PEOPLE'S
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PEOPLE'S
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Internet
Edition: June 16-30- July 1-15, 2001
Published by the Communist Ghadar Party of India |
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TABLE OF CONTENTS |
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| Condemn Revenge-seeking and Political Persecution in Tamil Nadu! Statement of the Central Committee of the Communist Ghadar Party of India, July 2, 2001 The use of the state police to arrest overnight the main leaders and tens of thousands of members of the DMK, the main opposition party in the state assembly, by the Jayalalitha Government in Tamil Nadu, is an act of political persecution.It deserves to be condemned by all on that count alone. In addition, the hurried manner in which corruption charges were framed against former Chief Minister Karunanidhi and other leaders of DMK, who had arrested her on similar charges in the past, reveals the dangerous extent to which revenge-seeking has replaced politics in Tamil Nadu. A tense situation has been created by these developments. The times call on the people to ponder seriously about what is to be done with the existing political system and political power. What should be done to halt this revenge-seeking and the rule of parties of vested interests that are clearly unfit to rule?The existing system and political process do not satisfy the requirements of the people at this time.They allow no political space for the vast masses of workers, peasants, women and youth.The state unleashes armed force to suppress the toilers on a daily basis.The crisis of Indian democracy has become so deep that the violence of the state is being targeted even at former chief ministers, thereby threatening even the political elite.The developments in Tamilnadu have once again exposed the real nature of political power in India, at the centre and in the states—that it is the power of self-seeking classes of individuals, who use the police and state apparatus to suppress their enemies and rivals.Whereas the political process of parliamentary democracy is supposed to bring about a smooth transition from one party to another in power, without the use of force, what we see in Tamil Nadu is that electoral victory is being used as the means to take revenge and destroy one’s political rivals. It must be noted that this is but a particularly blatant manifestation of a trend that has gripped the Indian politics in the centre and states over a period of time.There is a cut-throat fight within the propertied classes over state power at this time. This is being fueled by the crisis of the capitalist economic system and the implementation of the liberalisation and privatisation program. The contradictions are intensifying, not only between the camp of the exploiters and the camp of the exploited, but also within the bourgeois camp. This is a favourable factor for the revolution, because it weakens the bourgeois camp and offers opportunities for the working class and oppressed people to make a breakthrough. In order to do so, and prevent further grave dangers befalling the people, the working class and communist movement needs to take united and decisive political action at this time.The Communist Ghadar Party of India calls on all truly political forces to condemn revenge-seeking. It also calls on them to condemn the use of state terror and political persecution against political forces. It calls on the working class and people, in Tamil Nadu and all over the country, to plunge into the work for the renewal of Indian democracy —to rebuild India on new foundations. Let us establish a modern democracy where the working people are sovereign and make the decisions, while political parties enable the people to rule themselves and keep the vested interests out of power. |
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Youth must Organise to Change the World In the month of June, 2001, the Central Committee of the Communist Ghadar Party of India organised an important conference to discuss and implement the decision to enable the youth of India to organise on a political basis. Young communists, progressive girls and boys and organisers of youth, from different parts of India, participated actively in the day-long conference. The day concluded in very high spirits, with the youth expressing their determination to take charge of the future of India. This conference was organised to implement one of the decisions of the Second Congress of the Party, reiterated at the recent plenum of the CC, to assist the youth to organise and emerge as a political force. The decision of the Second Congress was to "assist the youth of India to fight for their rights, emanating from the fact that they are the future of society, to elaborate their vision for the kind of society that they must create and to unite around the program for the democratic renewal of India" (Resolution No. 11, Second Congress of the Communist Ghadar Party of India, October 1998).The keynote presentation, delivered on behalf of the Central Committee, pointed out that "there are only two paths facing the youth and all the oppressed masses of Indian people. And whether India will progress or not is dependent on what path the Indian youth will take today. Are they going to march on the high road of civilisation, organised to the gills, with the most advanced science and the most