JAMMU, December 30: A day-long convention of different trade unions was held at Jammu which was presided over by Ghulam Nabi Malik General Secretary JK Kisan Tehreek. The convention deliberated upon various issues and problems confronting working class, with the determination to intensify struggles to fight anti-working class and anti-people policies of the government. The convention was addressed by different union representatives.
While addressing the convention, State President CITU Mohamad Yousuf Tarigami expressed serious concern over the plight of the working class who is adversely hit by the neo-liberal economic policies pursued by the government which are drastically affecting the workforce in the state. The implementation of demonitisation and GST have serious ramification on the livelihood of the working-class people.
“The employment situation has worsened under the neoliberal regime with steep fall in permanent jobs and increase in precarious jobs like contract, casual, temporary, fixed term, part time, apprentices, trainees etc. The situation has further worsened after the systemic crisis which started in 2008 and is still continuing. Such crises are integral to the capitalist system and the employers seek to protect their profits by shifting the burden on to the workers. Increasing unemployment is one of the outcomes of this,” Tarigami said.
He said that the joint trade union movement has been raising the demand for employment generation since long. It has been demanding that the concessions and exemptions being given to the big corporates should be linked to job creation. But the government totally ignored the demand. While every year tax exemptions of around Rs 5 lakh crore are given away to the big corporates, employment generation is becoming negative. “Money due to the government is money due to the people. That is being waived off on the pretext that this will create jobs. But this has become a chimera. Net employment generation is turning negative. Whatever employment that is created, is of very poor quality, indecent, with no job security, income security or social security,” he said.
The convention appealed the workers and employees to make two days’ General Strike on 8-9 January 2019 called by the central trade unions a success.
