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Scrap Disinvestment Commission, say PSU workers

Workers' representatives from more than 150 public sector undertakings have demanded scrapping of the Disinvestment Commission and a revival of the sick industries besides lifting of the embargo on wage revision for the employees.

A national convention of Central public sector workers, organised in New Delhi this week by the Committee of Public Sector Trade Unions, charted out an agitational programme to press its ten-point charter of demands and declared to observe a two-day countrywide strike by the public sector workers on December 10 and 11.

This will be preceded by conventions in all state capitals and prominent PSU centres before October 31, human chains across the country on November 10 and countrywide canteen boycott by PSU workers on December 3.

Among other things, the CPSTU also demanded non-deployment of contract workers in permanent and perennial nature of jobs, removal of all ceilings in the Payment of Bonus Act and a separate pension scheme for the PSUs.

Centre for Indian Trade Unions general secretary M K Pandhe said the public sector was under attack from successive governments ever since the liberalisation process started in the country. ''Shares of PSUs are being sold at throwaway prices following the reckless recommendations of the Disinvestment Commission,'' he said.

He said the public sector had played an important role in developing a self-reliant economy. The recent policy announcements by the Bharatiya Janata Party government indicated that they were out to dismantle the public sector through a multi-pronged attack like bringing down the government share to a mere 26 per cent and disinvesting 74 per cent to Indian and foreign private capital, closing down the sick units and splitting PSUs in the name of restructuring, he said.

All India Trade Union Congress general secretary K L Mahendra said the gross profit of the public sector had gone up by 10.8 per cent from 1994-95 to 1996-97 and the gross sales by 11.6 per cent in the same period.

Their contribution to the state exchequer was up by 21.27 per cent as ''unlike the private sector, the public sector units paid all the taxes,'' he said, questioning the logic of disinvestment and privatisation.

UNI