12.04.2020
The National Trade union Confederation (NTUC) and Federation des Travailleurs Unis (FTU) have adhered to the new platform being formed based on common demands “Towards a Working Class Program during the Lockdown for Epidemic Control”. This brings the number of working class organisations adhering to this platform up to 8. The other organisations apart from LALIT who initiated the program are the Confederation des Travailleurs du Secteur Privé, the Mauritius Labour Congress/All Workers Federation, the Government Services Employees Association, the Federation of Parastatal Bodies and Others union, the ACSEF and Muvman Liberasyon Fam.
To read the common working class program, click or on your browser copy/paste
Despite the lockdown paralysing union structures, even if a lockdown is necessary to stop the spread of COVID 19, union federations like the CTSP are beginning to act on the basis of demands within the program. On the 10th of April, for instance, the CTSP sent a letter to the Prime Minister to demand a Universal Minimum Revenue financed by the private sector and Land Reform for food security.
On 8th April, LALIT addressed a letter to the Minister of Agro-Industry and Food Security, Maneesh Gobin calling on him to publicly present his plan for assuring food security. The letter can be viewed on LALIT's website:
The Minister replied to LALIT the same day to thank us for our “valuable suggestions”, but said that he wished to meet us after the lockdown has been lifted. What the letter did not state, and that was our demand, is where the Minister's food security plan? Up to now, various Ministers have come forward to explain what measures are being taken in the context of the COVID 19 crisis. As people are having to confront fresh food shortages and when available rocketing food prices, the Food Security Minister has not come forward with a plan yet.