10th State Conference of AICCTU of Tamil Nadu

The Call of the Conference is to Overthrow the Modi led BJP Regime!

The 10^th Tamil Nadu state conference of AICCTU was held in the textile city of Karur on 16th and 17th of December 2023. The conference hall and stage were named after Comrades NK Natarajan and Sugundhan, the working class leaders of Tamil Nadu who expired recently. On the occasion of the state conference, AICCTU activists decorated the city with flags and festoons depicting working class struggles. The conference venue was also vibrant with festoons of glorious legacy of workers movements.

The conference began with flag hoisting by veteran trade union leader comrade Thirunavukkarasu. Thereafter, all leaders and delegates paid their tributes to the martyrs at the martyrs column.

The inaugural and open session of the conference began with the presentation of a condolence resolution remembering departed comrades like comrades NK Natarajan, Sugundhan, Meena Rai, Sankaraiya and all those who lost their lives in the imperialist, genocidal war on Palestine and those who died during the Chennai floods caused by the Michaung Cyclone.

Comrade V Shankar, all India president of AICCTU delivered his inaugural address in the open session and narrated how the life and livelihood of workers and the people are being snatched away by the fascist Modi – BJP regime. He explained how the life of workers are closely interconnected with the anti-people, anti-worker policies of the fascist Modi led BJP government. He said that the workers – farmers unity achieved in the course of struggles should be upheld at any cost and only the unity of workers and peasants can give a fitting rebuff to the communal, corporate, Manuvad fascist BJP.

He came down heavily on the “Hindu Rashtra” of the BJP-RSS that is anti-poor and pro-corporate capital. He said that the BJP is the only party that is hell bent on destroying the constitution and the parliamentary democracy in the country and replace the same with Manu Smriti and the presidential form of governance. That is why the BJP – RSS is a “party with a difference”, not a “normal” party and the same should be overthrown from the echelons of power in the parliament elections 2024.

Comrade Balraj, Tamil Nadu State Vice President of AICCTU welcomed the participants of the open session. The guest speakers at the inaugural session included comrades V. Shankar, all India president of AICCTU, Asaithambi, state secretary of CPIML,  S. Pandian, state deputy secretary of LPF, Kasi Viswanathan, State president of AITUC, V.Kumar, state Assistant secretary of CITU, M.Subramanian, state president of HMS, Saikumar, state committee member of AIUTUC, Perarivaalan, state Organiser of LLF, Sampath, state VP of WPTUC, Subramanian, Honorary president of Karur district INTUC, K.Balakrishnan, state coordinator of SKM, Eraniappan, state honorary president of AICCTU and Balasubramanian, Vice President. Desikan, the state General Secretary of AICCTU anchored the session while Rajiv Dimri, all India General Secretary of AICCTU felicitated the guests.

Speakers from various central trade unions condemned the Modi government's assault on the working class and called for a broader unity of trade unions and the working people to carry forward the campaign by the joint action committee of CTUs and SKM to oust the anti-worker Modi government in the forthcoming Lok sabha elections. Comrade Balakrishnan of the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) reminded the conference about the long struggle of farmers to repeal the anti-farmer laws enacted by the Modi Government. He also emphasised the need for unity of workers and farmers to fight back the anti-worker, anti-farmer regime of BJP.

Comrade Rajiv Dimri, the General Secretary in the delegate session said that the present Modi led BJP regime has proven to be the most disastrous regime that the independent India has ever seen in the last 76 years. Today’s regime is on a selling spree of all public sector undertakings in the country, scrapping all labour laws and violates the fundamental principles of our constitution. He insisted that only a strong organisation of revolutionary trade Unions like the AICCTU with active participation of workers from all sectors can take up the task to push back today’s anti-people regime. He also emphasised that building a strong organisation is a sine-qua-non for overthrowing the Modi regime in coming elections.

The delegates session of the conference deliberated on the draft document that summed up the struggles, experiences and tasks of AICCTU and its affiliated unions in Tamil Nadu which was presented by the State General Secretary of the outgoing committee, comrade Desikan. 187 delegates from 17 districts representing sectors like construction, beedi, powerloom, sanitation, textiles, engineering, Zoo, electricity, transport, Tamil Nadu Civil Supplies Corporation, tea and rubber estates, fishermen, port container drivers, street vendors, auto drivers, TASMAC, public sectors, etc., participated in the conference. The state conference was preceded by district conferences in 15 districts. Remaining districts will hold their conferences soon.

The conference elected a State Council of 105 members, a 45-member Executive Committee and a 19 member Office Bearers team. The conference elected Comrade Sankarapandian as the state President, Comrade Eraniappan as the honorary President and Comrade Desikan as the state General Secretary.

Comrade Shankar, while concluding the conference, elaborated on the tasks of the state in the coming days. He said that every district should identify the section of workers among whom AICCTU should become a force to reckon with. He underlined some unions to be developed as state level unions as we have wider presence at state level. He stressed the need for AICCTU to focus on the sections of workers under churning and turmoil and should give a greater focus to organise the section of workers with a greater striking power. He insisted that building a radical movement of construction workers and reorientation of the construction workers movement is the need of the hour which can only be a counter weight against the BJP that is dismantling all welfare boards and snatching away all rights of workers.

The conference concluded with a resolve to take all out efforts to oust the Modi Government in the forthcoming Lok Sabha Elections.