up to date theory guiding them? Or, are they going to straggle along, each one chasing their own individual dreams, then only to be consumed by this man-eating society?"The keynote presented a clear analysis of the political situation facing India and the forces that threaten our future. It emphasised that youth have to be in the political arena, in the forefront of the struggle against the anti-people and anti-national program of liberalisation and privatisation. They should plunge into the struggle with the perspective that if the youth join hands with the working class and all the oppressed, it is possible to win some decisive battles against the ruling class and block various "reforms" that are on the agenda at this time.The keynote presentation called on the youth to reject the lie that there is no alternative to capitalism and market reforms. It declared boldly that there IS an alternative. That alternative is to open the path for the revolutionary transformation of society to socialism and communism. Summing up the experience of the rise and fall of the Soviet Union, the presentation drew the conclusion that socialism began to decay and was finally destroyed because the Communist Party, instead of developing and enhancing its role further as an instrument for the empowerment of the working people, began to substitute itself for them. Changing the world requires not only the most advanced theory but also a most advanced organisation, which would ensure that all its members release maximum initiative and at the same time act according to one unified plan. The presentation of the Central Committee stressed that the youth need to take up the challenge of building an all-India organisation that would unite all the youth in struggle against the status quo. They need to be guided by the summation of the experience of the struggle for emancipation from all forms of oppression, in India and on the world scale. The task of Indian communists is to provide the necessary guidance.In conclusion, the keynote presentation pointed out: "It is well known that India is home to a significant proportion of the youth of the world today. All the imperialists of the world are eyeing India as the source of technical manpower. They are looking at our girls and boys as the source of cheap labour for their future super-profits. If Indian youth make up their mind, and work in close unity with the working class, they can foil the plans of imperialism and the bourgeoisie. The plunder of India can be ended. With political power in their hands, the workers, peasants, women and youth will be able to ensure that there is work for all. They will ensure that what is produced is geared towards providing adequately for all members of Indian society".The Central Committee, by organising this conference, created the enabling environment for young communists and progressive youth to take up the task of organising the youth of India as a powerful force in the political arena. The youth responded enthusiastically. They vigorously developed the discussion on a wide range of important issues. Young women and men, boys and girls of 13-30 years of age came forward boldly to the stage and freely expressed their views. They discussed the current political situation and what kind of organisation of youth is required. They spoke about the vision of the future that Indian youth should adopt today. They discussed the theory and experience of communism, including the positive and negative experience in the Soviet Union. Many emphasised that communism is the inevitable destiny of Indian society and the youth should organise with this perspective. Many also emphasised the immediate task of ending the anti-social and anti-national offensive being championed by the Vajpayee Government in New Delhi and other party governments in various states. They declared that if the youth build their own organisation and the party assists them, then it is possible to make definite advances in this struggle. And in conclusion, they resolved to carry out the necessary preparations for giving birth to an all-India organisation of youth united in struggle for the renewal of India.This important conference demonstrated and reaffirmed, in a lively way, the correct conclusion of the party that the youth of India deserve the highest culture, highest political consciousness and advanced science. They need their own organisation based on such collective consciousness. It is the task of the Communist Party to provide assistance and enable the youth to accomplish the above.People’s Voice (MEL) hails this successful conference organised by the Central Committee on the necessity for the youth to organise to change the world. People’s Voice (MEL) will reproduce, as part of a special edition during July, 2001, the keynote presentation delivered on behalf of the Central Committee at this important conference. |
