By Bureau Correspondent | Tripura 24.in
AGARTALA | May 30, 2026
AGARTALA: Marking over five decades of relentless historic struggles and frontline trade union mobilization, the 56th Foundation Day of the Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) was celebrated with deep ideological respect, organizational solemnity, and renewed commitments across the state capital on Saturday.
The primary state-level commemorative event was hosted at the central CITU State Headquarters in Agartala. In tandem with the traditional morning flag-hoisting rituals, a highly significant hall convention was organized to analyze contemporary threats facing the labor and industrial sectors.
The event was anchored by a panel of veteran Left trade unionists and state executives, including former Transport Minister and CITU State President Manik Dey, former Member of Parliament Shankar Prasad Dutta, and prominent women’s front leader Panchali Bhattacharjee, alongside hundreds of dedicated sector representatives, transport operators, and daily-wage association delegates.
A Heritage of Resistance: Celebrating 56 Years of Struggle
Founded on May 30, 1970, during the historic All India National Workers’ Convention, CITU has served as a pivotal force in driving anti-capitalist, pro-worker legislation and organizing mass labor resistance across the country.
Key Technical Parameters Highlighted During the Hall Assembly:
- Opposing Labor Law Dilutions: Outlining absolute resistance against the central administration’s move to consolidate 44 progressive labor laws into four highly controversial corporate-friendly labor codes.
- The Threat of Privatization: Raising a unified structural voice against the systematic monetization and strategic sale of profitable Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs), including telecom, banking, insurance, and aviation.
- Struggles of Insecure Sector Workers: Demanding immediate minimum-wage standardization, universal pension coverage, and medical insurance security for contract, platform, and gig-economy workers.
“The Exploitative Corporate-Communal Nexus Must Be Fought Collectively”: Veteran Leader Manik Dey
Addressing a packed auditorium at the state office, former Minister and CITU stalwart Manik Dey launched a scathing attack on the socio-economic policies being executed by the current governance frameworks.
”We are celebrating our 56th Foundation Day at a time when the fundamental rights of the working class are under an unprecedented, coordinated attack. The hard-earned labor protections that our predecessors won after decades of intense physical struggles and sacrifices are being systematically dismantled to maximize corporate profits. Permanent, secure government positions are being rapidly wiped out and replaced by fragile, low-paying outsourcing contracts that strip our youth of dignity and socio-economic security.
Simultaneously, uncontrolled inflation has turned daily survival into an absolute nightmare for lower-income households. But history shows that the voice of the toiling masses cannot be silenced through administrative high-handedness. On this historic day, CITU calls upon every factory hand, every transport worker, and every field helper to unite with our farming communities. We must build a fierce, unbreakable joint mass movement at the grass-roots level to defeat these anti-people, anti-labor economic policies,” veteran leader Manik Dey declared to the assembled delegates.
Echoing his sentiments, former MP Shankar Prasad Dutta and Panchali Bhattacharjee urged the younger cadre base to expand digital communication tools to systematically educate first-generation contract workers on their constitutional trade union rights.
The state-wide commemoration concluded with workers taking a collective ideological pledge to strengthen local neighborhood units and actively participate in upcoming joint industrial strikes to protect public welfare assets from corporate takeovers.
