A R Sindhu
THE 13th Convention of the All India Coordination Committee of Working Women – AICCWW (CITU), was held in Hyderabad on November 1-2, 2025 ahead of the upcoming 18th CITU conference. Reflecting the confidence, enthusiasm, determination and focus gained from the ongoing bitter struggles, the Convention resolved to take up the issues at the root of class oppression and women’s subordination in the neoliberal era and advance the struggles to a higher level. It decided to build a broad-based united movement of all sections of working women and to expand the CITU in certain priority sectors where women work in large numbers.
Representation of almost all sections of working women
Held three years after the 12th Convention at Kolkata in May 2022, this year’s Convention had delegates from 20 states/UTs – Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Chhattisgarh, Delhi, Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, MP, Maharashtra, Odisha, Pondicherry, Punjab, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Tripura, UP and West Bengal. It was of a qualitatively higher level on many counts. For the first time, fraternal delegates from the All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS) and the All India Agricultural Workers Union (AIAWU) attended. Apart from the All India Democratic Women’s Association (AIDWA), who had attended from the first Convention, there were fraternal delegates from the All India State Government Employees Federation, the Confederation of Central Government Employees and Workers, the All India Insurance Employees Association, the Bank Employees Federation of India and the BSNL Employees Union. For the first time, fraternal delegates from the School Teachers’ Federation of India also attended.
The qualitative difference this time was the participation of women leaders and cadres of CITU affiliated unions from almost all sectors – construction, brick kiln, textiles/garments/tailoring, mine workers, modern manufacturing, fisheries, traditional industries like handloom, coir, cashew, plantation, beedi, municipal workers, contract workers in government departments/PSUs, Scheme workers- Anganwadi, ASHA, MDM, para teachers, NCLP, school counselors, IT/ITES employees, GIG/platform based workers, private hospital employees, private school employees, road transport workers (auto drivers and state transport), water transport, pharmaceuticals, electricity, sales promotion executives, LIC agents, SEZ workers, steel workers, coal workers, railway employees and contract workers, domestic workers, home-based industries, embroidery, matches and fireworks factory workers and co-operative sector workers. As decided by the CITU, apart from the organisers, the proportion of scheme workers was kept low. The experiences of discriminatory practices and struggles from the different sectors helped develop a collective understanding on the tasks and priorities ahead.
The Convention Sessions
The Convention started with the hoisting of the CITU flag by CITU President K. Hemalata. CITU Vice President J. Mercykutty Amma presided over the inaugural session. C. Ramulu welcomed the delegates on behalf of the Reception Committee. CITU General Secretary Tapan Sen inaugurated the Convention, outlining the CITU’s perspective on the systemic crisis of neoliberal capitalism, emerging multi-polarity and increasing anti-imperialist movements the world over. He explained the emergence of extreme right-wing forces across the globe and the characteristics of the neo-fascist forces in our country. Linking the policies of the corporate-communal nexus in governance to the increasing discrimination and various forms of exploitation of women workers, he emphasised the political direction of anti-imperialist, anti-monopoly struggles, linking them with gender and social oppression, and the need to forge wider unity of the working people. He called upon the working women leaders to assert themselves within the organisation and take up leadership roles.
The presidium consisted of Usha Rani (Centre, Convenor), Sunitha Kurian (Kerala), Indrani Mukherji (WB), Baby Shakila (TN), Panchali Bhattacharya (Tripura), Dhanalakshmi (AP), Sudesh Kumari (Himachal), Shanta Ghante (Karnataka), S. V. Rama (Telangana). The Convention elected a Resolutions Committee, a Credentials Committee and a Minutes Committee. Madhumita Bandopadhyaya placed the condolence resolutions.
Report and discussion
A. R. Sindhu, Convenor, AICCWW (CITU), placed the report. The report analysed the trends in women’s employment, which show substantial increase in agriculture and textiles and apparel sectors. Working conditions are worsening and so are social discrimination and violence against women. The report noted the increasing participation of women in trade union activities and struggles. It stressed the need to organise in priority sectors where women are working in large numbers and underlined the focal slogans against discrimination, issues and special needs of women. It noted that almost all states except Kerala have withdrawn the ban on women’s nightwork. Underground mining by women is also permitted now. It emphasised the need to study the impact of changes in labour laws. It called for campaigns to reduce the unpaid domestic and care work done for reproduction of labour power by increased public provisioning and socialisation of such work.
The report also noted the improvement in functioning of the state coordination committees and women’s subcommittees after introduction of the Tier system. However, lack of clarity persists on the proper functioning of these committees.
AIDWA Treasurer S. Punyavati greeted the Convention. Anu and Sarita Sharma conveyed greetings from AIKS and AIAWU respectively. Fraternal trade union representatives Jyothilakshmi and Amita Nayak (BSNLEU), Rajithamol K. K. (BEFI), Geeta Shant (AIIEA), K. Badarunnisa (STFI) and M. Suganthi (AISGEF) emphasised the need for better coordination between the AICCWW and the subcommittees.
A total of sixty delegates from 20 states, the all India centre and various sectoral federations and coordination committees spoke on the report. They shared their experiences of taking up issues of women workers and their achievements, like menstrual leave in Karnataka, women’s toilets and changing rooms in plantations in West Bengal, separate toilets for women in establishments etc. The Kerala state CCWW has started a helpline ‘She Supports’ for women workers in distress.
Mini Sukumar, noted academician in gender studies and Kerala Planning Board member, made a presentation on the Kerala LDF government’s efforts in regard to women in general and working women in particular.
Resolutions on Palestine, the National Labour Policy, on domestic workers’ issues, on sexual harassment at the workplace and in support of the actions of scheme workers, were adopted.
Anju Maini presented the Credentials Report. 296 delegates and 7 CITU leaders attended the Convention. Nearly 20% of the delegates had a family monthly income less than Rs. 10000 per month. 24.3% faced social oppression and 31.4% were victims of gender-based violence. 18% belonged to SC/ST communities and around 32% to backward communities. 20% had been victimised for union activities.
The Chairperson of the Reception Committee, Dr. Shantha Sinha, a renowned child rights activist and Padma awardee, greeted the delegates on the second day. She stressed the need of coordinated work by academicians and intellectuals with the working class movement.
After the Convenor’s reply, the report and future tasks were adopted unanimously. These will be placed for endorsement at the 18th CITU conference.
CITU President K. Hemalata explained in her concluding remarks how to take up the issues of women workers in coordination with the concerned CITU committees. She emphasised the need to project the socialist alternative among the working class.
The Convention decided to consolidate the organisation of scheme workers and organise rural women workers with the help of cadres from scheme workers. It decided to organise garment workers on a priority basis and young women workers in various sectors. It decided to conduct district/state/union level working women’s conventions before the all India Conference and emphasised cadre development. It directed all CITU state committees to form Internal Committees against sexual harassment.
It was decided to take up concrete studies on issues of working women in various sectors, carry out an ideological campaign on women’s subordination and the alternatives and intensify the struggle against communal divisive forces, obscurantist anti-women ideology and practices, and violence against women and children through massive campaigns and cultural interventions.
The Convention adopted a 25 point charter of demands, a nationwide campaign on which will be conducted from March 1-7, 2023. This will culminate on 8 March 2026, International Working Women’s Day, in massive demonstrations/rallies of working women at the district level. With the vision of a modern egalitarian society, that of a socialist world order, the Convention pledged to mobilise working women under the CITU in the struggle to transcend the exploitative capitalist order.
