| COMRADE D. JANAKIRAMAN
We record with profound regret the sudden demise of Comrade D. Janakiraman, Working President and the founder General Secretary of the Electricity Employees Federation of India (EEFI), in a private hospital at Chennai on 13th April 2002. He was 69. Com. D. Janakiraman had served the Central Organisation of Tami Nadu Electricity Employees as its General Secretary for over 25 years and he was its President at the time of his death.
Com. Janakiraman was one of the founder leaders of the Centre of Indian Trade Unions in Tamil Nadu and was an office bearer of the State Committee of CITU for over two decades. He was also a member of the all India General Council and Working Committee of the CITU.
Com. D. Janakiraman was a member of the Tamil Nadu State Committee of the Communist Party of India (Marxist). He also served as a member of the Central Control Commission of the CPI (M) for over ten years.
Com. D. Janakiraman joined the Electricity Department of the Government of Tamil Nadu, which was later converted into Tamil Nadu Electricity Board. He commenced his trade union activities from the very start of his employment and for nearly five decades he served as a front-ranking leader of the electricity employees in Tamil Nadu.
Com. Janakiraman evinced a very keen interest in organising the electricity employees at the all India level, as the power sector was a strategic industry. When in 1984, the Electricity Employees Federation of India was founded, Com. Janakiraman was the natural choice for the post of its General Secretary. He worked relentlessly to build up the EEFI and after serving as General secretary for 16 years, he became the Working President of EEFI.
In Tamil Nadu, Com. Janakiraman played a pioneering role in uniting the electricity employees in common struggles. He endeavoured steadfastly to evolve a joint platform of action by brining together the unions of different affiliations and even the category-wise organisations. His prolonged efforts culminated in the evolution of the joint council of all electricity employees unions in Tamil Nadu.
Com. D. Janakiraman was among the delegates from Tamil Nadu, who attended the foundation conference of the CITU held in 1970 at Calcutta. From then on, Com. Janakiraman played an important role in building up the CITU in Tamil Nadu, in the process serving in various capacities at the District, State and all India levels.
Com. D. Janakiraman devoted considerable attention to the problems of contract workers in the Tamil Nadu Electricity Board. He made a signal contribution in organising the contract workers and launching relentless struggle for their regularisation in service. Apart from leading their daily struggles on the streets, Com. Janakiraman took the initiative to move the Supreme Court in the matter. This move resulted in the appointment of Justice Khalid Commission, before which also Com. Janakiraman effectively pleaded the case of the contract workers. He also carried on a sustained campaign and struggle to get the recommendations of the Khalid Commission Report implemented. Thousands of contract workers could secure permanent employment through his decade long efforts.
Com. D. Janakiraman had to undergo imprisonment several times in his long trade union life. During the emergency rule, Com. Janakiraman was detained under the Maintenance of Internal Security Act (MISA) for six months during 1976.
Com. Janakiraman evinced keen interest in developing the movement of working women and he was guiding the Tamil Nadu State Coordination Committee of Working Women for several years.
Exemplary administrative skills of Com. D. Janakiraman were manifest, when he functioned as the President of George Town Cooperative Bank, a leading urban Bank in Tamil Nadu, for five years. Com. Janakiraman also founded the Welfare Association of Retired Electricity Employees of Tamil Nadu in 1998 and was its General Secretary until his death. His concern for the social security needs of the retired workers was evident from this.
Com. 'DJ' as he was affectionately called, was a towering personality in the movement of electricity employees, both in Tamil Nadu as well as at the all India level. His demise is a great loss to the movement. We dip our red banner to pay our tearful homage to the immortal memory of Comrade D. Janakiraman. We also convey our heartfelt condolences to the bereaved family.
Com. E. Balanandan, President, CITU and President, EEFI, was in Chennai on 14th April, to personally pay homage to the departed Com. Janakiraman. He also met and condoled his wife, Com. Vijaya Janakiraman, who is also a leading figure in the All India Democratic Women's Association, Tamil Nadu.
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