| Centre extends Naga ceasefire agreement: Unleashing violence in the name of peace For the last few days, large parts of Manipur have literally gone up in flames. Thousands of people have poured out in the streets against the Centre’s act of extending the ceasefire agreement with the Naga militant group, the NSCN headed by Muivah, to certain districts of Manipur as well as of Assam and Arunachal Pradesh. 13 people were killed in police firing on demonstrators in Imphal, and curfew has been repeatedly imposed on Imphal and other areas of the state. In Assam and Arunachal Pradesh as well, there has been open resentment expressed against the act of the Central Government. The ceasefire agreement with the NSCN (Muivah) has been in existence for some years now, and has also been extended before, but no one in Manipur or elsewhere objected to this up to now. This clearly shows that the opposition of the people in Manipur and other places now is not against the let-up in the Central government’s armed suppression of Naga militants hostile to Delhi’s rule. It is because the people suspect that the extension of the geographical scope of the agreement to include parts of states adjacent to Nagaland is a prelude to the unilateral redrawing of boundaries in this region by the Centre at the expense of different peoples there. The hush-hush nature of the agreement, concluded in a foreign country, Thailand, and the fact that the Union Government did not bother even to go through the usual formalities of "cons-ultation" with the governments and legislators of the other states, has added fuel to their sus-picions. The people very legitimately see this latest move as one more attack on their sovereignty and national rights which have been under attack consistently from the govern-ment at Delhi every since 1947.For the last 50 years and more, the national rights and basic liberties of not just the Nagas, but of various other peoples of the North East, have been trampled underfoot by the heirs of the British colonialists, the present-day Indian rulers. Most of this region has been under virtual rule by the armed forces. Outrageous violations of the human rights and dignity of the people there by the armed forces take place on a daily basis. On top of this, the facade of elected, civil governments is maintained to try and cover up the repressive rule, but even this is dispensed with whenever the Centre feels this is a hindrance to its plans, as seen in the recent imposition of President’s Rule in Manipur. Apart from heavy-handed military repression, other "peaceful" methods of clamping down on the opposition of the people are also used. One is systematic corruption to buy off various individual leaders of political groups in the North East, whether of the armed or unarmed variety. Another is to incite conflicts among the numerous different peoples who inhabit the region, to set them at loggerheads with one another, so that they are unable to unite against the Centre. Everything indicates that the current agreement worked out by Advani and his team has nothing to do with bringing peace to the region, but everything to do with diabolical tactics to weaken and undermine opposition to Central rule in the North East. The Indian ruling class are past masters at this kind of exercise, and the people who have erupted in protest this past week are showing that they cannot be made fools of.If the Centre is really interested in bringing peace to the North East, why doesn’t it first of all withdraw the Armed Forces Special Powers Act and other draconian laws that are so bitterly resented by the peoples of this region? Why doesn’t it withdraw the army to the barracks and pull out the paramilitary forces that are trampling all over the towns and villages? Why doesn’t it release the youth incarcerated in jails and stop the wanton persecution and killings of innocent people? These and other measures have been consistently demanded by all democratic groups and movements in different parts of the North East for so long. Only if these measures are taken as a first step, can the way be opened for peace, for a lasting ceasefire, in not just Nagaland, but the rest of the North East. The tactics the Centre is employing now, of concluding secret agreements of dubious character, and of deliberately provoking the sentiments of the people, can only lead to bigger fires. |
| American access to Indian military bases: Further sell-out of interests of Indian people to the US imperialists being planned In a recent press conference while visiting Australia, Jaswant Singh clearly hinted at the prospect that at some time in the future, the US could be given access to Indian military bases. When questioned about this by a press person, he did not deny the prospect but merely said that "you are going too fast, let these things evolve over time"! This statement, coming from one of the seniormost members of the Union Cabinet, who holds both the External Affairs and Defence portfolios, shows that in their eagerness to link themselves up to the US imperialists’ war plans, the present rulers of India are prepared to cross one limit after the other. The United States has always been extremely keen to have access to India’s military bases. Holding a geographically central position in Asia and jutting out into the Indian Ocean, India is very important from a strategic point of view to America’s attempts to establish unchallenged global domination. It is particularly important for the US to strengthen its domination over Asia. However, until now, because of the strong revulsion on the part of the Indian people to a military alliance with the US imperialists, no government has dared to publicly talk about giving any foreign power access to the country’s military bases. Now this lakshman rekha is being crossed.This does not come as a surprise. In the present world scenario, the shameless rulers of India see glory in being seen as a favoured ally of the US. When American President Bush revealed his plans