Trade unionsin massive campaigns

Trade Unions to Unleash Massive Campaign -
On ILO Core Conventions
- Swadesh Dev Roye
According to the call of the 87th session of International Labour Conference (ILC) of the International Labour Organisatioon (ILO) the trade union movement all over the world is observing the 60th anniversary of the adoption of the Core Convention No.87.
The Central Trade Unions (CTUs) in our country jointly organized a 'National Workshop on ILO Core Conventions' on 4th November 2008 at the Constitution Club, New Delhi. The presidium of the workshop consisted of MK Pandhe (CITU), H. Mahadevan (AITUC), RA Mital (HMS), R.Sharma (AIUTUC), Abani Roy (UTUC) and Thomas (AICCTU).
A Keynote Paper was presented in the Workshop. Initiating the discussion Com. Pandhe deplored non-ratification of all the Core Conventions by India, which is a founder member of ILO. He spoke on the need for conducting countrywide massive campaign to popularise the Core Conventions of ILO amongst the working class. He put forward suggestions for carrying out protracted propaganda and agitation to mount pressure on the Government to ratify the remaining Core Conventions in India. More and more cooperation and coordinated activities by trade unions and Sub-Regional Office of ILO in India was stressed upon by Com. Pandhe.
It is to be noted that out of the 8 Core Conventions, India, a founder member of ILO and holding a non-elective seat of the Governing Body, has so far ratified only four - Convention Nos. 29,100, 105 and 111 in the years 1954, 1958, 2000 and 1960 respectively. Notably, the two most important Core Conventions i.e., Conventions No. 87 and 98 are not yet ratified by India.
Apart from the members of the presidium those who spoke in the Workshop included Ms. Leyla Tegmo-Reddy, Director and ILO Representative in India, Pong-Sul Ahn, Senior Specialist for Activities with Workers’ Organisations, ILO, India. Those who spoke representing CITU included Tapan Sen, Swadesh Dev Roye, Kashmir Singh Thakur, Sudhir Kumar, D.P. Dubey and Ranjana Nirula. Glaring examples of serious violation of trade union rights and attack on trade union functionaries were presented by speakers from states and industries.
Extracts from the Keynote Paper are as follows: The freedom and rights conferred on workers by ILO Convention No.87 can be precisely summarised as follows: The right freely exercised by workers to organize for furthering and defending their interests. The right to establish and to join orgnisations of their own choosing by workers. Public authorities shall refrain from any interference which would restrict their right or impede the lawful exercise of this right. The organizations shall have the right to establish and join federations and confederations, which shall enjoy the same rights and guarantees and also provides for the rights to affiliate with international organizations. The acquisition of legal personality by all these organizations shall not be subject to restrictive conditions. The law of the land and the way in which it is applied shall not impair the guarantees provided for in the Convention. (ILO Bureau of Workers’ Activities)
Similarly, the salient features of ILO Convention No.98 can be briefly summarised as follows: Protection to workers who are exercising the right to organize, non-interference between workers' organization and employers' organization. Promotion of voluntary collective bargaining. Workers shall enjoy adequate protection against acts of anti-union discrimination. Workers shall be protected against refusal to employ due to trade union membership. Against dismissal or any other prejudice by reason of union membership or participation in trade union activities. (ILO Bureau of Workers' Activities).
The Government of India has been continuously failing to ratify the left out Core Conventions on different pleas. In view of the collapse of the 'market driven' finance capital dominated economic policies of globalization, liberalization and privatisation as manifested in the worst ever capitalist economic crisis since the Great Depression of 1930s, the forthcoming days willl be very challenging for the working class. Already attack has been launched on jobs and wages and to blunt the inevitable resistance struggles by the trade union movement, the employers' class will resort to attack on trade union rights.
To carry forward the campaign through out the country the next joint consultation of the trade unions shall consider Regional Conventions at Kolkata, Mumbai, Chennai, Bangalore, Hyderabad and Chandigarh and to culminate into a massive National Convention at New Delhi which will adopt further course of action. A delegation of the trade unions will submit a memorandum to the Government. Technical cooperation of ILO, both at the levels of headquarters and at the New Delhi office, will be worked out.