TOWARDS GENERAL STRIKE ON 9 JULY!

As per the call of the Central Trade Unions, more than 25 crores of workers in India are going on a One Day General Strike on 9th July 2025.This is the 23rd General Strike against the anti-worker, anti-people neo-liberal policy of the central government, the first having been organised on 29th November 1991

.The present strike is called by the Central Trade Unions, Independent Federations and Service Associations in which more than 25 crores of workers are expected to participate. National Coordination Committee of Pensioners’ Associations (NCCPA) and other Pensioners Organizations have fully supported the strike in which their issues like restoration of statutory pension (OPS), Appointment of 8 th Pay Commission, Cancellation of Anti-pensioners Validation Act etc are included.

NCCPA and all affiliated pensioners’ organisations have supported tbe strike and called for solidarity actions on 8th July by organising massive demonstrations/ Dharnas etc. This is a struggle for existence and in defence of the rights of workers and naturally that of pensioners.

Make it a complete success tbrough msssive participation!

Workers Unity Zindabad!

Workers and Pensioners Unity Zindabad!

V A N Namboodiri, Advisor, AIBDPA

A special convention of Berhampur District branch was held on 06-07-2025 at GMTD office premises. Com.Kailash Chandra Mallick, District President controlled the proceedings. Com.J Kameswar Rao, Circle Secretary, BSNLEU delivered a special address and assured all the cooperation and help in further strengthening of AIBDPA. Com. P K Panigrahy, CIrcle Secretary and District Secretary welcomed one and all and placed the report on activities for the interim period. Com.A Dhupal, CHQ Vice President gave a good account of developments in respect of Validation of Pension rules and the agitational programmes against it by NCCPA, General Strike on 9th July, 2025, CGHS issues, BSNL MRS ,next AIC at Coimbatore and pension revision. Com.Sudhakar Karapati, District Secretary, BSNLEU also addressed.

The 3rd biennial district conference of Himatnagar has been held successfully on 26-06-2025. Com.I M Patel, Retd DE presided over the conference. Com.P K Patel, District Secretary welcomed all and presented the report and accounts. The conference was inaugurated by all the leaders by lighting of the lamp. Com.M B Chaniyara, Circle Secretary and CHQ Vice President delivered the keynote address covering the developments in the recent past in respect of the important issues. A host of leaders addressed the conference including Coms. N N Patel, Circle President, V K Pandya, Circle Vice President,G M Rami, V B Gadhvi ,Circle Organising Secretaries, G B Darji, District Secretary, Mahsena, S C Soni, V M Darji, District President & Secretary, Palanpur and Bacharbhai and Chirag Raval, District President and Secretary, BSNLEU. Seniors above 75 years were honoured in the conference.

In the unanimous election of office bearers, the following are the important functionaries; Com.G J Chauhan (President) Com.P K Patel (District Secretary) Com.A S Ansari (Treasurer)

According to the consumer price index released by Labour Bureau of India on 30-06-2025, the IDA from 1stJuly, 2025 will be 227.1%. The existing IDA 226.5% + 0.6% increase, for the employees and retirees of 2007 pay scales of CPSEs. It will become payable once the orders are issued by DPE.

During the dark days of the internal emergency thrust upon the country in 1975 by the then Prime Minister Smt.Indira Gandhi, several political party leaders opposed to her were arrested , jailed and subjected to brutal physical assault by the police. In the erstwhile P&T Department, certain bureaucrats in connivance with the pro-government union took the opportunity to victimise several leaders and active workers of NFPTE on flimsy grounds. Kerala had several such instances wherein some of the comrades were jailed during the entire period of emergency, some were detained in police custody, more were transferred to far off places, some charge sheeted and increments cut etc.

On the occasion of 50th Anniversary of Emergency (25-06-2025), AIBDPA Kannur SSA organized a nice program at K G Bose Bhawan, Kannur to honour the victimised comrades. It was inaugurated by Com. K. P. Sahadevan, veteran leader and State Secretary, CITU who has been very close to our movement since long. Com. K. Santhakumar, District President presided. Com. K. Mohanan, Circle President and District Secretary, Kannur welcomed one and all. A host of leaders including Coms. C. P. Sobhana ( NCCPA) P Manoharan ( BSNLEU), K V Remadevi, K Rajan, K Kunhiraman, K R R Varma ( all AIBDPA ) addressed.

Com.K G Jayaraj,General Secretary spoke on the occasion and honoured the following comrades with mementos ; Com. K. P. Sahadevan (CITU) Coms. Karayi Sreedharan, Keecheri Raghavan, P Janardhanan, T V Janardhanan, G Maniyan, C P Chathu and K Sethumadhavan( all AIBDPA ). All of them shared their experience during the dark days of Emergency.

