🔥🔥 THREE DAYS OF STRUGGLE — THREE DAYS OF SACRIFICE — THREE DAYS OF UNBREAKABLE DETERMINATION! 🔥🔥

✊ THE 3-DAY DHARNA OF FCPA, ODISHA HAS CONCLUDED — BUT THE STRUGGLE CONTINUES! ✊

Dear Comrades,

The Third and Concluding Day of the 3-Day Dharna Programme of FCPA, Odisha State Committee, held from 17th to 19th September 2026, concluded today amidst thundering enthusiasm, revolutionary slogans and an unshaken determination of the pensioners to continue their fight for justice, dignity and rightful pension rights.

The concluding meeting was inaugurated by Com. Radhakant Sethi, Ex-MLA, presided over by Com. Bruhaspati Samal, President, FCPA, Odisha, and conducted by Com. R. N. Dhal, State Convenor, FCPA, Odisha.

🌹 THE MARTYRS OF 19 SEPTEMBER 1968 WERE REMEMBERED WITH DEEP REVERENCE. 🌹

Collectively, we paid our respectful homage to the brave martyrs of the historic 19th September 1968 Central Government Employees’ Strike. Their sacrifice was not merely an episode in the history of the working class — it was a blazing chapter written with courage, suffering and sacrifice.

We remembered their historic struggle and discussed its profound relevance even today, when pensioners and employees are once again compelled to raise their voices for payment, pension, social security, dignity and justice.

THE YEARS HAVE CHANGED. GENERATIONS HAVE CHANGED. BUT THE QUESTION OF JUSTICE REMAINS.

And therefore, the flame lit by the martyrs of 1968 cannot and will not be extinguished.

🔥 THEIR BLOOD REMAINS A CALL TO THE LIVING!
🔥 THEIR SACRIFICE REMAINS A CHALLENGE TO OUR CONSCIENCE!
🔥 THEIR STRUGGLE REMAINS OUR INSPIRATION!

🙏 OUR HEARTFELT GRATITUDE TO EVERY COMRADE WHO MADE THESE THREE DAYS A THUNDEROUS SUCCESS.

What can we say about those elderly comrades who, despite their advanced age, physical pain, health problems, weakness and countless personal difficulties, came forward continuously for all three days?

They did not come because it was easy.

THEY CAME BECAUSE THE CAUSE WAS GREATER THAN THEIR PAIN.

They did not remain at home because of their age.

THEY CAME OUT BECAUSE THEIR CONSCIENCE WOULD NOT ALLOW THEM TO REMAIN SILENT.

They endured discomfort. They travelled from distant places. They stood and sat for hours. They raised slogans. They listened. They spoke. They participated.

AND THEY PROVED ONCE AGAIN THAT RETIREMENT FROM SERVICE DOES NOT MEAN RETIREMENT FROM THE STRUGGLE FOR JUSTICE.

🌹 The presence of our nonagenarian Com. Ananda Shankar Pati from Dhenkanal was one of the most inspiring moments of this historic programme.

At an age when many would understandably seek complete rest and comfort, this veteran comrade travelled to participate in the struggle.

NINETY YEARS MAY BEND THE BODY — BUT THEY CANNOT BEND A SPIRIT THAT HAS BEEN TEMPERED IN STRUGGLE! 🔥

His presence, along with that of numerous senior comrades, sent a powerful message:

AGE IS NOT A BARRIER TO STRUGGLE.
ILLNESS IS NOT A BARRIER TO COURAGE.
PHYSICAL WEAKNESS IS NOT A BARRIER TO DETERMINATION.
WHEN THE CAUSE IS JUST, THE HUMAN SPIRIT CAN RISE ABOVE EVERY LIMITATION.

🙏 To every pensioner who bore pain, inconvenience, fatigue and hardship during these three days — FCPA, Odisha offers its deepest revolutionary salute.

THIS SUCCESS IS YOUR SUCCESS.

It belongs to every comrade who travelled from near and far.

It belongs to every elderly pensioner who overcame physical difficulties to join us.

