On the eve of the May Day, we convey our fraternal greetings to all our unions and members all over the country.
May Day – the solemn day for all of us : May Day is the day to recall the sacrifices the workers have made; May Day is the day to remember the martyrs who raised their voice against exploitation of workers ; May Day is the day to look back at the path of struggles that have taken us to the present advancements of the trade unions. May Day is the day to realise the need for international working class solidarity. May Day is the day to re-dedicate ourselves to the cause of the workers. May Day is the day to take the pledge to continue our struggle against exploitation of man by man.
8 Hours work – a demand even today : May Day denotes the beginning of the demand for an 8-hours working when the workers in Chicago raised this demand in 1886. We have come a long way but even today, this demand remains so relevant. Even today workers are being denied of this basic right. In India also, this demand has become very significant because the employers and capitalists are exploiting the workers with unlimited working hours in the unorganized sector, IT sector, etc. Even in our banking sector, instances are not few where the managements expect and compel the employees to work beyond our stipulated working hours. For the bank officers, regulated working hours is the loud cry. But shamefully, the Government not only keeps a blind eye to these demands, rather, some of their ministries even recommend freedom to employers to stretch the working hours to 12 hours per day.
How long to tolerate the disparity: May Day reminds us that the policies of capitalism and exploitation leads to concentration of wealth in the hands of the few and deprivation and marginalization of the overwhelming masses of people. Today the top rich 20 % people of the world control 83 % of the global wealth and the remaining 80% of the people have to share the remaining 17 % thus presenting before a world of disparity and inequities. While the world has 1426 billionaires today, the UN Report says that the level of poverty in the globe has gone up. In India, the number of billionaires has gone up from 48 to 55 this year with Mukesh Ambani leading the table with Rs. 1,15,500 crores of wealth. But the UN Report says that the largest of number of poor people of the world live in India.
Eight states in India have more poor people than 26 poorest countries in Africa : The States include Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Orissa, and Rajasthan. This shocking review is according to a new measure of poverty developed at Oxford. It is called the Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI). This shows that these states are poor, not because they lack money. It is because they lack even the most basic standards of living.
The new indicators to measure poverty include education, health, housing, nutrition, and assets. Access to basic services like drinking water, sanitation, cooking fuel and electricity are also included. If we use the MPI, it turns out that more than 50% of the world's poor live in South Asia, and only over a quarter (28%) in Africa.
India has had great progress with rapid GDP growth, higher income and less poverty measured in cold monetary terms. However, in terms of actual human development, we are still one of the world's poorest.
Whither goes the wealth we produce: Workers produce all the wealth in the world. But they are exploited and made to remain poor. In India, under the regime of globalisation and liberalisation, production has gone up, sales has gone up, prices have gone up, profit has gone up but wages are depressed and denied.
We deserve a better world, a better society , a better deal. Let us take a pledge that we shall continue our fight for the same. Indian trade union movement has started to show the way – united struggle and militant resistance. Let us march on further.
REVOLUTIONARY MAY DAY GREETINGS,
Yours Comradely,
C.H. VENKATACHALAM
GENERAL SECRETARY, AIBEA
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