Over 10 trade unions and more than 200 million workers from all sectors, including banking, coal, oil, defence, public sector enterprises, and transport, will join the general strike to protest against the Centre’s “anti-people” policies.
The unions had in September last year adopted a declaration to go on a nationwide strike, seeking reversal of many anti-worker, anti-people, anti-national policies of the Government. The unions said that their 8 January nationwide strike will be “the mother of all strikes”, and will affect common services across the country.
“The Ministry of Labour has failed to assure on any of the demands of workers which called a meeting on January 2, 2020. The attitude of the government is that of contempt towards labour as we construe from its policies and actions,” the 10 central trade unions (CTUs) said in a statement released.
The Central Trade Unions were invited by the Labour Minister for a discussion today, 2nd January 2020 at New Delhi. In the meeting, Labour Minister in his initial comments stated that the Govt of India has been taking all steps for the welfare of the workers and legislations on Labour Codes are a part of that.
According to Livemint report; more than 200 million workers from all sectors, including banking, coal, oil, defence, public sector enterprises and transport, will join the general strike to oppose the government’s “anti-people and anti-worker” policies, said Amarjeet Kaur, general secretary, All India Trade Union Congress.
“We will not let the government forget workers…issues of their jobs and livelihood,” said Kaur. In the last six years a ministerial group created to negotiate with trade unions on workers’ issues has only met them once, in 2015, she added.
Workers’ unions have been making several demands, including an Rs. 21,000 minimum wage, higher basic pension for all, tripartite discussion on labour reform, and a rollback on the privatization of profit-making public sector undertakings. The unions said
As many as 12 airports are already sold out to private hands, 100 per cent sale of Air India is already decided, the decision to sell BPCL taken, BSNL-MTNL merger announced and 93,600 telecom workers already thrown out of jobs under the garb of VRS (voluntary retirement scheme),” it added.
The unions are also against privatisation in railways, corporatisation of 49 defence production units and forced merger of banks
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