It belongs to every comrade who raised a slogan with a trembling voice but an unshaken heart.

It belongs to every person who stood under the banner of unity and declared:

WE WILL NOT REMAIN SILENT.
WE WILL NOT SURRENDER OUR RIGHTS.
WE WILL NOT ALLOW THE STRUGGLE OF OUR PREDECESSORS TO BE FORGOTTEN.

✊ THE THREE DAYS HAVE ENDED — BUT THE BATTLE HAS NOT ENDED.

The Dharna may have concluded, but our determination has not concluded.

The slogans may have fallen silent for a moment, but the voice of justice continues to reverberate.

The gathering may have dispersed, but the spirit of unity has travelled with every comrade back to their respective homes.

🔥 WE HAVE NOT COME TO THIS STRUGGLE TO RETREAT.
WE HAVE COME TO THIS STRUGGLE TO MOVE FORWARD.

Let the authorities hear the voice that emerged from Bhubaneswar GPO.

Let them hear the voice of the elderly pensioner who still refuses to surrender.

Let them hear the voice of the worker who spent a lifetime serving the nation.

Let them hear the voice of the martyrs of 1968 echoing through the present:

JUSTICE CANNOT BE SILENCED.
RIGHTS CANNOT BE ERASED.
STRUGGLE CANNOT BE SUPPRESSED.

🌹 SALUTE TO THE MARTYRS OF 19 SEPTEMBER 1968!

✊ SALUTE TO EVERY PENSIONER WHO PARTICIPATED IN THESE THREE DAYS!

✊ SALUTE TO THE COMRADES WHO STOOD FIRM DESPITE AGE AND ILLNESS!

✊ SALUTE TO THE SPIRIT OF UNITY, SACRIFICE AND STRUGGLE!

🔥 THE STRUGGLE MAY END FOR A DAY — BUT THE SPIRIT OF STRUGGLE NEVER ENDS!

🔥 WE SHALL CONTINUE TO FIGHT.
WE SHALL CONTINUE TO SPEAK.
WE SHALL CONTINUE TO ORGANISE.
WE SHALL CONTINUE TO MARCH FORWARD.

LONG LIVE PENSIONERS’ UNITY! ✊
LONG LIVE WORKERS’ UNITY! ✊
LONG LIVE THE MARTYRS OF 19 SEPTEMBER 1968! 🌹
LONG LIVE THE STRUGGLE FOR JUSTICE! 🔥
INQUILAB ZINDABAD! ✊🔥

B SAMAL

President, FCPA Odisha

#FCPA #FCPAOdisha #PensionersUnity #WorkersUnity #19September1968 #Martyrs #PensionRights #Justice #Dharna #StruggleContinues #LongLiveTheStruggle #InquilabZindabad

𝗢𝗡𝗘 𝗖𝗔𝗨𝗦𝗘 — 𝗢𝗡𝗘 𝗦𝗧𝗥𝗨𝗚𝗚𝗟𝗘 — 𝗢𝗡𝗘 𝗕𝗔𝗡𝗡𝗘𝗥!

🔥✊ 𝗢𝗡𝗘 𝗖𝗔𝗨𝗦𝗘 — 𝗢𝗡𝗘 𝗦𝗧𝗥𝗨𝗚𝗚𝗟𝗘 — 𝗢𝗡𝗘 𝗕𝗔𝗡𝗡𝗘𝗥! ✊🔥

Dear Comrades,

Today, I was 𝗳𝗼𝗿𝘁𝘂𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗵𝗼𝗻𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗮𝗱𝗱𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗮𝘀𝘀𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗗𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗮 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗺𝗺𝗲 𝗼𝗿𝗴𝗮𝗻𝗶𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝗯𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗜𝗔 & 𝗔𝗗 𝗣𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗲𝗿𝘀’ 𝗔𝘀𝘀𝗼𝗰𝗶𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻, 𝗕𝗵𝘂𝗯𝗮𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘄𝗮𝗿, at the 𝗟𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿 𝗣𝗠𝗚 𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗮, 𝗠𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗖𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝗦𝗾𝘂𝗮𝗿𝗲, 𝗕𝗵𝘂𝗯𝗮𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘄𝗮𝗿.

