அகில இந்திய இன்சூரன்ஸ் ஊழியர் சங்க சுற்றறிக்கை
ALL INDIA
INSURANCE EMPLOYEES’ ASSOCIATION
LIC BUILDING SECRETARIAT ROAD HYDERABAD 500063
Cir. No.01/2011
18th
February 2011
To
all the Zonal/Divisional/State/Regional Units:
Dear Comrades,
MARCH
FOR AN ALTERNATE POLICY
The budget session of
the Parliament would commence from February 21.
The Finance Minister will present the Budget for the year 2011-12 on 28th
February. AIIEA is of the view that a Budget is not just an arithmetical
exercise. It lays down the policies of
the government. The Finance Minister in his last budget speech too said that
budget is not mere statistics but a policy statement. While admitting in the
appended statements that tax concessions worth Rs.5 lakh crore were given to
the corporate sector, he proposed in the budget that public sector
disinvestment would be resorted to mobilize Rs.40,000 crores to meet the budgetary
deficit. This signaled a clear attack on the living standards of the people
while taking all policy measures to protect and advance the interests of the
big business. The statement on public
sector was the clear intention of transferring the wealth of the nation to the
private aggrandizement.
The past one year has
been the most difficult period for the vast majority of Indians. The government proclaimed that it is
committed to serve the Aam Aadmi. But
suddenly the Aam Aadmi totally disappeared from the government’s discourse. The uncontrolled inflation broke the back of
this Aam Aadmi and there is very little to suggest that prices could be brought
under control in the near future. While
the Aam Aadmi suffers, the balance sheets of the corporate houses show swelling
profits. There is clear evidence that the national wealth is being taken out
illegally and stashed in foreign banks.
But the government pleads helplessness to do anything about it. No time in
the past a government had been so insensitive to the plight of the people.
On 12th January 2011 the nine central trade unions submitted a
joint memorandum demanding measures for arresting price rise, lift ban on
recruitment and create employment, stop the reforms in banking, insurance and
pension sectors, stop disinvestment of public sector, ensure remunerative
prices to the farmers, increase tax exemption to Rs.3 lakhs for salaried
persons, put in place a progressive taxation system, take steps to recover the unpaid tax arrears
and other demands relating to the common people.
A day earlier, the
captains of the Indian industry met the Finance Minister and suggested for
maintenance of excise duty at current level, and also for reduction of
corporate tax. They also made a
recommendation for opening up of defence and retail sectors for foreign
players.
Thus the Budget for 2011-12 would be presented in the background of
back-breaking prices fuelled by the repeated petrol price hikes and
government’s inability to stop the forward trading. The year also saw farmers
in absolute misery due to failure of crops and then destruction of crops by the
fury of nature. The budget is going to be presented in the backdrop of rising level of
unemployment as revealed by the Report of the Labour Bureau and NSSO surveys
and sharp decline in the share of wages in the gross value added as revealed by
the Annual Survey of Industries. This
clearly portrays the utterly jobless character of the economic operations
besides sharp decline in the level of wages on the average.
If there were to be a change of course, it can
not come on its own since the policy of the government is not in favour of the
common people but in favour of international finance capital and the corporates
in India. This has to be forced.
On 7th September 2010, the country
witnessed a massive general strike participated by around 10 crore workers across
all the sectors and segments pressing for policies in favour of the people. The
unity achieved through the countrywide general strike action on 7th
September 2010 must be widened and cemented further through heightening the
united action of the working class to make the government act.
The trade union movement of the country has now
decided to intensify the protests to force the government to reverse the
anti-people policies. The Central Trade Unions and Independent Federations have
decided to mobilize the workers in a march to the Parliament on 23rd
February 2011. THE WORKERS MARCH TO PARLIAMENT will be a clear demonstration that
the workers of the country are determined to force the government to come out
with solutions to the following five point charter espoused by the trade union
movement of this country.
1) Contain the price rise
and strengthen the Public Distribution System
2) Enforce labour laws
3) Create employment and
link stimulus package to employment protection
4) Provide universal
coverage for unorganised sector worker under Social Security
5) NO to disinvestment of
profit making public sector
It is very
encouraging to notice that all the Central Trade Unions have taken the
mobilization for the March to Parliament as an urgent task.
Insurance employees
being part of this collective voice are participating in large numbers and in
the process they would voice their demand against the increase in FDI in
insurance sector and for protection of the public sector insurance industry
along with the other demands of the people. Insurance employees and agents are
mobilising in a large number to particpate in the March to Parliament. While the AIIEA units nearer to Delhi are mobilising the
employees in a larger number, there would be representative participation from
the other zonal units also. The
President and General Secretary of AIIEA along with the President or the
General Secretary of the Zonal Units and Office-bearer from the General Sector
are going to lead the contingent of the AIIEA assembling at the Jantar Mantar
which is nearer to Jeevan Bharti building.
The Diamond Jubilee
Year 22nd Conference of AIIEA decided that while many comrades of
AIIEA will be participating in the March to Parliament on the 23rd
February 2011, the units across the country would hold lunch hour
demonstrations on that day in solidarity with the workers marching at Delhi and
in support of the demands raised in the March to Parliament. This would connect
the whole insurance employees with those marching at Delhi.
ONWARD TO 23rd
February 2011. The workers through this
massive demonstrative action should force the government to take urgent
measures to meet the demands put forth by the trade union movement.
Comradely
yours,
Sd .. K.Venugopal
General
Secretary.
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