The 6th Circle Conference of Karnataka has been held at the Institution of Engineers (India) hall, Belagavi on 10th&11th April, 2022 enthusuastically. The Circle Executive Committee meeting was held on 10-04-2022 and the report and accounts were adopted. On 11th morning the subject session was held at 0930 AM and the report and audited accounts were presented by Com. Muddaiah, Circle Secretary and Com.C G Annegiri, Treasurer, respectively.

The inaugural session was held at 1130 AM on 11-04-2022. Com.Earanna, Circle President presided. Coms. R B Tatapati, Chairman, Reception Committee and Com. Muddaiah, Circle Secretary welcomed one and all. Com. K G Jayaraj, General Secretary delivered the inaugural address. General Secretary dealt on the important issues of the pensioners, including pension revision, denial of medical benefits, payment of frozen IDA instalments and revival of BSNL. The efforts and struggles being waged for the settlement of the issues and the class charecter of the government were also explained. Shri. Devesh Kumar, CGMT and Chief Guest addressed and assured all the possible help for the settlement of the issues of the pensioners at his level. Shri. Vikas Y Jayakar, GMT, Belagavi also greeted the conference. Coms. C K Gundanna, AGS & Circle President, BSNLEU, H V Sudharshan, Circle Secretary, BSNLEU, G G Patil, the guide and former AGS, H C Prakash, AGS also addressed the inaugural session. Com. Balwant Pattar, ACS effectively conducted the anchor role. With vote of thanks by Com. S S Sarapure, Secretary, Reception Committee, the inaugural session was concluded at 2.15 PM.

The subject session resumed at 3PM discussed the report and organisational issues in which all the District Secretaries and some of the delegates actively participated. After the reort and and accounts were adopted a 25 member office bearers were elected unanimously with Com. R B Tatapati (President) Com. Muddaiah ( Circle Secretary) Com. C G Annegiri (Treasurer).

Kurnool District has held its 3rd biennial Conference on 06-04-2022 at KK Bhawan, Kurnool with good participation. Com.M V Subbha Rao, District President presided. Com. K S C Bose, Circle Secretary inaugurated the conference and gave a good account of dvelopments in the recent past in respect of pensioners issues and struggles being waged by AIBDPA, NCCPA and CoC. The report and accounts presented by Com. G Maheswara Rao, District Secretary were adopted after discussion. The conference also adopted resolutions on issues like pension revision, starting of CGHS wellness centre at Kurnool etc. A new set of office bearers were elected unanimously with Com.M Siva Reddy (President) Com.Maddileti (District Secretary) Com. K Ch Subramanyam (Treasurer).

NCCPA DEMANDS DAY ON 05-04-2022.

National Coordination Committee of Pensioners Associations had given a call to observe 5th April,2022 as Demands Day focussing only one demand, implementation of 110th Parliamentary Standing Committee Recommendations. The call was to organise demonstration at all levels and to send email to the Minister of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions for implementation of Parliamentary Committee recommendations on the following pensioners issues.

1. Grant of additional pension on attainment of 65 years.

2. Increase Fixed Monthly Medical Allowance to Rs.3000.

3. Starting of Wellness Centers at all the Districts.

4. Full reimbursement of the treatment at Non- empanelled hospitals.

5. Include Pensioners in CS (MA) Rules.

The program of agitation was a stupendous success in all parts of the country and AIBDPA salute and congatulate all the Pensioners for their massive participation.

The 6th Kerala Circle Conference has been held in a grand manner on 2-3, April, 2022 at Surya Resmi Auditorium , Palakkad. Com. R Muraleedharan Nair, Circle Vice President & AGS presided. Com. N Guruprasad, Circle Secretary welcomed one and all. Shri.M B Rajesh, Hon’ble Speaker of Kerala inaugurated the conference with a brilliant speech exposing the anti-PSU policy of the government. Shri. M B Rajesh stated that the central government has adopted a policy of nationalising the losses and privatising the profits with minimum government and maximum governance. Shri. C Vinod, CGM, Kerala was the Chief Guest and delivered the keynote address. Coms. P V Chandrasekharan, CHQ Patron, S Mohandoss, CHQ Vice President, T N Venkiteswaran, General Secretary, CGPA, V A Mohanan, Circle Secretary, AIPRPA, V Kesavan Circle Patron and V P Abdulla (BSNLEU) addressed the conference. The veteran leaders, Coms. P V Chandrasekharan and V Kesavan were honoured by Shri.M B Rajesh with memento and shawl. Com. G Rajan, General Convenor, Reception Committee proposed vote of thanks.

