AN APPEAL TO RISE — NOW OR NEVER

Dear Comrades,

The Confederation CHQ, by its historic circular dated 24.11.2025, has sounded the call for struggle. A series of militant agitational programmes on our 10-Point Charter of Demands is to commence from 16th December 2025, beginning with lunch-hour demonstrations at all workplaces. This is not a routine programme — it is a decisive moment in the life of our movement.

With a heavy heart, yet with an unbroken spirit, I must inform you that due to the serious health condition of my mother, I have been compelled to stay at my native place, Anandapur, since the 7th of this month. Under these circumstances, I may not be in a position to physically participate in the forthcoming agitational programmes, nor can I say when I shall be able to return to Bhubaneswar.

But comrades, let there be no pause in the struggle, no slowing down of the march, no dilution of our resolve.

I make a fervent, revolutionary appeal to all Chief Executives of our affiliates, and to every activist and member in the rank and file, to take full ownership of this movement. Organize each programme with determination, discipline and militancy. Participate en masse, with the confidence that history is written only by those who dare to fight.

Our demands are just, urgent and non-negotiable:

- Modification of the Terms of Reference of the 8th Central Pay Commission

- Grant of Interim Relief

- Scrapping of NPS/UPS and restoration of OPS

- Ending discrimination among pensioners

- Withdrawal of the unjust validation of pension rules

- And many more issues that strike at the very core of our dignity and survival

These are not mere demands on paper — they are questions of our future, our security and our self-respect.

Comrades, remember one truth etched in the history of the working class:

Rights are never gifted — they are won through struggle.

If not now, then when?

If not us, then who?

If we fail today, tomorrow may never come.

Realize the gravity of the situation. Rise above hesitation. Close ranks. March forward with unity, courage and revolutionary determination.

The movement must go on — stronger, louder and more resolute than ever.

✊ In unity lies our strength. In struggle lies our victory.✊ 

I hope, my mother will recover very soon and I will join you. 

With revolutionary greetings,

🙏🙏💐💐🙏🙏

- B. Samal - 

General Secretary

Confederation Odisha State Co-ordination Committee &

President, Forum of Civil Pensioners' Association 

Odisha State Committee

Labour Reforms or Rights Erosion?

 

Labour Reforms or Rights Erosion?

-Bruhaspati Samal-

In the political economy of contemporary India, few reforms have invited such sharp polarisation as the four Labour Codes notified for nationwide implementation through the Gazette Notification dated 21 November 2025. Even before the ink on the notification dried, the streets began to reverberate with protests from Central Trade Unions, independent federations, and workers’ collectives across the country. As alleged, the present Government’s approach beginning 2019–20 to club the laws into the Code on Wages, Industrial Relations Code, Code on Social Security, and the Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code are pro-corporate, dilute long-established labour rights, lengthen the working day, weaken workplace safety, restrict formation and functioning of trade unions, and endanger the social security framework that evolved through 44 specialised labour laws painstakingly enacted over nearly a century. Instead, the Government describes it as simplification, rationalisation, and a catalyst for “ease of doing business.” The divergence between the two narratives reflects a deeper conflict—between the objective of economic efficiency and the imperative of protecting labour rights. Though ostensibly a rationalisation exercise, the devil lies in the detail—where many protective provisions have been diluted or left open-ended, risking enormous consequences for India’s 50-crore-strong workforce.

 

The Code on Wages is the first example of this ambiguity. It unifies the Minimum Wages Act, Payment of Wages Act, Bonus Act, and Equal Remuneration Act under a single legislative umbrella. On paper, it seeks uniformity, but the core concern remains that the Code does not mandate a binding national floor wage. States may still legally fix wages below this benchmark, thereby defeating the purpose of creating minimum income security for workers. Moreover, the criteria for determining wages have subtly shifted away from established norms such as the Supreme Court’s historic Workmen vs. Reptakos Brett judgment of 1992, which linked minimum wage to nutrition, clothing, housing, fuel, education, and social obligations. By making wage fixation a matter of executive discretion, the Code risks legitimising artificially low wages under the guise of competitiveness, a fear repeatedly expressed by trade unions.

