An all-India meeting was organized on December 15-16, 2007 in NOIDA under the initiative of the All-India Workers Rights Platform on the issue of social security for workers. The meeting was presided over by Comrades Sanjay Basu Mallick, Somen Rai, Ravindra Rai, Bardani and Ashok Chaudhary.

Com. Subash Chakravarty, General Secretary, gave the inaugural address and said that right to work, social security and a dignified life cannot be realized unless the workers have ownership rights over the means of production. This is also necessary for achieving revolutionary political consciousness, real freedom and a society free from exploitation.

Convening the meeting, Shri. Taneshwar invited suggestions from the participants on the proposed Social Security Bill. Several organizations and activists from different parts of India took part in the discussion and presented their views.

Ganapati from Sonebhadra said that there were many such plans, but they are meaningless in the absence of mechanisms to implement the same. Shiv Babu expressed his skepticism that the proposed Bill will be able to ensure workers’ rights.

The representative of Lok Raj Sangathan said that instead of the government ensuring the fulfillment of the basic rights of every citizen, including the right to shelter, livelihood, healthcare, education and other basic rights, they are announcing various welfare and social security schemes to assuage people’s anger. The real purpose of these schemes is not to uphold the rights of workers. This explains the increasing number of unorganized workers and the deterioration in their wretched conditions.

Among the people who tabled proposals were Rajesh Chaudhary, Bardani, Mastana, Dr. Nagendra Kumar Devnath, Lipika Basu, Seema Prakash, Munna Lal, Ratan Lal, Uday Bhan Sharma, Deepak Soni, Com. Nathi Ram Sharma and Amjad Hasan.

The All India Workers Rights platform continued their discussion on the second day, to discuss organizational matters.