On 27th June 2021, Mazdoor Ekta Committee organized an online meeting on the topic “Unemployment – the fellow-traveler of capitalism”. Workers, women, youth and political activists participated enthusiastically in it. Concerned by the burning problem of unemployment – which has started taking a severe turn due to the Corona epidemic and lock down – all the participants listened carefully to the presentation of Mazdoor Ekta Committee and also gave their views on the subject.
Presenting on behalf of Mazdoor Ekta Committee, Birju Nayak explained that unemployment is not related to any particular government or political party. The economic law of capitalism is the source of unemployment. Based on the theory of Karl Marx and with many examples, he explained that the more the capitalist system develops with the goal of maximizing private capitalist profits, the faster the unemployment increases. To solve the problem of unemployment, he explained that we must replace the capitalist system – which aims to ensure maximum profits for a handful of capitalist monopoly houses, by the rule of workers and peasants, aimed at fulfilling the needs of the majority of society and ensuring livelihood, happiness and security to all.
Several participants responded to the presentation with their views.
Several youth expressed their concerns about the hardships faced by the hundreds of thousands of youth who have been forced to work from home during the Corona pandemic and the lockdown. With several examples, they explained how a large number of workers are being laid off under the guise of the Corona pandemic and the lockdown, which is rapidly intensifying the problem of unemployment. Our rulers try to fool us by talking about “economic progress” but their “economic growth” means increasing profits of the monopoly capitalist houses, not the security of livelihood and improvement of the standard of living of the workers, peasants and toilers. The false propaganda being spread through the media, the evil intentions of the rulers to take advantage of unemployment to divide the youth on the basis of caste and religion, the destruction of agriculture and the migration of workers from villages to the cities, increased exploitation of the entire working class due to this “reserved army” of unemployed – were the issues on which the participants of the meeting spoke with great feeling and seriousness.
A young teacher presented a poem that he had composed, on the problem of unemployment, which reflected the sentiments of all.
In conclusion, Birju Nayak expressed his gratitude to everyone for attending the meeting and sharing their views and suggestions. The meeting concluded with a resolution to intensify our struggles for a new system that would replace the capitalist system and will ensure happiness, security and livelihood for all.