The Industrial Relations Code is arguably the most controversial of all. It raises the threshold for the applicability of Standing Orders from establishments with 100 workers to those with 300, effectively allowing a large proportion of workplaces to hire and fire workers without due process. This single change alters the bargaining power of nearly 70 per cent of workers in the organised sector. Additionally, the Code makes strikes harder by making prior notice mandatory even in sectors that have never been classified as public utilities. It further introduces the concept of a sole negotiating union, requiring at least 51 per cent membership. In a country where workplaces are often diverse and unions may represent different categories of workers, this rule restricts plurality and weakens smaller unions. As India’s workforce increasingly shifts towards gig employment, fixed-term contracts, and platform-based jobs, shrinking the space for collective bargaining threatens to erode the very foundation of the labour movement.

The Code on Social Security, which promises universal coverage, presents another layer of concern. It claims to bring gig workers, platform workers, and unorganised workers under its ambit. However, the language of the Code is largely discretionary, allowing the Government to “frame schemes” without creating binding statutory obligations. Funding mechanisms are vague, employer contributions are uncertain, and the cap on contributions from aggregators risks making benefits too small to matter. The earlier protections provided under specialised laws such as the Maternity Benefit Act or the Unorganised Workers’ Social Security Act may lose their distinctiveness within this broad, non-committal framework. Pensioners, too, view these changes with apprehension because the consolidation can open pathways for future restructuring of the Employees’ Pension Scheme without adequate consultation or assurance.

The Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code is equally significant. It replaces thirteen individual laws, including those governing mines, factories, contract labour, and inter-state migrant workers. While the Government argues that it reduces overlap, many of the detailed and mandatory safety requirements of earlier laws have been diluted. The threshold for application has been raised, leaving workers in smaller establishments outside the purview of formal safety regulation. The requirement of displacement allowance and journey allowance for inter-state migrants has been removed, despite past experience—especially the crisis of 2020—showing how vulnerable these workers are. Contract labour regulation has been liberalised to the extent that permanent engagement through contractors may become the norm even in core activities. Critics argue that this emphasis on flexibility undermines essential safeguards that were developed after decades of industrial tragedies and struggles.

The implications of the four Labour Codes reach far beyond legal drafting and touch the core realities of India’s labour landscape, which is already marked by long working hours, low wages, high informality, and one of the world’s highest rates of occupational injuries. Official records note over four lakh injuries and more than four thousand workplace deaths annually, though experts believe the actual figures are much higher. In such conditions, any dilution of safety norms or curbs on trade union activity risks creating a labour regime where economic efficiency is pursued at the expense of human dignity. The belief that deregulation automatically boosts employment finds little support in global evidence, which shows that job creation is driven more by investment, technological upgrading, and demand expansion than by weakening labour rights. Insecure workplaces often undermine productivity and long-term industrial stability.

Yet it would be mistaken to conclude that labour reforms are unnecessary. India needs modern frameworks that balance economic dynamism with social justice. This requires reforms that preserve essential rights through genuine tripartite consultation, scientific wage determination, universal and well-funded social security, stronger safety norms, and protected migrant worker benefits. Trade union rights must remain central to industrial democracy, and implementation should be phased, institutionally supported, and accompanied by awareness for smaller establishments. 

Ultimately, labour reforms must emerge from consensus, not confrontation. India’s labour laws were born out of collective struggles and constitutional values centred on justice and dignity. Simplification is welcome, but simplification that sidelines worker welfare is not reform—it is regression. If the Government embraces dialogue and addresses the substantive concerns raised by workers, the Labour Codes can be reshaped into instruments that genuinely promote growth while upholding the rights of the millions who are the backbone of the nation’s economy.

*****

 (The writer is a Service Union Representative and Columnist. eMail: samalbruhaspati@gmail.com)            

Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 1347 on implementation of 8th Pay Commission answered on 8th December 2025 by Minister of State (Finance) Shri Pankaj Chaudhary

✊🔥 Comrade K K N Kutty — Amar Rahe! 🔥✊ Revolutionary Salutes on His Third Death Anniversary

 

✊🔥 Comrade K K N Kutty — Amar Rahe! 🔥✊

Revolutionary Salutes on His Third Death Anniversary

Dear Comrades,

On this solemn day of 8th December 2025, the working-class movement across the nation bows its head in reverence to the immortal memory of Comrade K K N Kutty, whose untimely demise on 8th December 2022 left a deep void—one that continues to be profoundly felt by the entire trade union fraternity, especially the Central Government employees and pensioners.