for establishing a dangerous nuclear weapons shield (NMD), even his allies in NATO and other countries expressed their opposition and anxiety. But the Vajpayee government, with little or no opposition from the Congress and most other parliamentary parties, stood out as one of the only governments in the world that supported the scheme. It is keen to further cement its military and geostrategic ties with the US, and Jaswant Singh’s nod to the idea of opening India’s military bases to the US is just another step in this direction.This trend in foreign policy is being pushed under the cover of being "realistic", of taking care of India’s best interests in a changing world. However, this is just a sham. In opposition to the vision of the Indian people— for an India without poverty and inequality, with its numerous peoples living in peace and prosperity with each other and with all the world’s peoples— the ruling class is putting forth a completely different, dangerous vision. This is a vision of a militarily powerful India, dominant and feared in the region and Asia as a whole, in which the topmost stratum can become fabulously rich through further integration of India with the global capitalist economy. The ruling class calculates that this vision can best be achieved by a deep-going strategic tie up with US imperialism as the sole superpower. The fact that this will mean that the US imperialists will have even greater capacity to interfere and manipulate the affairs of the Indian people, and that they can use India and its huge resources in their plans against other countries and peoples, is perfectly acceptable to this class.The rulers of India routinely label various sections of our people as "anti-national" and "agents" of this or that foreign power, and persecute them mercilessly on this excuse. The facts show that it is the members of the ruling class themselves that are prepared to sell out the interests of our people at any time. The recent initiatives to move closer to the US are being done without any public discussion, and are being imposed on the people as a fait accompli. The Indian working class and people should be vigilant and vigorously oppose any move to allow the US imperialists a military presence on our soil as well as the overall policy of a strategic tie-up with the US. |
| Working
for lasting peace and genuine friendship between India and Pakistan is a
matter of principle and a necessity of our times!
The stage is getting set for a 3-day summit meeting between Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and the Pakistani President, General Pervez Musharraf, later this month. Political forces in both countries as well as around the world are viewing this summit meet with their respective concerns. It is important that India’s working class clearly puts forth its approach to this most vital question of establishing relations of lasting peace and genuine friendship between the peoples of the two countries in the present context. Lasting peace and genuine friendship between the peoples of India and Pakistan has been both the demand and the deepest aspiration of the Indian working class and all patriotic people. This is not a one sided sentiment this side of the border, as revealed by the numerous delegations of Indians from all classes who have traveled across the border over the years. However, for over five decades, influential sections of the ruling class of both our countries have worked overtime to thwart the realisation of this aspiration.These sections first conciliated with the Anglo-American imperialists in organising the partition of India along communal lines in fulfillment of their own narrow aims. They collaborated in organising one of the most horrendous communal bloodbaths of the twentieth century. They conciliated and collaborated in dividing two of the largest nations in the world, namely the Punjab and Bengal, along communal lines, and in the division of the nation of Kashmir. Together, and in league with the imperialists, they are responsible for creating one of the most militarised borders in the world, along which they have organised numerous wars.India’s workers and other patriotic forces did not agree with the partition of the sub-continent. They shed torrents of blood to prevent this partition. They tried their utmost to educate and organise the toiling masses of the sub-continent against the sinister designs of the colonialists and their collaborators, but could not succeed in preventing partition of the sub-continent. Once partition took place, India’s working class as well as all patriotic forces have taken the stand that the peoples of the two countries must dare to overcome the legacy of partition and recreate bonds of peace, friendship and mutual friendship in pursuit of the common goal of creating a society free from the colonial legacy. In other words, India’s working class and patriotic forces fight for the unity of peoples within the country and across the borders. We completely disagree with sections of the ruling class who either support partition on a communal basis or want to overcome the legacy of partition by military means.Hostility between India and Pakistan has meant that both countries have spent a huge proportion of their scarce resources on the parasitic military complex, buying sophisticated arms from the imperialist powers. South Asia is a powder-keg and a happy playground for all the imperialists and their