🙏 𝗜 𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗹𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗸 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗜𝗔 & 𝗔𝗗 𝗣𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗲𝗿𝘀’ 𝗔𝘀𝘀𝗼𝗰𝗶𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻, 𝗕𝗵𝘂𝗯𝗮𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘄𝗮𝗿, 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗴𝗶𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗺𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗼𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗺𝘆 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲, 𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗿𝗻𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗴𝗮𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴.

At the outset, I placed before the comrades a simple but fundamental question:

𝗪𝗛𝗘𝗡 𝗢𝗨𝗥 𝗗𝗘𝗠𝗔𝗡𝗗 𝗜𝗦 𝗖𝗢𝗠𝗠𝗢𝗡, 𝗪𝗛𝗘𝗡 𝗢𝗨𝗥 𝗣𝗔𝗜𝗡 𝗜𝗦 𝗖𝗢𝗠𝗠𝗢𝗡, 𝗔𝗡𝗗 𝗪𝗛𝗘𝗡 𝗢𝗨𝗥 𝗗𝗘𝗦𝗧𝗜𝗡𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡 𝗜𝗦 𝗖𝗢𝗠𝗠𝗢𝗡 — 𝗪𝗛𝗬 𝗦𝗛𝗢𝗨𝗟𝗗 𝗢𝗨𝗥 𝗦𝗧𝗥𝗨𝗚𝗚𝗟𝗘 𝗕𝗘 𝗗𝗜𝗩𝗜𝗗𝗘𝗗?

From 𝟭𝟳𝘁𝗵 𝘁𝗼 𝟭𝟵𝘁𝗵 𝗦𝗲𝗽𝘁𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲, FCPA, Odisha State Committee conducted its 𝟯-𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝗗𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗮 𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗕𝗵𝘂𝗯𝗮𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘄𝗮𝗿 𝗚𝗣𝗢 𝗰𝗮𝗺𝗽𝘂𝘀 𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗯𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗿, raising the united voice of pensioners on issues concerning 𝗽𝗮𝘆, 𝗽𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝗼𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝘀𝗲𝗰𝘂𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘆.

I conveyed my sincere view that while the IA & AD Pensioners’ Association has every right to organise its own programme, 𝗮 𝘀𝗲𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗮𝗺𝗲 𝗳𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗮𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝗽𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝘀𝘀𝘂𝗲𝘀 𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘃𝗶𝘁𝗮𝗯𝗹𝘆 𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘀 𝗮 𝗱𝗶𝘃𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝗳 𝗰𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗴𝘁𝗵.

𝗔 𝗗𝗜𝗩𝗜𝗗𝗘𝗗 𝗩𝗢𝗜𝗖𝗘 𝗠𝗔𝗬 𝗕𝗘 𝗛𝗘𝗔𝗥𝗗 — 𝗕𝗨𝗧 𝗔 𝗨𝗡𝗜𝗧𝗘𝗗 𝗩𝗢𝗜𝗖𝗘 𝗖𝗔𝗡 𝗥𝗘𝗦𝗢𝗡𝗔𝗧𝗘 𝗔𝗖𝗥𝗢𝗦𝗦 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗘𝗡𝗧𝗜𝗥𝗘 𝗦𝗬𝗦𝗧𝗘𝗠. 🔥

I therefore appealed to the comrades that, instead of standing separately, 𝘄𝗲 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝘁𝗼𝗴𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗯𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗿 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗯𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱 𝗮 𝗯𝗿𝗼𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿, 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗿 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗽𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿𝗳𝘂𝗹 𝗽𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗺𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁.

I also explained the serious concerns arising from the 𝗙𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗔𝗰𝘁 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟱 and the 𝗧𝗲𝗿𝗺𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗥𝗲𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝟴𝘁𝗵 𝗖𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗹 𝗣𝗮𝘆 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗶𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻, particularly from the perspective of pensioners and their future social security.

