houses or to the suffering workers of this
country ?
The
government is not contemplating to withdraw any of the tax concessions
including the recently reduced Corporate Tax which benefitted them to the tune
of Rs One Lakh Forty Five Thousands crores (1.45 lakh crores) given to the Big
Corporates. The Government had in the last five and half years written of the
loans of these Corporates to the tune of Rs seven lakh and seventy thousands
(7,70,000 crores) of crores. Above all that there are more than Rupees 13
lakh crores of pending loans called NPAs to be recovered from these Corporate
houses. It is the fact on parliament records that the tax recovery to the tune
of Rs 8 lakh and 90,000 crores is pending in which the major defaulters again
are these Corporates. This is also on record in parliament that 36 rich
business entities left the country in the last 5 years fleecing our banks to
the tune of more than one lakh crore rupees.
The Government has got no programme to curtail the price rise on essential
commodities. Instead of freezing the price rise, Govt. is squeezing the
employees. It is the Central Govt. & State Govt. employees who are in
the frontline in the field fighting against the dangerous COVID-19 Virus. They
are under severe risk and the Govt. is not able to provide even the required
Personal Protective Equipments to them. When the Private Corporate Houses
have gone hiding during this lockdown period, it is the Govt. Employees
in the Health Department, Defence, Railways, Postal, Power, Oil, Coal etc., are
in the field to provide services and to prevent the spread the COVID-19 Virus.
The Govt. instead of recognizing the services of the Central Govt. Employees
and Pensioners have started punishing them economically. The Central Govt.
Employees have already contributed their one day wages to the PM-CARES Fund,
which is a big amount. This huge amount will go to whom, whether to
Corporate Houses or to the suffering workers of this country. This is the doubt
of the people of the country.
AITUC opposes the arbitrary and drastic decision taken by the Modi Govt.
against its own employees and pensioners. The AITUC urges upon the Govt. of
India to immediately withdraw this anti labour decision. The AITUC extends its
support and solidarity to all the Central Govt. Employees and Pensioners in
their protest against the arbitrary and unjustified decision of the Govt.
Amarjeet Kaur
General Secretary AITUC
M: 9810144958
CITU DENOUNCES CENTRAL GOVT DECISION TO FREEZE AND CONFISCATE INCREASE IN DEARNESS ALLOWANCE FOR CENTRAL GOVT EMPLOYEES AND PENSIONERS
The Centre of Indian Trade Unions denounces the Central Govt’s decision to freeze, rather confiscate the increase in Dearness Allowance payable to Central Govt employees and pensioners falling due from January 2020 and also future dues, falling due on July 2020 and January 2021 on the plea of financial crisis arising out of COVID 19 vide Finance Ministry Order no 1/1/2020-E-II(B) dated 23rd April 2020.
No doubt, the country has been passing through a financial crisis but why should the workers and employees be made the sacrificial item for the same who themselves suffer most owing to Covid-19 followed by lockdown. Quite a number of employees are deployed and consequently are involved in various governmental activities and services meant to combat the spread of the pandemic Covid-19 especially of those departments declared as emergency services viz, health, postal, defence, railways etc. While taking such decision Govt did not bother to consult the unions and federations of the central govt employees, displaying rabid authoritarianism.
CITU strongly urges that response to financial crisis by the central govt must start with measures to garner resources where it is there aplenty at the disposal of handful of ultra rich class. As Per OXFAM Report, combined wealth amassed by only 63 billionaires in India is more that the total Union Budget in 2018-19 which was at Rs 24, 42, 200 crore. Top 10% of population cornered 77% of national wealth. Wealth of India’s richest 1 per cent is 4 times more than the bottom 70%. Govt must tap this huge accumulation of wealth with barely 5% of ultra-rich, amassed mostly through undue and illegitimate patronization of the economic policy regime, through appropriate direct taxation/wealth tax measures instead of brutally pouncing on the working peoples’ earnings and livelihood. And this right is vested with the Central Govt only
CITU strongly condemns this retrograde decision of the Central Govt to confiscate outright the legitimate dues of the employees and pensioners on account of increase in DA till January 2021, although prices of all essentials will continue to increase to further increase the profit of the big-business/corporate.
CITU demands withdrawal of this DA Confiscation order by the central government also demands that the state governments be extended financial help to enable continuity of variable DA payment to their employees. CITU calls upon the Govt employees’ movement in particular and the trade union movement in general to unitedly oppose this retrograde anti-worker measures.
(Tapan Sen)
General Secretary
Thursday, April 23, 2020
Wednesday, April 22, 2020
Tuesday, April 21, 2020
Monday, April 20, 2020
Sunday, April 19, 2020
Saturday, April 18, 2020
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