Comrade Kutty was not merely a leader—he was an institution, a school of thought, a guiding force whose ideological clarity, organizational commitment, and unwavering conviction shaped decades of struggles. Beginning his journey as an employee in the Chennai Income Tax Office and an activist of the Tamil Nadu Confederation movement, he marched forward with determination until he rose to the highest echelons of leadership—serving the Confederation as Secretary General, President, and Vice President.

As a stalwart representative in the JCM National Council and Standing Committee, he walked shoulder to shoulder with legendary comrades such as Comrade Shiva Gopal Mishra and Comrade S. K. Vyas, contributing immensely to the formulation of Pay Commission memoranda and shaping the collective vision of the workers' movement. His deep involvement in the international labour front—WFTU, TUI, and other global platforms—reflected his understanding that workers’ struggles transcend borders, and solidarity is the strongest weapon of the oppressed.

I feel privileged to have interacted with him on several occasions—during strike campaigns in Bhubaneswar, national trade union education programmes, NFPE Federal Executive Meetings, and all India Conferences. One unforgettable moment remains my long exchange with him during the national debate on the 7th CPC Memorandum organized by AIPEU, Group–C in New Delhi in 2014. Our last meeting was during the AIPEU Gr-C All India Conference at Shri Anandpur Sahib, Punjab, between 28th and 30th March 2022, a memory that now stands frozen in time.

Comrade Kutty was unique—soft-spoken yet ideologically uncompromising, humble yet intellectually towering, gentle yet fierce against injustice. His life remained deeply rooted in socialist values, and his class-conscious commitment never wavered. His demise created an irreplaceable vacuum in the working-class and pensioners’ movement of India.

Today, as we remember him on his third death anniversary, we do not mourn alone—we remember with pride, respect and responsibility. His life is not a closed chapter of history, but a torch that must continue to burn through our struggles, our unity, and our determination.

Let us reaffirm our commitment:

 ➡️ to uphold his ideology,

 ➡️ to carry forward his unfinished tasks,

 ➡️ and to remain steadfast in the fight for justice, dignity, and workers’ rights.

Comrade K K N Kutty—Your memory is a movement. Your legacy is our roadmap. Your name is immortal.

✨ Comrade K K N Kutty — Amar Rahe! Amar Rahe!! Amar Rahe!!! ✨

In Revolutionary Solidarity,

✍️ Bruhaspati Samal

 General Secretary

 Confederation of Central Govt. Employees & Workers,

 Odisha State CoC

NCCPA / FCPA Odisha State Committee organized a State Level Seminar on Finance Act 2025, ToR of 8th CPC and Labour Codes in Bhubaneswar on 3rd December 2025

 

Respected Pensioners / Dear Comrades,

With revolutionary pride and deep regard, I extend my heartfelt thanks to each one of you. Today’s (3.12.2025) State Level Seminar organised by the NCCPA and FCPA, Odisha State Committee proved to be a historic and resounding success solely due to your unwavering participation, disciplined unity and firm commitment to our collective cause.

The Seminar on the topic “Reforms and Realities: Understanding the Impact of the 8th CPC ToR, Finance Act 2025 and Labour Codes on the Workforce and Retirees” was held under my chairmanship as the State President of NCCPA and FCPA, Odisha. The deliberations throughout the session were rich in content, sharp in analysis and inspiring in spirit.

Com. S. B. Yadav, Secretary General of the Confederation of Central Government Employees and Workers, CHQ, New Delhi, attended as the Chief Speaker and extensively elaborated on the ongoing policy offensives affecting the working class and pensioners, calling upon all to participate with full strength in the Confederation-led programs from the national headquarters. Com. Prakash Chandra Ray, General Secretary of the All India UCO Bank Employees’ Association and State General Secretary of BEFI, addressed the seminar as the Speaker and explained in detail the long struggle of bank employees to secure pension since 1995, highlighting that the fight still continues as pension updation remains denied and the attacks on social security are intensifying.