The message was clear:

𝗣𝗘𝗡𝗦𝗜𝗢𝗡𝗘𝗥𝗦 𝗠𝗔𝗬 𝗕𝗘𝗟𝗢𝗡𝗚 𝗧𝗢 𝗗𝗜𝗙𝗙𝗘𝗥𝗘𝗡𝗧 𝗗𝗘𝗣𝗔𝗥𝗧𝗠𝗘𝗡𝗧𝗦, 𝗗𝗜𝗙𝗙𝗘𝗥𝗘𝗡𝗧 𝗔𝗦𝗦𝗢𝗖𝗜𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡𝗦 𝗔𝗡𝗗 𝗗𝗜𝗙𝗙𝗘𝗥𝗘𝗡𝗧 𝗢𝗥𝗚𝗔𝗡𝗜𝗦𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡𝗦 — 𝗕𝗨𝗧 𝗢𝗨𝗥 𝗥𝗜𝗚𝗛𝗧𝗦, 𝗢𝗨𝗥 𝗗𝗜𝗚𝗡𝗜𝗧𝗬 𝗔𝗡𝗗 𝗢𝗨𝗥 𝗙𝗨𝗧𝗨𝗥𝗘 𝗔𝗥𝗘 𝗜𝗡𝗧𝗘𝗥𝗖𝗢𝗡𝗡𝗘𝗖𝗧𝗘𝗗.

🌹 𝗪𝗘 𝗠𝗔𝗬 𝗛𝗔𝗩𝗘 𝗗𝗜𝗙𝗙𝗘𝗥𝗘𝗡𝗧 𝗙𝗟𝗔𝗚𝗦, 𝗕𝗨𝗧 𝗢𝗨𝗥 𝗣𝗔𝗜𝗡 𝗜𝗦 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗦𝗔𝗠𝗘.

✊ 𝗪𝗘 𝗠𝗔𝗬 𝗛𝗔𝗩𝗘 𝗗𝗜𝗙𝗙𝗘𝗥𝗘𝗡𝗧 𝗢𝗥𝗚𝗔𝗡𝗜𝗦𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡𝗦, 𝗕𝗨𝗧 𝗢𝗨𝗥 𝗗𝗘𝗠𝗔𝗡𝗗𝗦 𝗔𝗥𝗘 𝗖𝗢𝗠𝗠𝗢𝗡.

🔥 𝗪𝗘 𝗠𝗔𝗬 𝗛𝗔𝗩𝗘 𝗗𝗜𝗙𝗙𝗘𝗥𝗘𝗡𝗧 𝗣𝗟𝗔𝗧𝗙𝗢𝗥𝗠𝗦, 𝗕𝗨𝗧 𝗢𝗨𝗥 𝗗𝗘𝗦𝗧𝗜𝗡𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡 𝗠𝗨𝗦𝗧 𝗕𝗘 𝗢𝗡𝗘.

Therefore, 𝗨𝗡𝗜𝗧𝗬 𝗜𝗦 𝗡𝗢𝗧 𝗔 𝗦𝗟𝗢𝗚𝗔𝗡 — 𝗨𝗡𝗜𝗧𝗬 𝗜𝗦 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗦𝗧𝗥𝗘𝗡𝗚𝗧𝗛 𝗢𝗙 𝗢𝗨𝗥 𝗠𝗢𝗩𝗘𝗠𝗘𝗡𝗧.

I was particularly encouraged by the assurance from the leadership of the IA & AD Pensioners’ Association that 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝘄𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗷𝗼𝗶𝗻 𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗱𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘂𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝗳𝘂𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗺𝗺𝗲𝘀.

I sincerely welcome this positive spirit.

Let this be the beginning of a 𝗻𝗲𝘄 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗽𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗼𝗳 𝗰𝗼𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻, 𝗰𝗼𝗼𝗿𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗰𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗮𝗺𝗼𝗻𝗴 𝗽𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗲𝗿𝘀’ 𝗼𝗿𝗴𝗮𝗻𝗶𝘀𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝗢𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗵𝗮.

🤝 𝗟𝗘𝗧 𝗨𝗦 𝗡𝗢𝗧 𝗖𝗢𝗠𝗣𝗘𝗧𝗘 𝗪𝗜𝗧𝗛 𝗘𝗔𝗖𝗛 𝗢𝗧𝗛𝗘𝗥 — 𝗟𝗘𝗧 𝗨𝗦 𝗖𝗢𝗠𝗣𝗟𝗘𝗧𝗘 𝗘𝗔𝗖𝗛 𝗢𝗧𝗛𝗘𝗥.

