CITU in Kochi heading for split
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Drawing energy and strength from the Onchiyam and Mundur uprisings in the CPM, a group of CITU activists in Kochi are raising a banner of revolt.
They are set to declare a parallel committee in protest against what they call the “high-handed and corrupt” ways of the local leadership.
The 70 odd rebels have made it clear that they have nothing against the state leadership of the trade union wing or the CPM, but want to arrest the “degeneration” at the local level.
The rebels who are members of the head load and general workers’ union in the Ernakulam market coming under the city CITU branch, are however unhappy that the CITU district and state leaderships and CPM district secretary M.V. Govindan have failed to address their issues.
But, party sources point out that when the issue of corruption was raised, action had followed. The work leader of the first pool of the city CITU branch K.P. Karthikeyan and convener MB Iqbal had been removed from their posts, they said.
Said Karthikeyan, “Bribes running into lakhs of rupees are being collected by the leaders of the city branch for enrolling workers in the vacant seats in 43 head load workers’ units.
Conveners of different pools are also involved in this, led by the president and secretary of the city CITU branch. Only 250 odd representatives attended the city branch meet held after a gap of six years while no general body consisting of 1,800 members was called.”
The rebels met at a place in Vaduthala on Saturday. Karthikeyan said the parallel committee will be declared soon.
The group is also unhappy at the collection of a weekly working fund from the members, which was an annual affair. “This is also fleecing,” said Karthikeyan.
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