Sir,

I read with great alarm the article carried in the columns of PV of August 16-31, 2009 entitled "Proposal of 60 hour working week is aimed at legalising super-exploitation!''  The proposal under the new Economic Survey is one of the corner stones of the new strategy of the bourgeoisie to fatten itself at an unprecedented pace. The utterly craven and shameless nature of the proposal from an allegedly democratically elected Government speaks volumes for what this Government actually stands for.

If the proposal comes through, it will stand as one of the great assaults on the rights won by workers through generations of struggle for a dignified and a human existence. It is well known that in the country most laws are flouted and in practice the masses do work much more than the maximum number of hours stipulated by the law, and there are millions who are beyond the pale of the law anyway.  And yet, in sectors where skilled labour is required, even the nominal laws have been found by the bourgeoisie to be a fetter to their unquenchable thirst for super profits.  By changing the laws, the bourgeoise will make available the skilled labour of the country to itself and make India a favoured destination for manufacturing for overseas investors.  Benefits such as overtime pay will now be a thing of the past.  The working class must unite to defeat this diabolical plan. The CGPI must be at the forefront of the struggle to meet this aim.

Sincerely,
S. Nair, Kochi