🤝 𝗟𝗘𝗧 𝗨𝗦 𝗡𝗢𝗧 𝗗𝗜𝗩𝗜𝗗𝗘 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗦𝗧𝗥𝗘𝗡𝗚𝗧𝗛 𝗢𝗙 𝗣𝗘𝗡𝗦𝗜𝗢𝗡𝗘𝗥𝗦 — 𝗟𝗘𝗧 𝗨𝗦 𝗠𝗨𝗟𝗧𝗜𝗣𝗟𝗬 𝗜𝗧.

🤝 𝗟𝗘𝗧 𝗨𝗦 𝗡𝗢𝗧 𝗠𝗔𝗥𝗖𝗛 𝗢𝗡 𝗦𝗘𝗣𝗔𝗥𝗔𝗧𝗘 𝗥𝗢𝗔𝗗𝗦 𝗪𝗛𝗘𝗡 𝗢𝗨𝗥 𝗗𝗘𝗦𝗧𝗜𝗡𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡 𝗜𝗦 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗦𝗔𝗠𝗘.

🔥 𝗢𝗡𝗘 𝗗𝗘𝗠𝗔𝗡𝗗.
𝗢𝗡𝗘 𝗩𝗢𝗜𝗖𝗘.
𝗢𝗡𝗘 𝗦𝗧𝗥𝗨𝗚𝗚𝗟𝗘.
𝗢𝗡𝗘 𝗨𝗡𝗜𝗧𝗘𝗗 𝗣𝗘𝗡𝗦𝗜𝗢𝗡𝗘𝗥𝗦’ 𝗠𝗢𝗩𝗘𝗠𝗘𝗡𝗧! 🔥

My heartfelt thanks once again to the 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗿𝗮𝗱𝗲𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗜𝗔 & 𝗔𝗗 𝗣𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗲𝗿𝘀’ 𝗔𝘀𝘀𝗼𝗰𝗶𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻, 𝗕𝗵𝘂𝗯𝗮𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘄𝗮𝗿, for their warm invitation and for providing me this platform to share my views.

𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗙𝗨𝗧𝗨𝗥𝗘 𝗢𝗙 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗣𝗘𝗡𝗦𝗜𝗢𝗡 𝗠𝗢𝗩𝗘𝗠𝗘𝗡𝗧 𝗪𝗜𝗟𝗟 𝗕𝗘 𝗦𝗧𝗥𝗢𝗡𝗚𝗘𝗥 𝗪𝗛𝗘𝗡 𝗪𝗘 𝗦𝗧𝗔𝗡𝗗 𝗧𝗢𝗚𝗘𝗧𝗛𝗘𝗥.

✊🔥 𝗨𝗡𝗜𝗧𝗘𝗗 𝗪𝗘 𝗥𝗔𝗜𝗦𝗘 𝗢𝗨𝗥 𝗩𝗢𝗜𝗖𝗘.
𝗨𝗡𝗜𝗧𝗘𝗗 𝗪𝗘 𝗗𝗘𝗙𝗘𝗡𝗗 𝗢𝗨𝗥 𝗥𝗜𝗚𝗛𝗧𝗦.
𝗨𝗡𝗜𝗧𝗘𝗗 𝗪𝗘 𝗦𝗛𝗔𝗟𝗟 𝗖𝗔𝗥𝗥𝗬 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗦𝗧𝗥𝗨𝗚𝗚𝗟𝗘 𝗙𝗢𝗥𝗪𝗔𝗥𝗗.

