Total Assets of Political Parties

Total Assets of Political Parties in Financial Year (FY) 2008-09
Summary)

As on 31st March 2009, INC has shown the maximum total assets of 612 crores), followed by BSP 286 crores and BJP 261 crores.

Amongst the other parties, RJD has shown total assets of 3 crores, CPI 7 crores, NCP 32 crores, SP 178 crores and CPM 185 crores.
Party

Total Assets(crores) of the political parties (Financial Year 2008-09).

1) INC-611.77
2) BSP-286.15
3) BJP-260.7
4) CPM-185.47
5) SP-177.8
6) NCP-32.32
7) CPI-7.1
8) RJD-3.28

Submitted to Income TAX department by the National Political Parties.

TEMPORARY WORMEN ARE MOST AFFECTED DUE TO GLOBAL RECESSION

A new report issued by the International Labour Office (ILO) says that workers employed by temporary employment agencies have been among the first to lose their jobs as a result of the financial and economic crisis.

At the same time, the report also observes that ratification of ILO Convention No. 181 on private employment agencies can help to promote Decent Work and ensure better functioning labour markets.

The report – “Private employment agencies, temporary agency workers and their contribution to the labour market” – points to a direct correlation between economic growth and the state of the employment agency industry, with the strong performance and expansion seen during the boom years mirrored by the weakness and contraction of the industry today.

The report will be discussed at a global tripartite meeting on October 20-21 at ILO headquarters titled “Workshop to promote ratification of the Private Employment Agencies Convention, 1997 (No. 181)”. Convention No. 181 balances enterprises’ needs for labour flexibility with workers’ needs for employment stability, a safe work environment, decent conditions of work and social security.

“Private employment agencies play an important role in the functioning of contemporary labour markets. They act as intermediaries in modern labour markets, allowing enterprises greater flexibility to increase or decrease their workforces, while ensuring for the workers sufficient security in terms of job opportunities and employment standards, including pay, working time and training”, the report says.

“The private employment agency industry has grown at an incredible pace over the past three decades due to the increasing need to provide workers and services to a growing and flexible labour market. User enterprises hire temporary agency workers to be able to rapidly adjust to the shifting economic realities. Since mid-2008, enterprises have used this pressure-valve function to lay off temporary workers, while often leaving their core workforce intact”, said John Myers, industry specialist from the ILO’s Sectoral Activities Department and author of the report.

The biggest temporary job losses were recorded in the manufacturing sector of developed countries, most noticeably in the car industry. The report cites the example of Germany, where it is estimated that between 100,000 and 150,000 temporary agency workers lost their placements in the four to six months after October 2008. Similar trends were seen in Japan, United States, Spain and France.

”Many of the largest private employment agencies are saying that it will be 2010 at least before they see any upturn in business. This would generally happen after overtime hours and the length of the working week begin to rise among the core workforce of user enterprises, and companies’ slack capacity begins to fall. When firms consider turning to agencies to meet their needs, this will be one of the first signs that the economic crisis is beginning to end”, said John Myers.

Meanwhile, the industry itself is introducing measures to cut costs and increase the efficiency of its services. According to the report, these measures will only be effective if the following challenges are addressed:

Continuing to ensure that national regulation on agency work is based on the flexicurity concept – achieving the right balance between the need for flexibility in the labour market while also ensuring the right protection for agency workers.

Assisting the transition of temporary workers displaced from user enterprises into other jobs as quickly as possible.

Staving off widespread business closures through cost-cutting and efficiency programmes.

Devising new ways of selling agencies’ services in an economic climate of cost-cutting by user enterprises and where some client firm – agency relationships have been damaged by the economic crisis.

Surmounting restrictions on agencies’ activities in certain countries and in certain sectors in post-recession recovering economies, as part of its quest for further global expansion.

Developing strategies to reflect various economic recovery scenarios: the possibility of a sustained rebound, a long flat period followed by a jobless upturn, or a brief rebound followed by renewed stagnation.

Rethinking its role in post-recession national labour markets as a means of increasing its penetration rates, particularly in the industry’s emerging markets of Eastern Europe, Latin America and Asia.

“Countries that have not yet ratified Convention No. 181 are encouraged to do so, as its implementation can be an engine for job creation, structural growth, improved efficiency of national labour markets, better matching of supply and demand for workers, higher labour participation rates and increased diversity. It also sets a clear framework for regulation, licensing and self-regulation, thereby encouraging reliability; ensuring effective protection of workers against unfair practices; discouraging human trafficking; and promoting cooperation between public and private employment services. Finally, ratification could help to promote and implement the Decent Work Agenda by ensuring protection of the rights and working conditions of agency workers”, says the report.

