More than 25 crore workers engaged in sectors ranging from banking, insurance, postal to coal mining, highway and construction are expected to go on a nationwide general strike on Wednesday, potentially disrupting services across the country.
Illustration: Dominic Xavier/Rediff
A forum of 10 central trade unions and their associates has called for a general strike or ‘Bharat Bandh’ to “oppose the anti-worker, anti-farmer and anti-national pro-corporate policies of the government”.
In a statement, the forum has called for making “the nationwide general strike a grand success”, and said preparations have been taken up in earnest by unions in all sectors of formal and informal/unorganised economy.
“More than 25 crore workers are expected to take part in the strike. Farmers and rural workers will also join the protest across the country,” said Amarjeet Kaur from All India Trade Union Congress.
Harbhajan Singh Sidhu from Hind Mazdoor Sabha said that banking, postal, coal mining, factories, state transport services will be affected due to the strike.
The forum had last year submitted a charter of 17-point demand to Labour Minister Mansukh Mandavia, the workers’ union forum said in its latest statement.
It further said that the government has not been conducting the annual labour conference for the last 10 years and continues to take decisions in contravention to the interest of labour force, attempting to impose four labour codes to weaken collective bargaining, to cripple unions’ activities and to favour employers in the name of ‘ease of doing business’.
The forum also alleged that the economic policies are resulting into more unemployment, rising prices of essential commodities, depression in wages, cut in social sector spending in education, health, basic civic amenities, and all these are leading to more inequalities and miseries for poor, people of lower income group as well as the middle class.
The government has abandoned the welfare state status of the country and is working in the interest of foreign and Indian corporates, and it is so evident from its policies being pursued vigorously, the forum said.
Trade unions have been fighting against “privatisation of public sector enterprises and public services, policies of outsourcing, contractorisation and casualisation of workforce”, it said.
The four labour codes that have been passed by the Parliament are meant to suppress and cripple the trade union movement, increase working hours, snatch workers’ right to collective bargaining, right to strike, and decriminalise violation of labour laws by employers, the statement said.
“We are demanding from the government to address unemployment, recruitments against sanctioned posts, creation of more jobs, increase in days and remuneration of MGNREGA workers and enactment of similar legislation for urban areas.
“But the government is busy imposing ELI (Employment Linked Incentive) scheme to incentives employers’ instead,” it stated.
It also alleged that in government departments, instead of providing regular appointments to the youth, the policy to recruit those who retired, as witnessed in Railways, NMDC Ltd, steel sector, and teaching cadres, is damaging to the growth of the country where 65 per cent population is below the age of 35 years and the number of unemployed is maximum among those in the age group of 20 to 25 years.
Union leaders from NMDC Ltd and other non-coal minerals, steel, state government departments, and public sector enterprises have also given notices to join the strike.
The Samyukta Kisan Morcha and joint front of the agricultural workers unions have extended support to this strike action and decided to make massive mobilsations in rural India, the union leaders said.
Trade unions had earlier observed similar nationwide strikes on November 26, 2020, on March 28-29, 2022, and on February 16 last year.