intelligence agencies and arms merchants. Millions of divided families, the Kashmiri people, as well as the people practising the Muslim faith in India and the religious minorities in Pakistan who are treated as second class citizens in their own countries, have been the most tragic victims of this hostility. Most importantly, this hostility has been used time and again by the ruling class to smash the struggle of the toiling masses and all democratic forces for a clean break with the colonial legacy in the sphere of the economy and polity and for the democratic renewal of our country.For the Anglo-American imperialists, partition of the sub-continent and a state of permanent hostility between the two countries has enabled them to have a weakened South Asia caught up in a self-consuming conflict. During the entire period of the Cold War, the two superpowers, the US and the Soviet Union, armed and played India and Pakistan against each other in pursuit of their own imperialist ambitions in the sub-continent. The biggest tragedy was and remains that influential sections of the ruling classes of both countries have willingly played the game of the imperialists, at the expense of their peoples. India’s working class must stay the hands of the imperialists as well as such sections of the ruling class who view Indo-Pak relations with the closed mindset of the Cold War period and want India and Pakistan to be perpetually embroiled in fratricidal conflict.As soon as General Musharraf was declared President of Pakistan, the US and British imperialists condemned this move. Who are the Americans and British to dictate to India, Pakistan or any other country as to what economic or political system they should have? Should not the Americans and British be told to mind their own business and resolve the glaring problems in their own countries? However, here in India we have political pundits who wax about the glory of "American and Indian democracy" and how "undemocratic" Pakistan is, in the TV and in the print media! Such political pundits have obviously learnt their lessons about the economy and political system from the colonialists and imperialists and they continue to be slaves in mind and thought to the colonisers. This is the best that can be said of them. It is positive that the government of India in this instance did not get drawn into the Anglo-American game plan obviously aimed at disrupting the peace process from advancing.India’s working class has no illusions that the road to genuine peace and lasting friendship between the two countries is going to be smooth. However, the fact that the vast majority of South Asians, whether in India or Pakistan or living abroad ardently desire peace and friendship is a factor that the ruling classes of both countries can ignore only at their own peril. We are fighting against the anti-worker anti-national in the economy of globalisation, liberalisation and privatisation. In the political sphere we are for ending the party system of governance and renewing democracy on modern founda-tions. This fight for democracy at home is completely consistent with our international policy of fighting for genuine peace and lasting friendship amongst the peoples of South Asia, particularly between the peoples of India and Pakistan, and against all imperialist intervention of an economic, military or political character in South Asia. We work with the perspective that the cause of peace and security in the region is safe only if the workers, peasants, women and youth of our land take it up as their own cause. |
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lakh defence production workers announce decision for country-wide strike
against privatisation and liberalisation
According to news reports, three main unions of defence sector production workers have declared a countrywide strike on July 23-24. The strike is expected to halt work in the ordinance factories and all the other establishments all over the country wherein production for defence takes place. Six lakh civilian workers working in this sector will participate in this strike. The strike ballot will be taken in the first week of July following which a programme of meetings, dharnas and other actions have been announced. The main demands of the striking defence production workers are as follows:
The workers in the defence production sector have issued an appeal to the entire working class and all progressive and patriotic forces to support their struggle.People’s Voice congratulates the defence production sector workers on their bold decision to oppose the anti-national policy of globalisation through liberalisation and privatisation. The struggle of the defence production sector workers is a component part of the great struggle of India’s workers, peasants, women, youth and all patriots which is raging all accross the country against the anti-worker, anti-peasant and anti-national course being pursued by the Indian bourgeoisie. This anti-national course is of such character that all people who fight for livelihood or rights are condemned as "terrorists" and "anti-national", to be crushed by force of arms and state terror. The government however is quite willing to sell out the interests of the hard-working workers and peasants and the future of our youth to serve the narrow profit-motive of a handful of Indian and foreign capitalists.On the other hand, the same government of India is playing dangerous games with the US imperialists, whom the Indian and world’s people know from past experience as well as the present day reality to be the most ferocious enemy of progress, freedom and sovereignty of any peoples. Not only is it allowing the US to invest in defence production in India, it is making moves to allow the US use of India’s armed forces’ facilities. It is doing this blinded by the dream of becoming a superpower by catching on to the coat tails of the US imperialists. India’s workers, while crying on the battle against liberalisation and privatisation, must uncompromisingly raise the banner of defence of national sovereignty, which has been cast aside by the treacherous bourgeoisie in its greed for dollars. |