In the evening of 2nd April, a very nice Cultural Session was held which was inaugurated by noted cultural activist Shri Alancode Leelakrishnan and presided by Prof. C P Chithrabanu. Com. P V Chandrasekharan distributed the prizes to the winners in the literature competition. Thereafter variety entertaintments including Bharatanatyam were staged.

On 3rd April the subject session was inaugurated by Com.K G Jayaraj, General Secretary. The important issues of the pensioners, including pension revision, medical benefits, frozen IDA, CGHS, implementation of the recommendations of 110th meeting of the Parliamentary Committee and the efforts and struggles being waged were explained in the inaugural address. Veteran Leader and Advisor, Com. V A N Namboodiri addressed the session and empathised to strengthen the organisation. Com. V A N was honoured by Com.PVC with a memento and shawl. Com. S mohandoss, CHQ Vice President who participated fully in the two days conference was also honoured by Com.K G Jayaraj, General Secretary. Com. N Guruprasad, Circle Secretary and Com.K J Sanal Kumar, Treasurer presented the report and accounts, respectively. In the discussion that followed 27 delegates of the 11 District Branches and 5 Circle Office bearers participated. General Secretary and Circle Secretary replied to the issues raised in the discussion after which the report and accounts were adopted. The resolutions on imporatant issues presented by Com.P M Gopalakrishnan on behalf of the resolution sub committee were adopted. The credential report presented by Com.K J Sanalkumar revealed that 357 delegates, 19 Circle Office bearers and 4 from CHQ participated in the conference.

Office bearers were elected unanimously with Com. K Mohanan (President) N Guruprasad (Circle Secretary) and Com.N Vikraman Nair (Treasurer).

The 10th All India Conference of BSNL Employees Union was held at Guwahati from 2nd to 4th April 2022 at Guwahati. Com. Animesh Mitra, President presided. Com. K Hemalata , President, CITU inaugurated the conference and came down heavily on the destructive policies of Narendra Modi government. Coms. Erdem Ilhami (TUI, Istanbul) V A N Namboodiri (Founder General Secretary), Chandeswar Singh (NFTE), Veerabhadra Rao ( AIGETOA), K Sebastin (SNEA), V Shaji (AIBSNLEA) Suresh Kumar (SNATTA), Suresh Kumar (BSNLMS) Shri. P K Pahi, (CGM,BSNL), P Abhimanyu (GS) and Swapan Chakraborty (Dy GS) addressed. Representing AIBDPA, Com,M R Das, AGS greeted the conference and briefly explained the issues of the pensioners.

Serious discussion took place in the subject session on the report of activities and the organisational issues. Resolutions were adopted unanimously on important issues. Coms. Animesh Mitra and P Abhimanu have been reelected as President and General Secretary.

*TUI(P&R) MEETING HELD VIRTUALLY ON 31-03-2022.

A meeting of the TUI(P&R) was held from 8.30PM to 11.30 PM virtually on 31-03-2022. Com.Quim Boix, General Secretary presented the report to be submitted to the 18th Congress of WFTU. Coms. K K N Kutty, Secretary General, NCCPA, K. Raghavendran, General Secretary, AIPRPA and K G Jayaraj General Secretary AIBDPA participated from India.
Com.K G Jayaraj in his speech reported the recent developments in the country including the two days National Strike on 28-29, March,2022, Solidarity Dharna by NCCPA on 25-03-2022 and active participation of pensioners in picketing, demonstration and procession along with the striking workers on the strike days. He also spoke on the agitations being launched on pensioners issues by NCCPA and AIBDPA.

5Sreekumar G Puram, Kali Prasad and 3 others1 commentLikeCommentShare

As per the Consumer Price Index released by the Labour Bureau, IDA from 01-04-2022 is likely to be increased by 1.2% for the 2007 Pay Scales and Pensions. The total IDA from 01-04-20022 will be 185.3% ( existing 184.1% + 1.2%). The new installment of IDA is payable after the DPE issues the order.

Press release.

Two day Nationwide General Strike of Workers on 28-29 March 2022

Receives Tremendous Response

The Farmers, Students, Youth, Women came in Support

 The Joint Platform of the Central Trade Unions and the independent Sectoral Federations and Associations congratulates the workers of all sectors, organised and unorganized,  the govt. departments,  the public sector, the private establishments, small-medium-micro enterprises, rural and urban working people, having participated in different ways, made a grand success of this two day general strike. The participation crossed 20 crores facing all odds, ESMA, intimidation, and obstructions of all kinds including the high handedness of police in some cases and high court order in Kerala prohibiting strike for BPCL and Govt. employees.