The dais was shared by Com. R. N. Dhal, State Convenor; Com. R. N. Mohanty of OITPA and Com. Antaryami Dhupal of AIBDPA, both Vice Presidents; and Com. B. N. Tripathy, Treasurer. As the President, I formally initiated the proceedings and invited Com. R. N. Dhal to present the report on the subject. He clearly explained the implications of the Finance Act 2025, the Terms of Reference of the 8th CPC, and the Labour Codes, particularly stressing the alarming threat looming over nearly 69 lakh civil pensioners across the country. He also emphasised the tasks ahead and the collective organisational responsibilities to defend pension and safeguard social security.

Com. R. N. Mohanty and Com. Antaryami Dhupal shared brief but important remarks focusing on organisational preparedness and unity. Com. B. N. Tripathy also contributed his reflections on the issues discussed. We were fortunate to have Sj. Ashrumochana Mohanty, veteran Odia Cine artist accidentally among us who also wished the gathering with his inspiring words.

Later, several leaders who attended the seminar participated in the deliberations. They included Com. Chittaranjan Pattanaik from the Income Tax Employees Federation and Com. M. C. S. Rao from NFPE (P-IV), whose financial support significantly contributed to the successful conduct of the programme. From various pensioners’ organisations, the following comrades addressed the house with solidarity and clarity of purpose: Com. D. B. Mohanty (AIPRPA), Com. Pravanjan Panigrahi (AIBDPA), Com. Birendra Nag (AIRBSNLEWA), Com. Biswanath Behera (BSNLPWA), Com. Pravat Kumar Sahoo (AGPA), Com. Purna Chandra Mohapatra, President of CGPA Puri, Com. L. M. Majhi (OITPA), Com. J. K. Mishra (IOPPA), Com. Purna Chandra Nayak (RMRCPA), Com. S. S. Acharya (CGWBPA), Com. Laxmidhar Mishra (KVSTPA), Com. B. N. Panda (AIRBSNLPWA), and Com. Kishore Chandra Pattanaik (CGPA, Puri).

Before concluding, Com. R. N. Dhal placed certain organisational programs to be observed across the state in the coming days to consolidate our collective movement.

In my concluding presidential speech, I called upon all comrades to strengthen the NCCPA and FCPA in Odisha with full vigour and to remain united until our demands are met and justice is restored.

Com. R. N. Dhal delivered the vote of thanks, expressing gratitude to all leaders, delegates and members who travelled from different districts and associations to participate and make this seminar a remarkable success.

Approximately 120 civil pensioners participated in today’s seminar, transforming it into a powerful platform of unity, determination and resistance.

Red Salute to all comrades.

 In unity, in struggle and towards victory.

With warm and revolutionary greetings,

= B SAMAL =

🙏🙏💐🙏🙏

 State President

 NCCPA / FCPA, Odisha State Committee

Rajya Sabha Unstarred Question No. 252 on constitution of 8th CPC (Answered on 2nd December 2025)

Holding of State Level Seminar on “Reforms and Realities: Understanding the impact of the 8th CPC ToR, Finance Act 2025 and Labour Codes on the Workforce and Retirees” at 10 AM in Budha Mandir Auditorium, near Exhibition Ground, Bhubaneswar on 3rd December 2025.

Press Release by Joint Platform of Central Trade Unions opposing implementation of Labour Codes

Confederation CHQ Circular dated 24.11.2025 on forthcoming nationwide agitational programmes on 10 pont Charter of Demands

24th November – The Glorious Anniversary of NFPE

 

Celebrate the Revolutionary Legacy, Honour the Sacrifices, and March Forward With Unbreakable Resolve

Just two days before India awakened to freedom, on 13th August 1947, three historic organisations—AIPRMS Union, IPTU and ITA—united to form the Union of Posts and Telegraphs Workers (UPTW). Even before the tricolour rose high, the workers of P&T had already raised the banner of unity and class struggle. The Government, fearing the iron resolve of postal and telegraph workers, recognized UPTW without allowing the unions to merge—yet the unity of workers stood stronger than all barriers.