In recent months, several international-level policy statements have highlighted issues surrounding agencies and temporary agency work. For example, the June 2009 Global Jobs Pact refers to “establishing or strengthening effective public employment services and other labour market institutions” and “providing adequate [social protection] coverage for temporary and non-regular workers”.

According to the report, “governments have come under pressure from a range of social actors to make changes to the benefits and social assistance provided to workers placed through agencies, although reform has been slow and piecemeal where it has occurred at all”.

Source : ILO

DIPAWALI GREETINGS FROM MAMATA BANERJEE

TMC COMBINE CAPTURED SILIGURI MUNICIPAL CORPORATION

Sept. 15: The winds of change blowing across south Bengal have roared into the north, smashing the 28-year-old Left redoubt in Siliguri and extending its losing streak as the Assembly elections draw closer.

The Trinamul-Congress combine today captured the Siliguri Municipal Corporation (SMC) — a feat that prompted Mamata Banerjee to speak of the “last nail” in the Left coffin and the CPM to lament the inability of “development” to stem the slide.

The victory enabled the Opposition to dislodge the Left from the civic body for the first time since 1981 when the front formed the board of the Siliguri Municipality. The Left continued to be in power from 1994, too, when the municipality was upgraded to a municipal corporation.

The dent that became evident was so deep that the Left tally dived from 36 last time to 17 now. (See chart)

“People want paribartan (change) and what was reflected in the Lok Sabha elections found a similar reflection in the results of the SMC elections as well,” said Trinamul leader Partha Chatterjee, who had camped in Siliguri for several days. “The people now want the Left to go and us to take over.”

The CPM’s Siliguri strongman, Asok Bhattacharya, who won the last Assembly elections from his pocket borough with the largest margin in the state, conceded as much today. He said: “The slogan of paribartan overtook our slogan of development that has taken place in Siliguri. Stability and development, it seems, have given ground to change.”

In defeat and despondence, development became almost a dirty word. “It’s now clear that development cannot ensure everything. There was enough development in Siliguri,” CPM state secretary Biman Bose said.

In Delhi, Mamata was looking ahead. “We have been winning every election, so the indication is clear enough… I don’t think the government should stay even for a day. It’s a great victory. If they have lajja, ghrina, bhoy (shame, hatred and fear), they will move and let people work,” she said.

The stirrings of change were palpable in Siliguri in June itself during an election to a body equivalent to a zilla parishad when the Congress opened its account and snatched three of the seven seats from the CPM. But in the SMC polls, the Congress-Trinamul alliance threw up far better results despite the hitch between the two parties over seat sharing for the Sealdah and Bowbazar Assembly bypolls.

Alluding to this unity, Congress leader and Union minister Salman Khursheed said in Calcutta: “It is this unity between the Congress and Trinamul that will see these parties to victory in the 2011 Assembly polls.”

But the most significant gain from this election has been for Trinamul, which for the first time made its presence felt decisively in north Bengal. Trinamul will almost be an equal partner by winning 14 of the 23 seats that it contested in the SMC polls, one less than that of the Congress.

The victory in the CPM bastion has come through without another familiar factor: Mamata did not campaign for the polls even once. In contrast, chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee had campaigned there.

CPM leaders said though they had expected the Opposition to make inroads, they did not think the Congress-Trinamul combine would win the polls.

Source : The Telegraph.

RESON FOR JOINING WITH AN UNION

The important forces that make the employees join an union are as follows: 1. Greater Bargaining Power The individual employee possesses very little bargaining power as compared to that of his employer. If he is not satisfied with the wage and other conditions of employment, he can leave the job. It is not practicable to continually resign from one job after another when he is dissatisfied. This imposes a great financial and emotional burden upon the worker. The better course for him is to join a union that can take concerted action against the employer. The threat or actuality of a strike by a union is a powerful tool that often causes the employer to accept the demands of the workers for better conditions of employment.

