Press Release Founding Conference of the All India Union of Forest Working Peoples

Press Release

UNIONISING THE FOREST STRUGGLES
Fraternity; Liberation; Peace

Founding Conference of the All India Union of Forest Working Peoples
03-05 June 2013; Puri, Odisha

In a historic move, 300 people from traditional forest communities from different states across India united in Puri to declare the formation of a union for traditional forest workers. The All India Union of Forest Working People (AIUFWP) is the first national union of adivasi and dalit communities representing the traditional workforce in India. The three-day founding conference of the union concluded on 05 June 2013 in Puri, Odisha.

The founding principle of the union is the assertion of collective identity of forest workers and their right to dignity of labour. AIUFWP will seek to build solidarity among forest working people in India by organising and uniting the adivasi and dalit forest workers. The fight for sovereign and traditional rights of the forest people who predominantly comprise of marginalized and oppressed communities cannot be fought in isolation. People’s right to their forestlands can be completely realised only when their struggles are linked to the movement for social equality, social security, gender rights and labour rights.

Even though the movement of forest communities for traditional rights to their forestland and forest produce dates back to the colonial era, the historic injustice meted out to them by colonial rulers and independent India was recognised for the first time in the Forest Rights Act 2006. AIUFWP will fight for the effective implementation of progressive legislations such as the Forest Rights Act, Social Security Act, NREGA and Labour Act.

The formation of the union will compel the forest people’s movement to grow and support the forest workers struggle in its next phase of getting recognised as strong voices opposing the capitalist ruling class and regressive political parties. The union will challenge the unjust social and political structures towards establishing community forest governance, social security of forest people and livelihood and labour rights with emphasis on community control over forest, forest produce and control of production. AIUFWP will foster the building of cooperatives for the collection, production and marketing of minor forest produce (MFP). Women leadership will play an important role in establishing community forest governance.

The anti-people policies and programs of the state are being challenged by communities all across India. The state is using unconstitutional means to counter democratic people’s movements by labeling them as extremist groups with anti-national agenda. The violence witnessed in forest areas can only be brought to an end when the people attain their full rights over the land and its resources. The forestlands can also be protected from degradation only by the communities living within it.

Speaking on the future of the union, Com Ashok Choudhary said that, “we recognize the challenges ahead in realizing our rights but the people’s conviction in collective battle resonated clearly in the three-day founding conference and that conviction is reinforced by the formation of this union. The union is of even more importance today as the fight is against both the oppressive forest department and the global capitalist structures.†With the upcoming general elections in 2014, AIUFWP reaffirms its position against the anti-people economic policies of both the NDA and UPA governments. The UPA is riding the tide of having passed legislations such as the Forest Rights Act and NREGA. But the 15 crore forest people and forest workers hold both congress governed states and NDA governed states for poor implementation of this important legislation.

In this new era the transformation of the forest people’s movement from National Forum of Forest People and Forest Workers (NFFPFW) to the union will ensure greater recognition and provide a legitimate base for collective bargaining and negotiation with the government. The Union is a step in this new direction and will significantly strengthen the forest people’s movement.

AIUFWP lends its support to all progressive and democratic people’s movements across the country and especially to the struggles against POSCO and Vedanta in Jagatsinghpur and Niyamgiri. The union will paly a significant role in bringing together progressive social movements and unions towards building an alternative social and economic order in the forest areas and outside.

The founding conference also witnessed the nomination of 63 representatives from different regional constituencies and election of Executive Committee. Jarjum Ete was elected as President, Sanjay Garg as Working President, Ashok Chowdhary as General Secretary, Roma as Deputy General Secretary, KM Tiwari as Treasurer and Munilal as Organising Secretary.

The delegates for the conference included forest communities from Uttar Pradesh (Lakhimpur Khiri, Saharanpur, Manikpur, Lalitpur, Tharai, Behranch), Bihar (Kaimur), Madhya Pradesh (Rewa), Assam (Lakhimpur), Jharkhand, Gujarat, Chattisgarh (Dantewada), West Bengal (Sunderban), Uttarakhand (Dehradun, Haridwar and Nainital) and Tripura. The delegates were joined by representatives of social movements from across the country and forest rights groups from Nepal and fraternal union representative from Germany.

For more information please contact Brajabandhu Pradhan 8093995981
All India Union of Forest Working People (AIUFWP)