January 1-15, 2007

Textile workers of Kanpur have decided to organize a public meeting of workers in Kanpur on January 21, 2006. Activists of all trade unions, who support the struggle of the workers will be invited to this meeting. The meeting will chart an action course for highlighting the betrayal of the workers by different political parties, the state and central governments and the textile ministry. This was announced by a leader of the workers.

“We have been betrayed by those in the communist movement who led us on the economist path. I have been a member of the communist party for decades. But the party never educated us in the theory of revolution….” This is what a communist worker leader declared in the course of the ongoing struggle in Kanpur of the workers of the now dead textile industry, fully state-owned.

150 workers of British India Cotton Mills, (BIC), an Indian State owned public sector undertaking, have been sitting on continuous dharna in front of the gate of Mill Elgin No.1, for over 3 years. They reflect the aspirations of hundreds of workers and their families who were denied even their “dues” as workers when the mill was finally shut down.

The textile mills of Kanpur were nationalized in 1981 in the name of turning around loss making units into profit making ones through state intervention and investments. In fact, they were nationalized to bail out the capitalist owners who were given hefty compensation. No modernization was carried out. By the early nineties, production in almost all the mills had come to a grinding halt. This was fobbed off on the workers as a victory because they were to receive wages without working. A section of the workers never gave up the struggle to reopen the mills. Finally, they were forced by the management to take VRS. At that time, the management put up notices that Elgin No 1 would be made functional soon. At the same time, hundreds of workers of Elgin No 1 were denied even the VRS. It is these workers who are continuing the struggle to get the mill reopened, failing which they want their just dues.

Every political party of the ruling class and those who conciliate with the ruling class, have washed their hands off this struggle.

In this context, the fighting workers of Kanpur are seriously engaged in discussion on active intervention in the upcoming elections to the state assembly of Uttar Pradesh to put forth the claims of the workers.

The workers are also planning an indefinite dharna in New Delhi during the Budget session of parliament. People's Voice calls upon all fighters of the working class to actively support the just struggle of the fighting workers of Kanpur.