On June 10 at Ramgarh, Jharkhand, a massive ‘majdoor ekta rally’ was organized by the district units of AICCTU of Ramgarh and Hazaribag. Nearly three thousand organized and unorganized workers, nearly half of them women, from coal mines and rural areas participated in the rally. The workers marched with banners and flags to the local district administrative office, braving the heavy rains and storm.
The gathering at the District Collector’s office was addressed by CPI(ML) General Secretary Comrade Dipankar Bhattacharya, AICCTU General Secretary Comrade Swapan Mukherji, CPI(ML) MLA Comrade Vinod, AICCTU State Secretary Comrade Subhendu, Steel workers’ leader of Bokaro Comrade Deodeep Singh Diwakar, coal mine workers’ leader from Bokaro, Comrade Upender Singh and others.
The speakers highlighted the plight of working class of the mineral-rich area, especially those engaged in unorganized sector through contractors, who are not paid bare minimum wages to maintain a dignified living.
Comrade Dipankar said that the governments at the state and centre were openly aiding corporate houses to loot the mineral wealth, spectrum and land of our country. He said that our country has reached a historical juncture when peasants, workers and student-youth are uniting against this rampant loot. This can take a mass political dimension in the days to come, and the revolutionary trade union movement should consciously step forward to lead the working class into this struggle. He called upon people to mark June 25-26 as protest days against the undeclared Emergency imposed by the UPA Government.
Comrade Swapan Mukherjee called upon the workers to campaign intensely for the 8th National Conference of AICCTU to be held in Bhilai in November this year.
