Martyrs Day Today - Please pray at least for 2 minutes

September 19, 2018 marks the 50^th anniversary of the Great Indian Central Government Employees Strike in 1968 on this date.

It has been named as the ‘Martyrs Day’ for Central Government Employees of the country because of the victimization unleashed by the then Government on its own employees.

Though a previous strike in 1960 had also been suppressed by the then Government by terming it as a ‘Civil Rebellion’, it later led to the formation of the JCM Machinery in 1966.

But on the core issues of Need Based Minimum Wage, DA formula, etc, the JCM did not yield results.  Hence a Strike notice came to be issued again on the same vital demands and also some other related demands like ‘Withdrawl of proposal to retire employees with 50 years of age or on completion of 25 years of service’,  ‘Vacate victimisation and reinstate victimised workers’, ‘ Abolition of Contract and Casual Labour System’, etc, most of them still relevant to date.

The brutality of the suppression that the 1968 strike invoked is explained by Com. M. Krishnan, Secretary General of the Confederation in September 2017 in http://nfpe.blogspot.in/ as below:

“Strike notice was served and the Joint Action Council (JAC) decided to commence the strike at 0600 AM on 19th September 1968. Intensive campaign was conducted throughout the country. AIRF, AIDEF and Confederation was the major organisations in the JAC. Govt. invoked Essential Services Maintenance Ordinance (ESMO) to deal with the strike. Govt. also issued detailed instructions to impose heavy penalty including suspension, dismissal, termination, Break-in-service etc. on the striking employees. Para-military force (CRPF) and Police were deployed to deal with the strike. Central Govt. gave orders to all state Governments to suppress the strike at any cost. It was a war-like situation. Arrest of Leaders started on 18th September itself. About 3000 employees and leaders were arrested from Delhi alone. All over India about 12000 Central Government employees and leaders were arrested and jailed.

Inspite of all these brutal repressive measures the strike commenced on 18th after noon itself at many places and was a thundering success all over India and in all departments including Railway, Defence, P&T etc. About 64000 employees were served with termination notices, thousands removed from service and about 40000 employees suspended. Seventeen (17) striking employees had been brutally killed at Pathankot, Bikaner, Delhi Indraprastha Bhavan and at Upper Assam in lathi charge, firing by police and military and by running the train over the bodies of employees who picketed the trains.”

All the small benefits we all enjoy today and take for granted, are all the outcome of such struggles and sufferings of the Employees and leaders of movements in other departments.

We, as a department and section of the Central Government Employees,  have remained aloof.  Even quoting the above would make us ‘Communists’, in the eyes of the administrators and their chamchas who are also benefited by the above said sacrifices and who want others to fight and die in the cause ‘in collective interests’. And these detractors are the first ones to start calculating their arrears, getting their bills as per revised rates, etc, wearing their utter shamelessness as badges of pride and honour.

The institution of JCM has become a mockery. Negotiations are held only for the sake of records.  The eternal principle is to ‘divide and rule - if you cannot buy the leaders whole sale’.  The CCS (RSA) Rules itself requiring the first Association claiming recognition to have minimum 35% membership support, but any subsequent Associations to be granted recognition requiring ONLY 15%, is indication enough of the mindset of the Administrators of Independent India. Such Westminster style techniques alloyed with Yankee administration style of having personalized staff and set-ups is fast yearning to put the clock back to feudal ways, reviving castism and classism to rule and subjugate.

Even now, though the 7^th CPC speaks about adoption of the Need Based Minimum Wage and Dr. Akroyd formula, in actual terms it has not been realized and the struggle is still is on. 

We may not be able to do much in the given circumstances and the dark cloud that has been enveloping our department.

But, let us take at least 2 minutes, wherever we are, to silently pray for those who lost their lives in that great struggle, think about their families, think about the victimizations and sufferings and thank those gallant leaders who stood steadfast in spite of suppression and victimizations.

Let us deeply thank them all and seek courage to emulate at least a percentage of that spirit, in safeguarding our own dignity and self respect.

Long life Association.

R. Manimohan,

Secretary General, AIACEGEO