Dear colleagues,Ladies and gentlemen,

The year 2025 humanity honors the great victory of the peoples against the fascist – Nazi onslaught. In 2025 WFTU celebrates 80 years since its foundation. It is not a coincidence, of course. The new breath of fresh air that brought with it hope for a better world, with peace, democracy, and social justice, was the same that resulted in the creation of the WFTU on October 3, 1945.

Unfortunately, 80 years later, these hopes and expectations do not seem to have been fulfilled. The imperialist wars, interventions, sanctions, and blockades continue and intensify. Fascism is on the rise and threatening again.

The genocide of the Palestinians of Gaza from the murderous Israeli state continues unabated, with the support or the tolerance of USA, EU and their allies. The rights of Palestinian workers have been brutally violated for decades. It is high time at last that the Director-General’s report on the situation of workers in occupied Palestine, is not merely a description of the dramatic situation, but it should also recommend effective measures for those suffering the consequences of the occupation and Israeli apartheid. As far as the elevation of the status of Palestine from a “Liberation Movement” to a “Non-member state observer”, it is the least that the ILO should decide.

In today’s world, the reality experienced by workers is one characterized by unemployment, precarization, temporality, insecurity, uninsured work that is expanding and consolidating, deregulation, and the deterioration of living and working conditions. Democratic and trade union freedoms are shrinking, social goods and benefits are being privatised, and the arbitrary increase in retirement age thresholds is being systematically continued.

For the sake of the profitability of multinational companies, the system resorts to a “war economy”, which, apart from being a threat to world peace, means even harsher policies of austerity and social inequality. This is the brutal reality, which cannot be concealed behind the catchy slogans adopted by the ILO about “new social contracts”, “decent work”, etc.

What workers are demanding are decisions and policies that practically support their rights and freedoms, not declarations and empty words without impact.

The encouraging and hopeful aspect of this picture of today’s world, is the fact that workers are not passively accepting the anti-grassroots and anti-worker capitalist attacks; rather they are choosing the path of struggle to meet their contemporary needs and defend their trade union, social and political rights. Their weapon is solidarity and internationalism.

The WFTU remains firmly committed to these principles. It continues its 80-year path with the same vision that inspired its founding: a world without wars and imperialist interventions, without exploitation and discrimination.

A world where work will be permanent, stable, regulated, and safe.

Ladies and gentlemen, colleagues Before I leave the floor, allow me to refer to a discussion that is not currently before the plenary but has started in the governing body, on the democratization of the ILO’s governance.

In our point of view, for this debate to be worthwhile, it must begin with the abolition of the unacceptable monopoly of workers’ representation by a single International Trade Union Organisation.

We know that employers and governments are satisfied and comfortable with this monopoly. They thus avoid annoying voices defending the class interests of the workers and opposing the double-standards policy and the selective targeting of countries for the convenience of the dominant circles. Nevertheless, the WFTU will never stop fighting for a representative and pluralist ILO because that is what workers and their unions need.

Tamil Nadu has held its Circle Executive Committee Meeting on 19-06-2025 at the Conference Hall of Rajiv Gandhi Memorial Telecom Training Centre, Meenambakkam, Chennai. The CEC started at 9.30 AM and Com.C.Gnanasekaran, Circle President controlled the proceedings. Com.P Ramar, Circle Vice President moved the condolences resolution. Coms.Berlin Kanagaraj, ACS and Cyrilraj, District Secretary, CGM(O) proposed welcome address. Com.K G Jayaraj, General Secretary inaugurated the CEC meeting and shared the encouraging experiences of International Labour Conference held at Geneva. He also spoke on the serious concerns after the enactment of Validation of Pension Rules made part of Finanace Bill, 2025 and the spontaneous protest demonstration at the call of NCCPA on 03-04-2025, participated by lakhs of pensioners cutting across the barriers of affiliations. He also touched on the important developments internationally and nationally, He also clarified that efforts are continuing for settlement of our important issues including pension revision and the NCCPA decision to organise solidarity Dharna on 8th July in support of the General Strike on 09-07-2025.

Com.R Rajasekar, Circle Secretary presented the report and Com. A Elangovan, Treasurer placed the accounts for the intervening period. Coms. K Govindaraj, AGS, C.Panckasharam, Circle Secretary, Chennai Telephones, CKNarasimhan, Circle Advisor, V P Indira, Convener, Circle Womens Committee addressed. All the 18 District Secretaries and some of the Circle Office bearers actively participated in the discussion and raised several issues. Resolutions on important issues presented by Coms.E Gopal and Guruswamy were adopted. Com.R Rajasekar , Circle Secretary summing up the discussion replied to the issues raised at Circle level and Com.K G Jayaraj at the CHQ level. The CEC was concluded at 7PM.