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MFIL Workers’ allegation confirmed by preliminary CAG report Right at the time of the sale of the Public Sector MFIL to the multi-national Hindustan Levers limited, the Modern Food Employees Union, the Lok Raj Sangathan, and other organisations of the workers and working people, as well as various political personalities have condemned the sale as anti-national. One of the points raised by the MFIL Employees’ Union (though certainly not the sole point) was that MFIL was terribly under-valued and almost gifted away to HLL. Now, one and half years later, just as the management of HLL has rushed through a thoroughly anti-worker MOU with certain treacherous politicians masquerading as union leaders, and begun throwing out workers under a so-called Voluntary Retirement Scheme, the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) has come out with a bombshell of a report confirming the workers’ charges. The CAG is reported to have sent its preliminary inspection report to the Department of Disinvestment (DoD) on March 2, 2001. The reply received from the DoD to this preliminary inspection report has been found unsatisfactory by the CAG. Some of the main questions raised by the CAG report as reported in the media are as follows: (1) The government appointed Global Advisor (GA) for the sale, ANZ Grindlays, whose job it was to evaluate the company and oversee its sale, had pegged the company’s value at only Rs. 78.55 crores. But HLL valued it at twice this figure and eventually bought 74 % controlling share of MFIL for Rs. 105.45 crores. According to the CAG report this sharp difference in the two valuations "calls into question the valuation arrived at by the GA". (2) The CAG report confirms that the plant and machinery of MFIL was not valued at all and declares that "non-valuation of plant and machinery is a serious omission". The government justified this omission on the ground that "valuation of each and every item of plant and machinery at all locations would have involved spending a lot of valuable time and money" and that "Modern’s plant and machinery is good enough to be sold only as scrap", notwithstanding the fact that HLL continues to run the same plant and machinery a year and half later. (3) The draft CAG report further points out that brand value and franchise income was not even taken into account in valuation of MFIL by the government and its GA. This despite the brand equity that Modern Food has enjoyed in the past, "being the only brand at a national level with a sizeable distribution network". The draft report points out that MFIL had a franchising network rendering income at 1.5% of franchise sales, which had been completely ignored in the evaluation. (4) CAG’s preliminary report has questioned the valuation of MFIL’s land and buildings. It points out that surplus land at the Delhi unit has been ignored as also that in Silchar and other places, on the ground that "this land cannot be put to any commercial use other than bakery operations". However, the fact remains that it could be used for bakery operations and the possible expansion of such operations. (5) The CAG report also questions the veracity of the methods of valuation adopted by the GA. The government defended the GA, saying that it had adopted four methods of valuation: balance sheet, asset valuation, transaction multiple and discounted cash flow methods. The CAG report points out that the balance sheet method does not reflect the present value of the business and leads to an unrealistically low estimate of Modern’s worth (just Rs. 28.51 crore on Mach 31, 1999). The assets in the form of land, machinery and plants were left out of the evaluation anyway. The transaction multiple method was also questionable, according to the CAG. Since no transaction similar to Modern’s sale had occurred earlier in India, the GA used international acquisition of bakery companies for the purpose, whereas such a comparison is not possible given the wide variations between prevailing business environments in India and abroad. The CAG pointed out several discrepancies in the discounted cash flow method as well. (6) The government’s sale agent calculated a capital gains tax of Rs. 9.96 crores which is a post sale liability and reduced the sale price evaluation accordingly! (7) Most insultingly, and revealing its thoroughly anti-worker attitude, the government estimated a hypothetical cost of Rs 31 crores as the cost of throwing out all the workers, and cut this from the price of MFIL. In other words, government would be paying for the so-called VRS while the job would be done by HLL!. (8) The CAG report further points out that an unnecessarily high risk factor was