Resolutions passed at CITU conference

A host of resolutions were today passed at the CITU All India conference here, including one which condemned the UPA Government for allowing FDI in retail trade, first by an executive order, despite massive opposition to it by people from all walks of life.
FDI in retail trade and entry of giant MNC retailers in country's retail trade sector will adversely affect crores of unorganised sector workers, retail traders, farmers, unemployed youth and the consumer public at large, CITU president A K Padmanabhan told reporters.
In another resolution on tasks of CITU among working women, the conference reiterated its commitment to carry forward and strengthen the work among working women that CITU started some 35 years ago.

The resolution said CITU has made considerable advances in organising working women since 1979 when it organised the first All India Convention of working women at Chennai and set up the All India Coordination Committee of working women.
The membership of women in CITU, which was less than 7 per cent at that time, has gone upto to 31.96 per cent in 2011, it said.
In several states, even where women membership is above the national average, resistance to elect women as delegates to conferences and to decision making bodies continue, the resolution said.

The conference resolved to convene a national workshop after the national convention of All India Coordination committee of working women to chalkout further concrete measures to strengthen the work among working women, it said.

Another resolution on safety in work places and occupation health expressed grave concern in the alarming increase in incidences of accidents in workplaces leading to death of workers and also permanent as well as temporary disablement due to injuries.
It also alleged that continued neglect by both government and employers in the area of occupational health hazards were also affecting lakhs of workers life and livelihood.
The conference called upon the trade union movement in general and the CITU unions, in particular, to make the issues relating to safety and occupational health as one of the priority agendas.