TUs plan protest

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI, MARCH 7. The Sponsoring Committee of Trade Unions has denounced the Central Government for the anti-labour proposals made in the Union Budget and the sell-out of the prestigious public sector company BALCO to Sterlite on a platter.

It has also given a call for a countrywide protest action on March 20 to demonstrate their resentment at the palpable anti- labour policies and actions of the NDA government.

A formal decision to call for a protest action was taken by the Sponsoring Committee at a meeting held here late last evening to finalise the agitational programme. The meeting was presided over by Mr. J. Chittaranjan, MP and President of the All India Trade Union Congress.

Apart from the protest action on March 20 by way of mass demonstrations, dharnas and marches, the trade unions have been asked to prepare for a countrywide strike and hartal for which the date would be finalised shortly.

The trade unions have also been directed to organise at the State and district levels conventions along with other mass organisations to focus attention on anti-labour actions and this exercise ought to be completed by May end.

Those participating in the meeting noted with serious concern the way in which the NDA Government at the behest of the ``Fund-Bank- WTO'' has launched a direct attack on all sections of working people to suit the MNCs and the monopoly houses in so called pursuit of second generation reforms.

The permission given to the employers to retrench upto 1,000 workers by amending the Industrial Disputes Act would hit the overwhelming majority of the industrial workers in the country.

On the other hand, ignoring the opposition from the trade unions, the contract law is being amended to allow contract service in all categories of work including permanent and perennial nature of jobs and also giving the employers the right to retrench them, they said.

They also referred to the announcement that the process of privatisation of public sector would be accelerated and the proposal to amend SICA and said that all these actions amounted to selling out the national wealth and surrender of India's economic sovereignty to the imperialists.

While criticising the decision to hand over BALCO to the private sector, the Sponsoring Committee congratulated the workers of company at Korba and Asansol for their united strike action against the ``black deal''. It also expressed solidarity with the agitating workers.

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Section  : National
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