Editorial 2nd Quarter 2017

 FIRE               MAGAZINE             EDITORIAL               MAY              2017                                                                          

                                                    

                                     Thota  Hanumaiah               Chief Editor

The All India Loco Running Staff Association extends its revolutionary greetings to the working class and toiling masses across the Globe and expresses solidarity in their fight against the internationally prevailing exploitative neoliberal Capitalist order. The Association reiterates its commitment to socialism and its resolve to continue its struggle for a society, free from all sorts of exploitation. May Day, the traditional day for working class solidarity, is being celebrated around the world by workers, trade unions and political parties linked to the working class and toiling masses.

The AILRSA takes note of the fact that the global economic crisis continues, unabated. The economic growth has not picked up. Whatever growth is there, the gain of it is, wholly, taken away by the capitalists. Unemployment, particularly, the unemployment among youth continues to be at alarming levels. Inequalities are growing to dangerous levels .Eight richest persons in the world are in possession of the wealth equivalent to the wealth possessed by half of the world’s population. The persistent attempts of the ruling classes, to tide over the crisis, for protecting and increasing the profits and to promote loot of national assets, by the national and multi national corporations, by attacking the working and living conditions of the toiling people and their  hard won rights, have ,ultimately, proved to be futile and counter productive.

It is observed that the impact of the global crisis on the conditions of the common people and the poor is expressed in the political developments in different countries as Brexit,(Britain exit from European Union) and the uncertainty of some other countries like Italy and Greece continuing in the European Union, the rise of right wing forces in countries like France, Austria, the Netherlands etc; attacks on the livelihood and rights of emigrant and migrant workers, by various regimes in the West, the USA in particular, with a racist overtone, have increased.

This systemic crisis exposes the total failure and inability of the capitalist system in the full and proper use of the precious human resources to improve the well being of humanity, the unfettered exploitation of natural resources without any concern about its impact on environment and livelihood of millions of people, large numbers of them indigenous and tribals, by the capitalist class indicates the incapability of the system for sustainable development

It is to be pointed out that the benefits of the huge advances made in science and technology have remained inaccessible for the vast major sections of people, particularly the poor because of the greed for profits which is the driving force of the capitalist system. As a result, millions of people across the world suffer from poverty, illiteracy, ill health, lack of housing and other basic necessities of life, even in this 21st century. Even, the new technologies like robotics, artificial intelligence, automation, remote sensing etc; are utilised to replace millions of workers, but not to lighten their burden, despite the huge increase in productivity.Thus, worsening the already alarming unemployment situation.

 It is the need of the hour to demand that the working hours be brought down to 30 hours per week, with four shifts a day and 5 days a week to maintain healthy and productive work force in order to promote generation of employment, as an immediate means to address the serious unemployment crisis across the world, particularly among the youth, and also to increase the production of goods and services to meet the needs of consumption.

It is seen that the increasing discontent and anger of the people, against the impact of the pro-corporate and pro-rich neoliberal policies and against the widening income disparities have led to their growing participation in struggles to defend their working conditions and livelihoods. More and more workers, peasants, youth, unemployed, women are getting gradually disillusioned with the capitalist model of development even in the advanced capitalist countries. According to a recent survey by Harvard University 51percent of young people between the ages of 18 and 29 in the US do not support capitalism; 33 percent supported socialism. As per another survey in the UK, 39 percent viewed capitalism unfavourably and only 33 percent viewed it favourably while 36 percent viewed socialism favourably and 32 percent viewed it negatively.

There has been a rise in workers’ struggles since the last year. Notably, the general strike on September 2016.  There has been a series of strike actions and other working class protests.  Among the major strike actions were the strike by bank employees and officers on February 28, 2017, the strike by one lakh medical and sales representatives on February 3 and the strike by thirteen lakh employees of the Central Government on March16.The Steel workers of Salem, Durgapur and Bhadravati plants went on a strike on April 11 against privatization.  There has been a one-day strike of Anganwadi, Asha, Mid-Day Meal workers and Sarva Siksha Abhiyan employees on   January 20, 2017. Other important protest actions have been the Road Transport Corporation workers’ strike action in Haryana and the solidarity action by workers of the Maruti units in support of those workers who were sentenced to life in the Maruti Suzuki incident. A notable struggle has been the militant action of 20,000 Anganwadi women workers in Karnataka who sat on dharna and blocked the road for four days in Bengaluru in March this year, which finally led to the government of Karnataka having to announce an increase of Rs. 1,000 for the workers and Rs. 500 for the helpers over and above the increase announced in the budget of a similar amount.