estimated and the cost of repairs and maintenace was over-inflated to bring down the estimated value of MFIL. (9) The CAG report points out that enough time was not given to other bidders to evaluate the business. Britannia asked for a two week extension of the biding process, but was turned down. As a result HLL remained the only bidder in the field. (10) The CAG report also raised many questions on the appointment of ANZ Grindlays as the GA of the government. It points out that the GA was overpaid. The terms of payment to the GA was 1.25% of the sale value. In addition, the government paid a percentage on the 20 crores that HLL allegedly invested in MFIL and the Rs 11 crores that the government paid to HLL after the closing of the deal! Even the Cabinet was allegedly kept in the dark about the post-closing arrangement by which HLL claimed 17 crores refund, and of which it has already received Rs. 11 crores last year! (11) The CAG report points out that is in line with the decision of the Department of Disinvestment (DoD) according to which a private company which buys a PSU can claim upto 70% of the sale price back from the government citing this or that reason! In sum, what the CAG report is revealing is what workers of MFIL Employees Union and all patriotic Indians have all along being saying. The government sold something which does not belong in the first place to declare to the whole world that it had no responsibility to the workers and peasants and working people of the country and was willing to barter away the land, the resources, the massive productive assets of the working masses to any Indian or foreign multinational. It is important to recall the words of the former arrogant words of former disinvestment minister, Arun Jaitly—"we are not in the business of making bread", his recommendation that workers should feel privileged to work for HLL and also his challenge that MFIL was not undervalued. It is now come out not from workers mouths but from the CAG of the government that this government had undervalued MFIL; and sold it for a song, and what is more had paid HLL to throw out the workers! What answer will present disinvestment minister Arun Shourie give to the workers charges against the entire policy of privatisation! Is he going to sing paeans to how HLL will "turn around" a profit making company into a "sick company" over the bodies of thousands of workers and their families! The lesson for the workers of MFIL and all other PSU’s facing the executioners axe of privatisation is very clear. They must follow the path blazed by the MFIL Employees Union and other fighting forces and uncom-promisingly resist privatisation through all forms of struggle. They have nothing to lose and everything to gain in the struggle. |
| Workers
of MFIL oppose the VRS and job-cut program of HLL management
The Modern Food Industries Employees Union organised a militant meeting and demonstration at the gate of the Lawrence Road Bread Unit-I on June 27, 2001. Hundreds of workers participated in this program which followed a General Body Meeting of the Union. The extraordinary GBM took note of the treacherous agreement signed by the leaders of two federations with the HLL management on June 15-16, condemned this agreement as anti-worker and called upon the entire workforce of MFIL in all the plants of the country to reject this agreement. The GBM noted that the key features of the agreement
were that it was signed in a cloak and dagger manner behind the 6000 workmen
and behind the back of the majority of unions and activists in the different
plants. For instance, in the Bread According to the terms of the agreement, the federations "demanded" and the management "conceded" a VRS scheme applicable to all workers in all plants. The agreement further gives the right to the management to transfer "surplus workers" from one plant to another, something unheard of in the history of MFIL. Obviously the so-called leaders of the federation have given a free hand to the HLL management to use transfers as a method of getting rid of militant workers as well as organising a massive reduction in work-force. HLL management is known to have stated its position that it wants to reduce the workforce to 10% of the existing workforce. The experience of earlier takeovers by HLL is that it sooner rather than later closes the existing plant, sells the surplus land, uses the establish brand-name for extending the market for other products, and manufacture the same product through contract labour in some "industrially backward" regions after claiming tax exemptions and other privileges from the state. This is the course it is planning with MFIL too. However, the struggle of MFIL Employees Union and other progressive forces is putting a dampner on the plans of HLL management. Just as the management was beginning to crow about "its victory" in getting pliant unions to sign the treacherous agreement, the interim CAG report has been released which show some of the many dark pages in the sale of MFIL to HLL. The MFIL Employees Union has launched a signature campaign against the agreement and hundreds of workers have already signed it on the first day of the campaign itself. The MFIL Employees Union has announced that it will organise a day long dharna at the Lawrence Road Unit on July 17, 2001 in protest against HLL policies and demanding the annulment of the agreement. |
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