The Hindu : Trade unions call for nation-wide strike on April 16

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Mar 06, 2002

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Trade unions call for nation-wide strike on April 16
By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI, MARCH 5. Nearly all the central trade unions today announced what was billed as the biggest ever industrial action after the start of liberalisation by issuing a collective call for a country-wide strike in the public sector on April 16 to protest against the Government's ``anti-people and anti-worker policies and actions'', including disinvestment and attacks on rights of the working class. A dharna outside Parliament tomorrow was also announced.

The decision to issue the joint call was taken at a meeting attended by the representatives of all the Central Trade Unions and Federations of Financial Sector Employees on Monday evening. However, the INTUC was not represented at the meeting but those who issued the call were confident that it too would fall in line and support the action. Indications were also available that the Shiv Sena trade unions in Maharashtra and other independent trade unions would swell the ranks of the working class by joining the action.

According to the AITUC general secretary, Gurudas Dasgupta, the industrial action would cover all the public sector undertakings, banks and insurance companies besides the coal mines. The impact of the action would be far wider in the States.

The focus of protest by the working class would mainly be on the Government's ``anti-labour policies in outright sale and disinvestment of shares of PSUs, downsizing/retrenchment and uncalled for closure of sick PSUs''. The proposed action was part of the programme to ``oppose and resist attack on trade union rights, pro-employer changes in the labour laws and looting of the working class and people by heavier tax burdens''.While reiterating their earlier call for a ` National Protest Day' on March 14 in a massive way, the trade unions have urged the workers to cry all to the disastrous anti-people and anti-national policies through countrywide struggle by actively supporting/participating in the observing the protest day and the strike by PSU workers.The joint statement signed by the representatives of all the Central Trade Unions including the AITUC, BMS, CITU, HMS, AICCTU, UTUC-LS, TUCC, UTUC and Joint Action Front, Bangalore, and the Federations of Financial Sector Employees criticised the polices and actions of the Government.

The unions alleged that because of the anti-people and anti-workers policies, the national economy had slipped from slow-down to recession. Despite this grim situation, the Government was not reviewing its policies and was persisting in passing the entire burden of crises on the shoulders of the working people by proceeding to give a free hand to the corporate, both domestic and foreign, to implement freely the policy of hire and fire, they said.

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