CIRCULAR FROM A.I.I.E.A ON FORMATION OF TUI (BIFU), DELHI RALLY, INSURANCE BILLS

The Foundation Congress of Trade Union International (Banks, Insurance and Financial Sector Unions) was held at New Delhi on 24^th and 25^th February 2011. The financial services unions earlier were a part of the TUI (Public and Allied Employees).  The WFTU had decided to form an exclusive TUI for Banks, Insurance and Financial Sector Unions with the understanding that this would help the growth and expansion of the movement.

Delegates from 29 countries participated in the Congress. The delegations were from Belarus, Bosnia, Brazil, China, Colombia, Congo, Cuba, Cyprus, Ecuador, Gabon, Greece, Hong Kong, Iran, Malaysia, Mauritius, Nigeria, Peru, Portugal, Serbia, South Africa, Sudan, Syria, Uruguay, Venezuela, Taiwan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Srilanka and India. Delegations from a few other countries could not take part due to snags in the travel arrangements.

The AIIEA was represented by an 11 member delegation comprising of Coms. Amanulla Khan, President, K. Venu Gopal, General Secretary, P. Bagchi & M. Kunhikrishnan, Vice Presidents, B. Sanyal, V. Ramesh, H.I.Bhat,  Ashok Tewari, Jayanta Mukherjee, Shreekant Mishra,  and Anil Kumar Bhatnagar, Joint Secretaries.

Com. Tapan Sen, General Secretary, CITU and Com. Gurudas Dasgupta, AITUC addressed and greeted the Conference.  Com. C.H. Mahadevan, Dy. Secretary General, WFTU from India and Com. Valentine Pacho, Dy. Secretary General, WFTU from the Headquarters guided the conduct of the Congress.

The report to the Congress discussed about the global financial crisis which resulted into the loss of savings for the people and loss of jobs and wage cuts for the workers.  The effect of this crisis in the Banking and Insurance sectors across the world was affecting the lives of workers in the financial sector.  In India due to the strong presence of Public Sector Banking and Insurance Companies, the impact could be contained. The need for uniting the workers in the financial sector in this background has set the agenda for formation of separate Trade Union International of Financial Sector workers. 

The Congress was conducted in four sessions. One of the sessions was chaired by a presidium consisting exclusively of women comrades from nine countries. 

The final session of the Congress was chaired by a Presidium headed by Com. Amanulla Khan, President, AIIEA.

While participating in the debate on the report, Com. K. Venu Gopal, General Secretary, AIIEA informed the Congress about the struggles of AIIEA during the last 20 years to protect the public sector insurance industry in India.  He also pointed out that this struggle helped LIC and PSU General Insurance companies maintain leadership in the market share and also helped retain LIC and four general insurance companies in the public sector so far. He informed the Congress about the mobilization of public opinion which helped the success of the struggle of insurance employees. He also pointed out that the presence of strong public sector insurance companies which are accountable to the Parliament helped contain the impact of the financial crisis on the savings of the people in the form of insurance premia.

TUI (BIFU) passed a resolution supporting the demand of AIIEA for withdrawal of the two insurance bills introduced in the Indian Parliament.

The Congress elected Com. Alexandre Likhtarovitch of Belarusian Trade Union of Bank and Finance Employees as President and Com. C.H. Venkatachalam of AIBEA as General Secretary. Com. K. Venu Gopal, General Secretary AIIEA was elected to the Secretariat of the TUI as Secretary, TUI (BIFU).

WORKERS MARCH TO PARLIAMENT

More than five lakhs of workers participated in the historic March to Parliament on 23rd February 2011 at the call of Central Trade Unions and other All India Federations.  AIIEA congratulates the workers across the country for making this rally the biggest ever mobilization in the City of Delhi. Raising the basic issues of the working people and all sections of toilers, the Trade Unions have sent a powerful message to the Government that it should change its policies so as to end the deprivations of the working people.

The rally has seen men and women from all sections of workers – unorganized sector, organized sector which included private and public sectors, Central Government and State Government employees and employees from Banks, Insurance, Telecom and Defence production, Medical Representatives and other sectors. Largest sections of participants were from the unorganized sector – construction, brick kiln, hamalis, autorikshaw drivers, beedi workers, handloom and powerloom workers etc.

The anger among the people across the country was reflected in this massive mobilization demanding justice to the working people. Around 2000 insurance employees participated in this historic rally.  Apart from the office-bearers of AIIEA coming from various centres, comrades from both life and general sectors from Delhi, Rohtak, Karnal, Jaipur, Kanpur, Aligarh, Meerut, Varanasi, Allahabad, and Bhopal participated in the rally. Retired insurance employees also joined the rally. AIIEA congratulates all these comrades who have been partners in this great event. Across the country, insurance employees connected their voices with those participating in the rally by holding lunch hour demonstrations on the issues raised in the rally at Delhi.

Insurance Bills

Union Finance Minister, during his budget speech said today that the government intends to take up the insurance bills along with the Banking Bills and PFRDA Bill during this session.  While he is addressing this for the benefit of the international finance capital, our units should be in readiness to meet the challenge when the government makes the move.

AIIEA units are already in a campaign formulated by the Diamond Jubilee conference for a campaign among the public from 15^th February 2011 onwards.   The campaign can be continued up to 15^th March 2011. This campaign should be continued to see that the policyholders’ opinion is mobilized against the two bills.

Comradely yours,

Sd..K.Venugopal

General Secretary.