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Friends, Workers across the country will be going on general strike tomorrow in defense of the most basic strike of all-the right to strike.As a signatory to the ILO Conventions the Indian state is bound to ensure the right of workers to associate, form unions and if nec~ss~ry,_ to strike for their demands. Yet, in the period of economic liberalization these rights have increasingly come under attacks. Indeed, mstituttng a 'hire and fire' policy in the name of labour market flexibility is an essential part of the so called 'second generation reforms'. Already amendments have been made in labour laws to make it easier for firms to fire workers while it making it more difficult for trade unions to be set up. It is in this context that the Tamil Nadu government, wh1ch has generally carried out a ruthless campaigns on democratic rights, terminated the services of more than four lakh striking government employees using the provisions of the draconian TESMA. What is even more shocking is that the Supreme Court, rather than upholding the rights of the workers, pronounced in principle against the workers' right to strike. Tomorrow's strike by the trade unions is on the demand of appropriate legislation to redress the situation arising out of this decision of the Supreme Court. This decision of the Supreme Court is not an isolated one. In recent times the judiciary too seems to have accepted the neo-liberallogic at large. Over the past year, the Supreme Court's ruling in the TMA Pai case has been followed by massive fee-hikes by the private un-aided professional institutions across the country. Student protest against these fee-hikes has been met not just by brutal police repression but the Kerala High Court in a recent judgement has banned all forms of student activism in campuses in the background of these militant struggles. It is truly unfortunate that the judiciary of our country is curtailing our democratic rights at the time when the Government is following the most reactionary policies. The Model Act proposed by the UGC is yet another attempt by the RSS-BJP government to destroy the democratic structure of education in our country. The JNUSU believes that the proposal of an uniform Model Act for all universities in our country is in itself objectionable since it amounts to a subversion of the unique character and the specificities of the conditions in which they-particularly the state universities-operate. Even more importantly, the particular proposals put forward by the UGC in the concept paper and questionnaire circulated by it are cleariy atmed at giving statutory legitimacy to the anti-student policies that have been pursued by the NDA Government in the last five years By presenting the withdrawal of Government funding for higher education as an accomplished fact and by making universities responstble for mobilizing their entire funds internally, the proposal paves the way for massive fee hikes that would deprive a large section of potential students of the access to higher education. At the same time the UGC's concept paper recommends the development of a "commercial and corporate" culture within universities by making them dependent on the private sector for funds. The result would be a severe curtailment of their academic autonomy. Equally objectionable are the attempts by the UGC to do away with the democratic rights of the academic community to curb the autonomy of the universities themselves. The concept paper suggests that decision-making bodies of the universities be entirely nomtnated and that democratic decision-making by committees be replaced by the rule of "senior academics". An increase in the power of Visitors, who will be Governors in the case of state universities, has been recommended. The basic right of students and teachers to associate and protest is sought to be taken away through the UGC's suggestion of 'depoliticising' universities. The attempt clearly is to stifle any voice of dissent against the policies of commercialization and communalization of education. The 'Model Act' proposed by the NDA Government completely exgoses the extremely regressive and anti-student education pollc1es that the RSS-BJP seeks to pursue if it succeeds in regaining political power. We appeal to all the members of the student community to observe strike in JNU tomorrow and participate in the Protest demonstration at the HRD Ministry and convey the message to the BJP government that the students of this campus rejects their regressive policies lock stock and barrel. .

AGAINST THE MODEl ACT JNU BANDH " PROTEST DEMO AT HRD .

2-tn February .

ASSEMBLE AT GANGA DHABA AT 10:30AM .

Sd/-Sd/-.

Rohit Mona Das .

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residcnt,JNUSU Gen.Sec,JNUSU .

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