The workers and employees in banks, insurance companies did not enter their work places anywhere in India. The coal, Vizag steel, oil and LPG plants, powergrid, copper, telecom sector, cement sector workers struck work in a big way from the morning of 28th March. Electricity Workers went on strike in all the states, including in Maharashtra, where the Government had invoked ESMA. The port workers at Tuticorin and Paradip also struck work. The Kerala state unions began strike action from midnight of 27-28 March itself. The employees of Railways and Defence sector are reported to have organized militant demonstrations at more than one thousand places across the country. The Anganwadi, ASHA, Mid-day Meal and Domestic Workers, Construction, Beedi and Agricultural Workers, Hawkers-vendors joined the strike and participated in protest actions in several hundreds of spots in Chakka jam, road roko, rail rook programmes in various parts of the country. The Road Transport workers in Haryana began their strike by picketing at Depots from early morning of 28th March, also in defiance of ESMA and continued on 29^th. Private sector industrial units including many MNCs witnessed massive strike action on both the days in Maharashtra, Karnataka, Tamilnadu, Telangana and Haryana. Hydel power projects also witnessed massive strike in Assam, Himachal Pradesh, Uttrakhand and Jammu & Kashmir.

There is bandh like situation in the states of Tamilnadu, Kerala, Puducherry, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Tripura, Assam, Haryana, Jharkhand and also in many districts in other states. The strike is substantial in the industrial areas in the states of Goa, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Punjab, Bihar, Rajasthan, West Bengal, Meghalaya and Arunachal Pradesh. The Security Workers even in Sikkim have gone on strike. The Industrial areas of Delhi, HP, Gujarat, J&K, are reported strike. 50000 Government employees picketed Central Government offices in 300 places in Tamilnadu. Central Govt employees in postal deptt, Income Tax audit, GSI and others too have joined the strike in a massive way. Even Fishermen did not venture into sea in the morning.

The Farmers have mobilized in rural areas as per the decision of the Samyukt Kisan Morcha, in favour of the Strike action, pressing for their six demands, along with the support to workers demands. The farmers and agricultural workers also participated along with striking workers in organizing road-blockade including many national highways and Rail-blockade actively.

The protesters were addressed by those leading the strikers and the protesters. They alleged that the national resources and the national assets including infrastructure, all has been put on sale by BJP led govt. at Centre for the benefits of the Corporates of Indian and foreign brand. The working class, which creates national wealth, is being made defenceless with draconian changes in Labour laws, weakening their trade unions, taking away their right to strike, doing away with factory inspections, and so on. The voice of workers will be stifled. They expressed their worries that the unemployment level has reached 12 percent and the youth below 25 years of age are the majority among the unemployed as per govt’s own statistics. The prices of petrol, diesel and gas are once again rising post elections in five states. National Monetisation Pipeline project is being pushed through to hand over all infrastructure PSUs virtually free to private corporates.Emboldened by the results of election in five states the policy of selling out of land of the Central Public Sector enterprises has been rolled out, the interest rate on the provident fund of workers has been brought down from 8.5 to 8.1 percent, the privatisation of banks is being talked about vigorously, selling of substantial portion of LIC funds, the talks of report of Supreme Court committee on farm laws is being in the air.

The unions in Delhi organized a protest demonstration at Jantar Mantar on 29^th March 2022 addressed by the Central leaders of the Central Trade Unions (CTUs) among others.

Those who addressed the gathering included Amarjeet Kaur (AITUC), Harbhajan Singh Sidhu (HMS), Tapan Sen (CITU), R K Sharma (AIUTUC), G Devrajan (TUCC), Lata (SEWA), Rajiv Dimri (AICCTU), Mohan (LPF), Suresh Dagar (UTUC), Santosh (MEC), Narender (ICTU).

Binoy Viswam, Member of Parliament-Rajya Sabha and Hannan Mollah on behalf of SKM also addressed the gathering.

The unionists recognised that the demand of time is to strengthen the workers- peasants unity to put up vigorous struggle against tyrant regime at Centre which has not only failed the nation but is also letting loose the vicious divisive agenda in detriment to the core values of Indian constitution and harmonious living of Indian people with diverse religious beliefs, cultures, languages.                                                        

        INTUC                     AITUC                    HMS                     CITU                       AIUTUC

          TUCC                SEWA                      AICCTU                     LPF                    UTUC

                             And Independent Sectoral Federations/Associations

30-03-2022