2. Minimize Discrimination The decisions regarding pay, work, transfer, promotion, etc. are highly subjective in nature. The personal relationships existing between the supervisor and each of his subordinates may influence the management. Thus, there are chances of favoritisms and discriminations. A trade union can compel the management to formulate personnel policies that press for equality of treatment to the workers. All the labor decisions of the management are under close scrutiny of the labor union. This has the effect of minimizing favoritism and discrimination. 3. Sense of Security The employees may join the unions because of their belief that it is an effective way to secure adequate protection from various types of hazards and income insecurity such as accident, injury, illness, unemployment, etc. The trade union secure retirement benefits of the workers and compel the management to invest in welfare services for the benefit of the workers. 4. Sense of Participation The employees can participate in management of matters affecting their interests only if they join trade unions. They can influence the decisions that are taken as a result of collective bargaining between the union and the management. 5. Sense of Belongingness Many employees join a union because their co-workers are the members of the union. At times, an employee joins a union under group pressure; if he does not, he often has a very difficult time at work. On the other hand, those who are members of a union feel that they gain respect in the eyes of their fellow workers. They can also discuss their problem with’ the trade union leaders. 6. Platform for self expression The desire for self-expression is a fundamental human drive for most people. All of us wish to share our feelings, ideas and opinions with others. Similarly the workers also want the management to listen to them. A trade union provides such a forum where the feelings, ideas and opinions of the workers could be discussed. It can also transmit the feelings, ideas, opinions and complaints of the workers to the management. The collective voice of the workers is heard by the management and give due consideration while taking policy decisions by the management. 7. Betterment of relationships Another reason for employees joining unions is that employees feel that unions can fulfill the important need for adequate machinery for proper maintenance of employer-employee relations. Unions help in betterment of industrial relations among management and workers by solving the problems peacefully.

CRIMINAL LIABILITY ON THE EMPLOYERS

Under the Tea Act 1953, the Central Government has vast regulatory powers particularly in relation to employers who have defaulted in the payment of wages and PF dues. Under Section 16D of the Act the Central Government and the Tea Board can initiate stringent measures against the tea undertakings or units if they are managed in a manner highly detrimental to the tea industry or to public interest. Central Government should immediately takeover the closed gardens under Section 16E of the Tea Act 1953.

The employers who have misappropriated the dues should be prosecuted under Section 405 of the Indian Penal Code i.e. criminal breach of trust.

The managements violated their statutory obligations by misappropriating huge amounts from the workers' earned wages, salaries, bonus, rations, earned leave, provident funds, gratuity, and life insurance. They also evaded their liabilities to the government exchequer.

Many operational gardens are also following this trend of not paying the wages/salaries in time, not disbursing cereals in due time, not depositing the PF amount, not paying gratuity, wages and are pushing the workers and their dependants into starvation and death. On the other hand the owners still have assets both in the closed garden and in other businesses that can be used to recover these dues. The State Government should therefore be asked to legal steps necessary to recover these dues. Receiver should be appointed for reluctant owners, and their assets should be sold off to pay moneys due to the workers as wages, provident fund etc. Under the law, it is possible for the establishment’s property and the other property of the owner to be attached and criminal cases to be filed against employers.

TEA INDUSTRY : VICTIM OF CRISIS

Has the tea industry really fallen victim to a crisis? Is the Indian tea industry suffering due to imported tea in market competition? Has tea production really turned into a non-remunerative business?Here are some facts, which repudiate this hullabaloo of “crisis”.
· The British multinational Cadbury Schweppes has recently entered the Indian tea market with a cold tea brand “Snapple”.
· Another multinational Hindustan Lever is about to launch “Lipton” brand cold tea in Indian market.
· Another multinational giant has decided to come up with Coca Cola instant tea in the market. Hindustan Lever and Tata Tea have prepared to launch tea varieties with different flavors.
· Very shortly Amul Tea will also enter the tea industry.
· The oldest tea company of the world is Assam Tea Company. The owner of this company of Duncan McNeil Group is Jajodia. They are set to establish hundred odd tea bars in India and innumerable tea bars abroad in the next three years under the camouflaged name of “Camellia”. By now five Camellia tea bars are already doing enormous business in Kolkata. Witnessing this new strategy of these multinationals that are ready to grab the domestic tea market, one can easily understand that tea gardens remain a significant resource to them if they want to reap huge profits.But for many years we are hearing lamentations about the tea industry. Since 1999, retail tea prices have increased by 3% annually.
From the above it is clear that most of the good tea brands have increased their prices. Almost all the tea produced in the Dooars and Terai region gets sold in the domestic market. It is a callous irony that these very regions have for a number of years been victim of unprecedented crisis and anarchy.