EDITORIAL FOR POSTAL LIFE MARCH 2017
WOMEN’S EMPLOYMENT AND EMPOWERMENT
08th
March 2017 – observe international women’s day in a befitting manner. The topic
for international women’s day this year has been decided as “WOMEN’S EMPLOYMENT
AND EMPOWERMENT. National Secretariat of the Confederation of Central
Government Employees and Workers calls upon all affiliated organizations and
State COC’s and women’s Sub Committee to take proper organizational measures to
ensure effective observance of the international women day jointly with other
fraternal organizations.
Don’t
forget the importance to remember that it was the socialist revolutionary women
who began observing international women day demanding the ‘right to vote and
eight hours working day’. Those working class women and revolutionary socialist
struggled for women’s freedom, not only women but the world’s people from
oppressive shackles . It is also important to remember that March 08 has been
made as the permanent day for International Women’s Day to commemorate the
Russian Revolution began by Women Workers on March 08, 1917.
This
is a history that the market and most of our ruling politicians would like us
to forget as they seek to appropriate International Women Day and empty it of
its true historical and
contemporary significance. It is a time to us to recall history like the
radical women’s movements of the early 1940 in India, which
rallied against fascism we need to connect the women’s struggle for equal
opportunity with the overall struggle for true democracy and secularism. It is
relevant to mention what is International women’s day nowadays in India? It is
not what has become of it in contemporary India – a time to conduct cooking
competition for women or a time for discount sale of jewelerry, Saries, thus
materials cosmetics, beauty tips and other commodities nor it is not a time to
thank women for their presence. Let us remember the words of Marx said in 1891
and the women herself reduced to the very lowest verge of misery of despair and
of dependency, earning a wage that even in the more skilled kinds of labuors –
generally means starvation having in addition to the long hours of labours for
the employer to do work of “domestic sort for her more immediate task – master
or where she is a widow or unmarried mother with children dependent upon her or
even when she is alone in the world having to toil on long after men for the
most part have ceased work does not the same situation, in essence exist even
today. Class domination and male chauvinism combined to produce the situation
faced by women then and now. since coming into power the NDA Government has
hastened the new liberal agenda to please its Corporate masters, both domestic
and foreign. It continues to use the
rhetoric of “WOMEN’S EMPLOYMENT AND WOMEN EMPOWERMENT ETC’ while its action are
directed to achieve the exact opposite meant for corporate profit maximi sation
by attacking the hard one rights of the workers including women workers. The
special package announced by the cabinet for the textile sector in which lakhas
of women workers allows “fixed term employment” on the false pretext that the
Government Sector is seasonal. Similarly the model shops and the establishment
bill finalized by the Cabinet allows the Malls, Shops and eatery etc. to be
open all through day and night. Women have to work at night shift. Equal remuneration act and maternity benefit
Act are among the 14 labour laws sought to be exempted under the proposed small
factories Act, if the small factory bill is passed, large proportion of women
workers will be thrown out of the benefit of paid maternity leave to 26 weeks.
Lakhs of women employed in Mid-Day Meal Workers, Asha, Para Teachers etc.
working as Scheme Workers and lakhs of women employed in the special economic
zone too are denied maternity benefits.
According to data provided by the labour bureau in 2013 the gap between
wages of men and women in several activities has widened in the last decade-
attempts to dismantle the few social security benefits like EPF and ESI
continue. The hollowness of the Government’s
claims at extending Social
Security benefits and helping women empowerment’ was exposed by Lakhs and lakhs
of women Government workers in the many parts of the country (like AP, Kerala
and Ktk) who went Flash strike and huge mobilization, forcing the Govt. to
withdraw the notifications restricting PF with drawal. . A drastical cut down
in the budgetary allocation to many of the Central Schemes meant to provide
basic services like education, health, nutrition to poor, particularly women and
children. . How to get rid of all these things? Only the way of struggle. This
period has also seen huge mobilization and militant struggle of women workers
it is necessary to raise voice of women worker. The demand for decent work and
decent wages are at the centre of our demand.
The
empowerment of women in all aspects is related to the “employment of women and
its quality. By Organizing working women. In larger numbers developing their
consciousness, making them aware of the link between their issues and demands
and the policies pursed by the Government. It is in the back ground we have to analyze
our experiences and ways to discharge our responsibility with much more
effectiveness in this celebration of this year “ international women day 08th
March 2017”
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