The Journey of AICCTU

AICCTU began its journey in 1989 in the backdrop of serious challenges before the working class movement thrown by the adoption of neo-liberal reforms by the Indian government and consequent onslaughts on the working class. AICCTU proposed “Democratisation of Trade Unions” and “Politicisation of Workers” to prepare the working class to fight against the onslaughts of the ruling class. The ruling class was transitioning the country into a neo liberal market economy while the AICCTU resolved to fight against it by taking the trade union movement out of the our walls of the factory. The battle cry of AICCTU since its founding conference has travelled through various phases in the interregnum period confronting enactment of Labour Codes, brutal privatisation of industries and informalisation of workforce and now has turned into a call for “Reclaiming the Rights of Workers” in its 11th conference now. Taking the challenge head on, AICCTU, in the last 35 years, has taken the challenges head on and has built resistance movements independently and also in solidarity with all other central trade unions in the country.

The brutal exploitation and repression of the working class has reached its peak now under the Modi led BJP regime in the last 11 years. The working class in India today is facing the worst ever attack on their lives, livelihood and rights with record unemployment and price-rise coupled with massive retrenchment, wage cuts, falling wages, withering social security, all-out contractualization, closures, lock-outs, skyrocketing poverty, all pervading hunger and widening inequality.

In the name of 'Viksit Bharat ' (Developed India), Modi has gone into a selling spree. The whole country is being sold out to his corporate friends like Adanis and Ambanis which is leading only to the concentration of wealth in a few hands and to the destruction of jobs and livelihood. Essential services are increasingly becoming inaccessible to the toiling masses and the poor. Industrial relations are being turned into Master – Slave relations with the proposed anti-worker Labour Codes. All rights of workers are being snatched away in the name of 'ease of doing business'. The four labour codes epitomise the destruction of workers' rights by scrapping all existing labour laws. Three criminal codes, in addition to UAPA, combined with labour codes are bound to prove disastrous to the lives of the working class in the country. Police Raj is now reinforced with the Bulldozer Raj which is brutally bulldozing the lives and livelihood of the poor and the downtrodden. The workers’ voice and its trade unions are being demonised as main hurdles before the Modi's model of development and are thus being criminalised. Samsung India workers struggle in Chennai was demonised by the BJP leaders. Workers were accused of creating obstacles for the capital and of facilitating flight of capital by forming trade unions. Workers’ right to living wages, meaningful social security and dignified life are being snatched away while trade unions are accused of anti-development. A complete stranglehold of the capital over workers and the country is established under the eleven years rule of the Modi government. The government is also run like a corporate company demolishing all democratic values and ethos.

Taking advantage of the scenario of miseries, attacks and devastation, the Modi government and the BJP-RSS combine is hell bent on accentuating communal polarization. Their latest hateful and venomous slogan is “Banto Ge to Kato Ge (We are Dead if Divided)”, in order to elevate politics of hate to greater heights and also to divert the peoples’ attention from basic issues and to divide the peoples’ struggling unity.

Braving these attacks and foiling the divisive designs of BJP-RSS and Modi government, the working people and the poor are fighting back on streets as well as in elections. They have dealt a major blow to the dictatorial Modi regime in the Lok Sabha elections 2024 by halting BJP below a simple majority (down by 63 seats compared to 2019 elections) in the Parliament. The historic, year-long, militant movement of farmers forced the adamant Modi government to withdraw three black farm laws. The streets are reverberating with powerful movements of various sections of workers including scheme, sanitation, contract and industrial workers along with sustained movement of government employees for OPS and against NPS. However, the Modi government continues to defy the peoples’ election mandate and also the message from the streets. Modi is arrogantly pushing his anti-worker, pro-corporate agenda, including Labour Codes and privatisation without any halt. The Modi government’s arrogant defiance of people’s struggles and mandate is bound to invite an all-out battle of the working class and toiling masses to deliver a decisive blow to the dictatorial Modi Regime.

AICCTU is holding its 11th all-India Conference, in such a challenging situation, to strengthen the resolve and to prepare the working class movement to achieve newer heights. AICCTU calls upon the working class to reclaim all our rights and to emerge as a bulwark of the democracy and the constitution which are the hallmarks of our country. We appeal to you all to support and contribute in every possible way to make the AICCTU’s 11th all-India conference a great success.

AICCTU is holding its 11th all-India Conference on 24-26 February 2025 at Delhi. The open session on 24 Feb will be held at Talkatora Stadium while the delegates’ session is to be held at Pyarelal Bhavan on 25-26 February 2025. Comrade Dipankar, the General Secretary of the CPIML Liberaition will inaugurate the conference in the open session. The leaders of the joint platform of central trade unions of the country have also consented to participate. The representatives of World Federation of Trade Unions (WFTU) and other international trade union leaders are also expected join.