SWFI’s meet deliberates economic slowdown


Rourkela: Steel Workers’ Federation of India (SWFI), affiliated to CITU organised its 8th National Conference here today with discussion focussing on different issues of workers and global economic slowdown. The three-day conference will continue till December 9.

Speaking on the occasion, Bishnu Mohanty, Chairman of Reception Committee (RC), said that the current global economic crisis is the outcome of the imperialist-driven globalisation which is continuing for the last two decades.

Mohanty informed that the growing slowdown of the world economy from 4 per cent in 2010 to 2.8 per cent in 2011 warns of another round of recession. Hitting out at the Congress-led UPA government, he observed that the government of India is subservient to the United States while the terms dictated by IMF and World Bank are being followed, implemented and pursued with more determination by the Manmohan Singh Government, he stated.

India, the so-called second largest growing economy in the world, has staked a dubious claim of 7 to 8 per cent annual growth of GDP, Mohanty said, adding that the result of growth has inflated coffers of corporate houses due to several concessions offered to them with the advent of globalisation.

Accusing the UPA-II government of weakening the public distribution system due to its policies, Mohanty stated that these policies have also reduced the capacity to provide relief to the poor people in the country.

Employment growth in India is 0.8 in 2011 while GDP growth has slowed downed to 7 per cent in 2011-12 with per capita availability of food grain declining from 510 grams in 1991 to 438 grams in 2011, he pointed out.

He said that about 2,56,913 farmers have committed suicide between 1995 and 2011 in the country while high cost of mono cropping of cash crop has became the most risky venture for Indian farmers, he added. Condition of agriculture workers deteriorated due to landlessness, he said.

We have to take up the responsibility to organise the working class and the Indian people against anti people policy of the government and against disinvestment of public cestor and SAIL, said Mohanty. The wage settlement for the regular workers is due from January 01, 2012 and it should be finalised on top priority. The contractual workers minimum wage should be equivalent to S1 category of regular workers wage. Pension scheme should formulated for steel employees, he added.

Jiban Bihari Ray, Ex-MP and All India Secretary of SWFI, inaugurated the conference. Focusing on ‘Global struggle against globalisation’ Ray stated that ‘coming together is beginning, beginning together is progress, progress together is success and success is ours’. “we all are united here to push a binding force among workers’ unions and mazdoors to fight the downturn in all industries”, added Ray.

The conference was presided over by Ajit Mukherjee, Vice president of SWFI.

Among others, Lambodar Nayak, president, state unit of CITU, Prasant Behera, INTUC leader, Prabhat Mishra, AITUC leader and other members of SWFI were present.

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