T he extended meeting of Committee of Public Sector Unions(CPSTU),consisting of AITUC, CITU, HMS, Joint Action Front Bangalore and PSU Trade Union Co-ordination Committee Hyderabad and also the independent
trade unions held on 15-16 June ’99 at New Delhi called upon the public sector workers all over the country to unitedly fight the anti-PSU and anti-worker policy of the Govt of India

The meeting was presided over by a Presidium consisting of Jibon Roy (CITU), J.Chittaranjan (AITUC), R.A.Mital,(HMS), Michael B Fernandes (JAF), Bangalore and Y.Adinarayana PSU Co-ordination Committee/Hyderabad and was attended by around 195 delegates from the public sector unions all over the country. The meeting offered heartfelt condolence and respectful homage to the valiant martyrs of Indian armed forces who laid down lives defending motherland in the Kargil front. CPSTU calls upon the public sector workers to stand by our armed forces with moral and generous material support.

The CPSTU session expressed serious concern and indignation at the vigorous pursuance of anti-public sector policy by the Govt. of India. Sick Public Sector units are being pushed towards closure and liquidation and workers are not even getting their salaries, sometimes for months together. On the other hand profit making PSUs are pushed to serious cash crunch crisis situation being robbed of resources in the name of disinvestment/buy back of shares by the Government. Discriminatory policies against PSUs are continuously intensified and concessions are liberally granted to the Indian and foreign private sector at the cost of our public sector thereby dragging them (PSUs) towards a sickness situation. While remaining silent onlooker to wide spread dumping of foreign products in Indian market, the Govt. of India is also slashing down import duties much to the detriment of the interest of the domestic industries. In totality, PSUs in the country are confronting a suicidal and liquidationist policy of the Govt. of the day sacrificing national interest.

Public Sector Workers are also worst affected by the policy of the Govt., on the question of their service conditions, compensation package and trade union rights. The DPE guidelines for the wage revision already delayed by more than two and a half year have re-imposed ban on wage revision for the workers of Sick PSUs and have practically put an embargo on meaningful wage negotiations for others. The recommendations of Justice Mohan Committee for wage of PSU executives have added fuel to the already complicated situation by proposing 10 years’ term wage revision which has also been prescribed for the workers by the DPE guidelines. All these taken together, the situation is one of practically denying wage revision to overwhelming majority of the PSU workers.

In such a background, the extended session of the CPSTU resolves to launch once again a countrywide united vigorous struggle to reverse the retrograde economic policies of the Govt. and defend our public sector from the clutch of suicidal liquidationist policy of the Govt. in defence of economic sovereignty and in the in the interest of the self-reliant economic development of the country. The meeting adopts the following specific burning demands of the PSU workers.

1. Expeditious revival of and not closure of the sick PSUs and withdrawal of closure order of eight PSUs and regular payment of salaries to the workers.
2. Immediate stoppage of privatisation/disinvestment in PSUs
3. Immediate commencement of meaningful wage negotiations process in all PSUs, including the sick PSUs without any pre-condition.
4. No extension of wage revision period beyond five years and all other anti-worker recommendations of Justice Mohan Committee regarding wage differentials of 1:10 etc. must be scrapped.
5. Removal of the ceilings under Payment of Bonus Act. 6. Separate Pension Scheme for PSU workers.
7. Withdrawal of ban on recruitment and regularization Of contractor workers in permanent nature of jobs

In addition to local level programmes of agitation and campaign the following programmes are adopted by the extended meeting of the CPSTU :- State/Region/Industrywise joint conventions to be completed by the 1st week of July, 1999 Observance of ‘All India Demand Day’ by wearing demands badge and massive dharna/demonstration before Factory/office on 13th July, 1999 Mass Signature Campaign in defence of public sector to be concluded by August’99 CPSTU further decided to jointly address an open letter asking all the political parties to come out in clear and concrete terms without any ambiguity in their respective Election Manifesto for the forthcoming Parliamentary election their stand, on protecting the public sector without any dilution and distortion, on privatisation, dinvestment, on revamping and rehabilitation of sick units and also all other related issues. The Core Group of CPSTU shall prepare the letter. The CPSTU constituent unions are asked to circulate the letter in local language in thousands among the workers and public.

CPSTU resolved not to sign any wage revision agreement having the tenure beyond the existing periodicity ( not more than five years ) and called upon the public sector trade unions irrespective of affiliation to support and adhere to the resolution.

CPSTU appeals to the INTUC and the BMS leadership and their affiliate unions to join the united countrywide movement of the public sector workers to ensure broadest unity of the PSU workers in the national interest and in defence of the right of the workers.

CPSTU appeals public sector workers all over the country irrespective of affiliations to make the programmes a massive success and be prepared for going on a further vigorous struggle including all India strike action at an appropriate time for which the Core Group of CPSTU is hereby authorised to decide the date of strike.