As it happens every year, hundreds of workers marched in a rally from Delhi's Ramlila maidan to Town Hall in response to the call of Delhi's Central Trade Unions. Workers, youth, women and children were part of the rally.
As it happens every year, hundreds of workers marched in a rally from Delhi's Ramlila maidan to Town Hall in response to the call of Delhi's Central Trade Unions. Workers, youth, women and children were part of the rally. AICTU, ACCTU, AIUTUC, CITU, HMS, Mazdoor Ekta Committee (MEC), TUCC, UTUC, and Federations like AIBEA, AIRF, BIFI, GIEAI, NZIEA, were among the central trade unions that participated. The spokespersons of these organisation addressed the rally. Nirman Mazdoor Panchayat, National Shramik Adhikar Morcha, and National Alliance for Labour Rights and the Communist Ghadar Party of India distributed their leaflets and paper among the workers.
Addressing the meeting, Com. Santosh of MEC said that Mayday is the day of the working class, and is celebrated the world over. It is an occasion for the working class to strengthen their unity, not just in India, but the world over. Just like the Indian working class has come out on the streets to demands its rights, so too the workers of Germany, Japan, England, America, Africa, Greece, Spain, Britain, Israel, Singapore and other countries. The bourgeoisie of all countries tremble in fear and are coming up with various machinations to break the unity of the working class.
The Indian and foreign capitalists are eying the labour of the toilers and the natural resources of our country, in the course of globalization of the economic order. They are impatient to invest their capital to make super-profits through the process of liberalisation and privatisation. Capitalist houses like the Tatas, Birlas, Ambanis and others have grown so big precisely by extracting the surplus value created by the labour of the workers, that now they also want to invest their capital abroad.
Com. Santosh also said that the structure of the Indian State is such that the system works against the workers and peasants. Its police, courts, parliament, state assemblies, labour departments, and all parts of its machinery are meant to serve the bourgeoisie, to ensure that they continue to realise their profits. There is no justice for workers and peasants in this system.
The Congress, BJP and all the principal parties at the centre and in the states have been dividing the people on the basis of their caste, religion, region, language, etc during the current election campaign. To divert the workers' attention from the real source of their problems, these parties resort to the rotten propaganda that the capitalist system and the State that defends this system defend their interest. In reality, all these parties are committed to implementing only the one bourgeois program.
Com.Santosh pointed out that there can only be two paths: one is the capitalist path which permits the bourgeoisie to extract profits from the toiling people, and the other, the socialist path in which workers and other toiling people would administer the economy in the interest of the whole society.
He called upon the workers to build an alliance of workers, peasants and all toiling people to oppose the program of liberalisation, privatisation and globalization, and strengthen it so that we can establish our rule after uprooting capitalism.
He concluded his address by raising the slogans:
Laal kile par laal nishan, mang raha Hindostan!
We are Hindostan, We are her masters – Workers, Peasants, Women and Youth!
Speakers of all the participating organisations called upon the workers to unite in defense of their rights.
Workers pledged to fight against price rise, unemployment, corruption, contract system, privatisation, disinvestment, PPP model, FDI, violation of labour rights, growing attacks on the working class and communalisation, and for a hike in the minimum wages and pension for the workers.