✊ 𝗟𝗢𝗡𝗚 𝗟𝗜𝗩𝗘 𝗣𝗘𝗡𝗦𝗜𝗢𝗡𝗘𝗥𝗦’ 𝗨𝗡𝗜𝗧𝗬!
✊ 𝗟𝗢𝗡𝗚 𝗟𝗜𝗩𝗘 𝗪𝗢𝗥𝗞𝗘𝗥𝗦’ 𝗨𝗡𝗜𝗧𝗬!
🔥 𝗟𝗢𝗡𝗚 𝗟𝗜𝗩𝗘 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗨𝗡𝗜𝗧𝗘𝗗 𝗦𝗧𝗥𝗨𝗚𝗚𝗟𝗘 𝗙𝗢𝗥 𝗝𝗨𝗦𝗧𝗜𝗖𝗘!
🔥 𝗜𝗡𝗤𝗨𝗜𝗟𝗔𝗕 𝗭𝗜𝗡𝗗𝗔𝗕𝗔𝗗! ✊🔥

Bruhaspati Samal

General Secretary 

Confederation Odisha State CoC

#PensionersUnity #FCPA #FCPAOdisha #IAPensioners #ADPensioners #IAAD #PensionMovement #PayAndPension #UnityIsStrength #OneBannerOneStruggle #PensionRights #Justice #LongLiveTheStruggle #InquilabZindabad

59th Remembrance Day of 19 September 1968 one day token strike — THE STRUGGLE THAT BUILT OUR RIGHTS

 Dear Friends,

There are dates that belong to the calendar. And then there are dates that belong to the conscience of a working class.

19 September 1968 is one such date.

Fifty-eight years ago, more than 30 lakh Central Government employees—from Railways, Posts and Telegraphs, Defence establishments, Income Tax, Customs, Accounts and numerous other departments—stood together in one of the most historic acts of working-class resistance in independent India. Under the banner of the Joint Council of Action (JCA), representing the AIRF, AIDEF and the Confederation of Central Government Employees and Workers, they declared that the dignity of labour could no longer be ignored. 

But young comrades must understand one thing clearly:

That struggle did not begin on 19 September 1968.

Its roots went back more than a decade.

The workers had been demanding a Need-Based Minimum Wage since the 15th Indian Labour Conference of 1957. The norms associated with Aykroyd's formula were designed around the basic needs of a worker and family—including food, clothing and other essential requirements. The Government's own later documentation records the adoption of the Aykroyd dietary norms by the 15th ILC. 

Yet the Second Central Pay Commission did not satisfy this aspiration. Inflation continued to eat into the purchasing power of employees. The demand for adequate neutralisation of the rise in prices through Dearness Allowance became a central issue.

The workers tried representations. They tried negotiations. They tried persuasion.

But when every door seemed closed, they chose the only language that a united working class possesses—the language of collective struggle.

And then came 19 September 1968.

Railway services were affected. Postal operations were disrupted. Government offices fell silent. Workers who normally kept the enormous machinery of administration moving decided, for one day, to withdraw their labour and make the country understand the value of that labour.

It was not merely a strike.

It was a declaration: “We are workers, not machines. We have families, dignity and aspirations. Our labour has value.”

The response from the Government was severe. The Essential Services Maintenance Ordinance was promulgated on 13 September 1968, shortly before the strike, providing penalties for participation in prohibited strikes. Contemporary legal records document the extraordinary legal and administrative measures surrounding the action. 

Thousands were arrested, suspended, terminated or otherwise victimised. Parliamentary records from the following year show that the Government was still dealing with the consequences of the dismissals and reinstatement of striking employees. 

Imagine that generation.

No social media.

No WhatsApp groups.

No smartphones.

No instant communication.

No digital banking.

No easy access to legal information.

No comfortable retirement planning.

And yet they stood together.

They faced arrests.

They faced suspension.

They faced dismissal.

They faced hunger and uncertainty.

And some paid the ultimate price.

Seventeen workers are remembered in the movement's history as having lost their lives during the repression surrounding the struggle. Their names were not those of famous politicians or wealthy industrialists. They were ordinary working people who became extraordinary because they refused to surrender their dignity. 

Among them were workers whose names must never disappear from the memory of the Central Government employee community.

They had families. They had dreams. They had children. They had unfinished lives.

But they also had something greater—

the courage to believe that tomorrow's generation deserved something better than today's injustice.