In the Railways the All India Loco Running Staff Association has held numerous struggles, the recent one being the nation wide hunger fast by starvation for 36 hours from 25^th April 2017 to 26^th April 2017, organized jointly by AILRSA and AIGC , very successfully with more than ONE LAKH  Loco Pilots and Guards  participating in it. This agitational programme was conducted against the apathy being shown by the Government, in resolving their burning issues pertaining to Revision of low pay levels allotted to them in 7^th CPC; to ensure 14.29%  raise in pay of 7^th CPC pay matrix, on par with other central government and fellow railway men; to with draw the draconian orders directing the disciplinary authority to impose the penalty of removal from service, in the cases of signal passing at danger; to implement high power committee recommendations on duty hours and rest period in letter and spirit; to reduce the duty hours to 8 hours a day and to restrict duty hours of mail and express crews to 5 hours  a day; replacement of assistant loco pilot with co-pilot on super fast trains; to restrict stay away from head quarters to 48 hours; to provide weekly rest of 40 hours; to raise the pay level of ALP on par with ASM; to merge the pay level of LP Shg. Gr. 1&2 into pay level 6; to allot distinctly different higher levels of pay to each category of loco pilots and guards; to calculate the running allowances rates in accordance with the formula of Running allowances committee, 1980; to stop working of trains with out guard; to scrap NPS and restore statutory pension to all those recruited from 2004 also; to grant additional allowances to ALPs & guards goods etc;

The NDA government is extending bonanzas to the national and multinational corporations and big business houses through tax concessions and exemptions from labour laws and other laws of the land; it is rewarding the tax and bank loan defaulters; it is handing control over the nation’s wealth of our public sector, our lands, our mines, our seas, our hills and our forests, and most of all, our people to the profit greedy corporates, both domestic and foreign, for unbridled exploitation by them.

The vast majority of workers and the peasants, the creators of wealth are being pushed into slavery and penury as they are denuded of their lands, their jobs, their rights and their livelihoods. Mockery is being made of all the hard won labour laws and rights of the working class, by converting them into toothless ineffective codes. Several claims of providing social security are being made while in reality existing statutory benefits like PF and ESI are being sought to be erased. The expenditure on social welfare benefits like MGNREGA, Mid day meal programme etc are being drastically cut with the ultimate motive of dismantling them all. The public sector is being dismantled. The privatisation and rampant contractorisation not only leads to insecurity of jobs, reduced wages and reduced employment potential but also, denies the statutory right to reservations. The agrarian crisis and peasant suicides continue unabated. Despite all the hype of ‘Make in India’, ‘Start up India’ and ‘Stand up India’, the employment generation has, in reality, slowed down and in many areas declining.  

 It is a matter of deep concern that the authoritarian tendencies are on rise in our country as also the growing intolerance in society, and the increasing attacks on all rational, scientific thought and dissenting voices by the inimical forces.

These working class actions are mainly in defence of workers’ rights and opposing the economic policies which affect their livelihood and incomes.  They are in the nature of organized struggles by the trade unions. But, the working class has to be trained to respond to all forms of oppression, if it is to be inspired with socialist consciousness and be capable of leading the struggle for social transformation. Trade Unions must develop the consciousness of polity in the working class so that, it is equipped to take up the twin tasks of fighting the anti people neo-liberal capitalism and communalism.  

 

 The May Day is the day of pledge by working class allover the world to carry forward the working class struggle initiated by our yester years generations against the slavery working conditions, oppressive and exploitative regime and to defend the hard won rights and labour laws besides shouldering the responsibility to attain the socialist society, for ensuring well being of every person in the society.

         

The AILRSA, appeals to the working class, toiling masses of India and in particular to the loco men and railway men:

To widen and deepen its unity irrespective of the existence or non existence of unions and trade union affiliations, irrespective of religion, region, caste, language, gender etc; to strengthen united struggles against the anti-worker, anti-people and anti-national neoliberal policies. To strengthen bonds of solidarity across sectors and states and stand as one to resist and defeat the attacks on their rights, on their jobs, on their livelihoods, living and working conditions

To identify, the capitalist system and its polity and the forces that promote the system, as the real enemy of the working class and  toiling people ,and to prepare themselves for the struggle to change this exploitative system to the benefit of all.

To be aware of the attacks on the democratic rights of the people and thwart the authoritarian tendencies

To be vigilant against all attempts to divide and disrupt its unity and the unity of the people, in whatsoever garb or colour it is presented and to promptly intervene to thwart all such attempts

Loco men to seriously prepare with utmost unity and strength to wage bitter struggles, at the call of AILRSA, to resolve and achieve our long pending genuine demands and grievances.  

                              Down with Imperialist led Neoliberal Globalisation.

         Long Live Socialism.        Workers of the world Unite.      AILRSA ZINDABAD.