UPTW held its first AIC at Madras from 24–27 May 1948, and with tremendous courage, served a strike notice on 1 February 1949, demanding justice through a 28-point charter. The strike was set for 9 March 1949, supported by the Railway Unions. Alarmed by this united assertion of workers’ power, the newly formed Government unleashed unprecedented repression—leaders like O. P. Gupta, V. S. Menon, K. G. Bose and Dada Ghosh were arrested, houses were raided, union offices locked, and the rest detained, denied bail and dragged back to their home states like criminals.

Yet repression could not silence the call of justice. When the Bengal Province Union of UPTW decided to stand firm and strike, mass arrests followed. Nearly 300 P&T and Railway workers languished in jails till the end of 1949, facing dismissal, termination and charge sheets. The scars were deep, but the spirit remained unbroken.

The Government, frightened by the militant unity of workers, attempted to label UPTW as a “permanent menace” and crush the movement. Yet the workers answered with louder unity. On 29 January 1951, UPTW spearheaded the historic Anti-Black Bill Day, forcing the Government to withdraw the anti-worker Labour Relations Amendment Bill. Negotiations with Communication Minister Rafi Ahmad Kidwai in 1950 led to reinstatement of most dismissed workers, though giants like K. G. Bose, Saroj Mohan Chatterjee and Moni Bose continued to suffer victimization.

The real turning point came in the Nagpur AIC, 1953. Under the towering leadership of Dada Ghosh, unity was rebuilt brick by brick. He appealed to all unions to accept the realignment scheme, not as a compromise, but as a call for stronger, militant unity across cadres.

Thus emerged the historic Realignment Scheme, forming 9 all-India unions and, at the top, a mighty Federation. On 24 November 1954, at Vinaynagar, Delhi, the Federal Council met and gave birth to the legendary National Federation of Posts & Telegraphs Employees (NFPTE) with Dada Ghosh as the first Secretary-General. Recognition by the Government followed on 4 March 1955, but the true recognition had already been bestowed by the workers of India through sacrifice, unity and revolutionary determination.

On 20 April 1955, NFPTE displayed its power—5,000 workers marched, newspapers carried the voice of P&T employees nationwide, and the movement roared like never before. The first anniversary of NFPTE on 24 November 1955 became a celebration of a militant legacy, built on courage and collective power.

From the humble beginnings of the Postal Club, Calcutta, 1905, to its formal recognition in 1954, and its transformation into NFPE after the P&T bifurcation in 1986, this organization has stood tall through derecognition in 1960, 1968, and again now since 26 April 2023 —unshaken, undefeated, and unbent.

Because NFPE was never “recognized” by governments.

NFPE was recognized by its members—through sacrifice, blood, jail, hunger, unity, and struggle.

Recognition is not given. Recognition is earned. And NFPE earned it through 120 years of uncompromising struggle.

No Government can derecognize a movement that lives in the hearts of lakhs of postal workers.

Today, as we celebrate the 71st Anniversary of NFPTE/NFPE, let every bonafide member remember:

NFPE is not merely a federation—it is a movement.

NFPE is not a file in the Ministry—it is a fire in the hearts of workers.

NFPE cannot be derecognized—because it is immortalized by sacrifice.

Now is the time to carry this legacy forward.

Now is the time to show the same militancy that our forefathers showed in 1949, 1951, 1960 and 1968.

Now is the time to strengthen unity, organization and struggle.

Let no worker fear derecognition.

Let every worker rise with determination.

Our recognition comes from our members, not from notifications.

NFPE lives because its members live the movement.

NFPE stands because its members stand together.

NFPE marches forward because its members march as one.NFPE Zindabad.

NFPE Long Live.

Workers’ Unity Long Live.

Struggle is our heritage. 

Victory is our destiny.

– Bruhaspati Samal -

Ex–All India Organizing General Secretary, CHQ, New Delhi & Ex–Circle Secretary, Odisha, NFPE (P-III)

Gazette Notification issued today (21.11.2025) for implementation of four Labour Codes

CODE ON WAGES 2019

CODE ON SOCIAL SECURITY 2020

Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code, 2020 

Industrial Relations Code, 2020