There was also a remarkable episode in Kerala. The Government headed by Comrade E. M. S. Namboodiripad refused to use the Essential Services Maintenance machinery against the striking Central Government employees in the manner demanded by the Centre, despite the political consequences threatened by the Union Government. The episode remains an important part of the historical record of the 1968 struggle. 

The struggle did not end when the one-day strike ended.

Victimisation continued. Leaders went on hunger strike from 10 October. On 17 October, a mass rally was held near the residence of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. The pressure continued.

And the struggle left an imprint.

When the Third Central Pay Commission was constituted in 1970, the question of Dearness Allowance and the impact of the Consumer Price Index became part of the framework considered for pay revision. The history of the movement therefore reminds us that many of the protections and compensations employees later came to regard as normal were shaped by decades of organised struggle.

But there is another uncomfortable truth.

The principal dream of 1968—the Need-Based Minimum Wage—remains unfinished.

That is why 19 September cannot become merely a ritual of garlanding photographs, raising slogans and posting a message on social media.

History is not something to remember once a year.
History is something to understand, inherit and carry forward.

TO THE YOUNGER GENERATION OF GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEES

Dear young comrades,

When you receive your salary, remember the workers who fought for wages.

When you receive Dearness Allowance, remember the workers who fought against the erosion of purchasing power.

When you enjoy leave, service protections and collective bargaining mechanisms, remember that these did not descend from the sky.

When you enter a government office with the security of a service career, remember the generations who faced victimisation so that the next generation could work with greater dignity.

Every benefit has a struggle story.
Every protection has a sacrifice behind it.
Every right has someone who fought before you.

Do not make the mistake of believing that what you have today will automatically exist tomorrow.

Rights can be weakened.

Protections can be diluted.

Social security can be reduced.

Permanent employment can be replaced by precarious arrangements.

And when workers become indifferent to their own history, the erosion of rights can happen silently.

The greatest danger to a worker is not always an order issued from above.

Sometimes the greatest danger is forgetting.

Forgetting who fought.

Forgetting why they fought.

Forgetting what they sacrificed.

And forgetting that unity is the greatest strength of working people.

The generation of 1968 had fewer resources than us—but it had extraordinary solidarity.

We have technology they could never imagine.

We can communicate across the country within seconds.

We can organise, educate and mobilise with unprecedented speed.

But technology cannot replace courage.

Social media cannot replace solidarity.

A WhatsApp message cannot replace collective action.

And a Facebook post cannot substitute for standing beside a fellow worker when that worker is in trouble.

The true tribute to the martyrs of 1968 is not a photograph.
It is our commitment to protect the dignity of labour.

Let the younger generation learn the greatest lesson of 19 September 1968:

Rights are never permanently secured.
They must be defended by every generation.

We did not inherit our rights from the generosity of governments.

We inherited them from the struggles of our ancestors.

And therefore we have a responsibility to pass them to the next generation—not weakened, not diluted, not surrendered, but strengthened.

On this 59th remembrance of the historic 19 September struggle, let us bow our heads before every worker who suffered imprisonment, suspension, dismissal, hunger, victimisation and death.

Let us remember the seventeen who never returned to their families.

Let us remember the unknown workers whose names may not appear in history books but whose courage helped shape the rights we enjoy today.

And let us make a solemn pledge:

We shall remember their struggle.
We shall protect their legacy.
We shall educate the younger generation.
We shall never treat workers' rights as charity.
We shall never allow sacrifice to become forgotten history.

Because the struggle of the working class has no final chapter.

Yesterday they fought for us.
Today it is our turn to stand.
Tomorrow another generation will judge what we did with the rights we inherited.

LONG LIVE THE MARTYRS OF 19 SEPTEMBER 1968!

LONG LIVE THE UNITY OF THE WORKING CLASS!

LONG LIVE THE SPIRIT OF COLLECTIVE STRUGGLE!

STRUGGLE HAS NO END — BECAUSE JUSTICE HAS NO EXPIRY DATE!

Bruhaspati Samal

General Secretary 

Confederation Odisha State CoC