The Uttarakhand State Committee meeting of the All India Central Council of Trade Unions (AICCTU) was held on September 15 in the Nagar Nigam Auditorium in Haldwani. The meeting saw key discussions regarding workers' and employees' rights and the state government's policies.
The meeting commenced with a one-minute silence in tribute to the sudden demise of CPI(M) General Secretary Com. Sitaram Yechury. The session was conducted by AICCTU State General Secretary Comrade K. Bora.
Speaking at the conference, AICCTU All India General Secretary Rajiv Dimri said that the pro-corporate Modi government has unleashed a war against the working class with its anti-employee and anti-worker policies. He accused the government of prioritising privatisation and corporate interests over worker rights.
He also highlighted how new labour codes introduced by the Modi regime have undermined workers' rights and push them towards conditions akin to colonial-era exploitation. These codes, he said, would facilitate easier exploitation of the working class by corporations.
Com. Dimri called for an increase in the minimum wage to Rs. 35,000 and a minimum pension of Rs. 10,000 for everyone. He stressed the constitutional obligation of maintaining the Old Pension Scheme (OPS) for government employees and demanded its reinstatement. He also expressed solidarity with the ongoing struggles by industrial workers, ASHA workers, and Anganwadi staff, urging intensified efforts to fulfil their demands.
Dimri declared a nationwide Black Day on September 23, organised by all trade unions and farmer organisations, to protest against the labour codes. He urged AICCTU unions and activists to contribute to the success of the AICCTU National Conference scheduled for February 23-24, 2024, in Delhi.
Indresh Maikhuri, Uttarakhand State Secretary of CPIML said that the Uttarakhand state government is failing in its duty to address the legitimate demands of workers, state employees, teachers, contractual staff, ASHA workers, Anganwadi workers, and midday meal staff. He said that the government is adopting an anti-worker and anti-people attitude. He also condemned the government's communal polarisation ploys in the state to divide the people. Furthermore, the BJP government is patronising sexual predators and perpetrators of violence against women who are close to the ruling establishment. Com. Maikhuri also highlighted the government's failure to address unemployment by not filling 60,000 vacant positions and criticised the Dhami administration as anti-people.
