Revolutionary may day greetings.

May day thoughts in corona days!

The May day 2020 comes at a very critical and difficult situation for the world working class.  Most  of the world working population is under house arrest  due to the lock-down promulgated by most of the countries to combat the deadly pandemic COVID 19.

Workers throughout the world organize rallies and procession on Ist May every year to commemorate the supreme sacrifice of the  Chicago martyrs .  They have derived inspiration from the martyrdom of the great many leaders and workers who laid down their life for the emancipation of the working class from the tyranny and oppression of the exploiting class.  In most of the countries even after 134  years, the workers plight is precarious as the exploiting class is ably assisted by the ruling class who wield the State power.   The tumultuous rallies and processions, normally associated with the May day celebrations act as an elixir to all those who are involved in the act or organizing the working class.  Those commemorative rallies provided them the requisite inspiration and confidence to believe that they will overcome the hurdles one day.

The inability  to organize such rallies this year saddens us. The pandemic Covid 19 has engulfed most of the countries and even the developed Nations are clueless as how to arrest its sweep and spread and intensity.   Lakhs of people have already become victims of the dastardly virus and its onward march is continuing.  Even the developed countries, which had been boasting of the best medi-care facilitieis are in fact groping in dark.

If not anything else, Covid 19 has exposed the absolute absurdity of the repeated mantra of privatization of public health services.  The IMF prescribed structural adjustment programmes, the liberalization, Globalization and privatization prescription for bringing about faster economic growth were adopted, of course, per force by many countries including ours with the slogan of there being no alternative.  The New economic policy coinciding almost with the collapse of the Soviet Union, ushered in 1991 received widespread approbation, thanks to the spirited support provided by the corporate controlled media in our country.   Only a small segment of the population,  the trade union movements  (initially a few among them )  took the cudgels to oppose the anti people  neo liberal economic policies.  The Indian working class organized innumerable  strike actions to oppose these policies but could not halt its on-ward advent.  These actions however did create hurdles and slowed down the process of transformation to some extent.  The ascendancy of right wing forces, a product of the people’s disillusionment with these policies,  made the situation worse.  Not only the people were pauperized further but even the secular character of the society was disrupted.   We witnessed the gradual withdrawal of the Government from all welfare activities especially in the health care sector.  Systematically, the expenditure on health care facilities was reduced as a percentage of the GDP; insurance schemes were floated; private hospitals were allowed to loot the people and so on.   So when the pandemic surfaced, the tower of cards fell exposing the hollowness of the dream of super health care created.   The most advanced countries where  the health care systems were systematically reduced to nullity suffered immensely as is evidenced from  the number of covid-19 patients in these countries  and the rate of death causality, especially inUSA,Great Britain, France, Italy, Spain etc.

Every budget presented by this Government had  estimated crores of revenue by way of divesting the public enterprises.  Indian health care segment, as is the case with all other sectors, is presently dominated  by private enterprises. Since the existing infrastructure had not been totally dismantled, our country has been able to combat considerably the spread of the disease.  Some of the States like Kerala could  do extremely well for the left front government had strengthened the public health care system  over the years at a huge cost to the exchequer.  The Government of Kerala  received the widest  acclaim from the world community.  It was rightly commented by Snri Stephen Walt, Professor of International relations, Harwad University, USA that the American sponsored Globalisation has been put into the intensive care unit.

Besides, there had been a systematic and continuous effort to destroy the scientific temper in the society  for the growth of which scores of social reformers and progressive people had toiled. Wherever the right wing Governments  could come to power, minorities has always been targeted and accused as the carriers of the pandemic virus.  The statement to the effect that cow-dung and cow -urine would be effective in combating or containing the virus infected disease surprisingly emanated from persons who hold high positions in the society and the ruling party.  Following the path paved by the President of USA, Donald Trump, many countries  including ours delayed  or did not take timely  steps to arrest the spread of the pandemic.  The life and livelihood of the people did not merit the requisite consideration when ultimately the Govt. decided to impose the lock down.

There had been packages and interim budget proposals to help the rich corporate houses, when the economy was gripped with recessionary trends   However, when the lock down was declared,  no proper steps were taken to ensure that the poor people  get  financial assistance to maintain  their livelihood.  Recently the RBI has released the list of industrialists who were benefited by the Government’s benevolent approach in writing off the bank loans. The amount so written off is a huge Rs. 69000 crores.    It is in this background we must look into order of the Government freezing the DA and DR of employees and pensioners till  July, 2021.  The Government also took the unprecedented decision of impounding the arrears of 18 months whereby the amount will never be returned to the employees.  Even the family pensioners, who receive paltry amount as pension were not excluded from the purview of the stipulation.  It is difficult to fathom the sanctity of the date 1.7.2021.  Is the Government of the opinion that even by 30th June, 2021, the disease would not be contained or eradicated?  The Central Govt. made an appeal for donation of one day’s salary from the employees.  Without any murmur or resentment, both the pensioners and the employees contributed  to the Prime Ministers Public relief fund .  There had  been no consultation with the representatives of the employees’ organizations at any point time, before the Government took the decision to impose the freeze and impound the arrears.  The  Government  has  proceeded against a team of  IRS officers for offering suggestion to galvanize the revenue resources of the country . The anger of the Government is understandable  as most of the suggestions were aimed at taxing the super rich in the country.

The Mayday in Covid days comes with a warning of the new methodology and techniques of the capitalist class to squeeze and exploit the workers with the help tendered by the respective Governments. The struggle against the system must go on.

K.K.N. KUTTY
SG NCCPA &
Vice  President.  Confederation of CGE & Workers.

1st May, 2020