CITU Prez calls for united struggles

The four-day 14th All-India conference of the CITU opened here today with calls for carrying forward the 'unity' reflected in the February nation-wide general strike by different trade unions and intense struggle to achieve the common charter of demands of the working class.
The 'success' of the two-day strike indicated that the struggle of the working class had entered a new phase and this should pave the way for further widening of the united movements and target such struggles towards change in the "anti-worker" and "anti-people" policies, CITU President A K Padmanabhan said.
The agitations by the trade unions reflected the anger and concern of the working people in the country.

"It is the responsibility of the trade unions and the mass organisations to channelise the anger of the deprived masses into a powerful mass movement," he said in his inaugural address to the conference.
The Union Government, one of the largest employers, is also one of the "worst violators" of labour laws and regulations, he charged.
Referring to the recent developments in neighbouring countries, Padmanabhan specifically referred to allegations of war crimes in Sri Lanka and sought the Centre's intervention to ensure punishment to those behind them and a political settlement to the ethnic Tamils issue.
Over 2,000 delegates from across the country are attending the conference which will conclude on April 8.