TUs' move to fight economic policies

By Our Special Correspondent

HYDERABAD, DEC. 28. A national conference of all the mainstream central trade unions in the country will be held before the Budget session to chalk out a joint strategy to fight the detrimental economic policies of the Union Government.

This was stated by Mr. M. K. Pandhe, general secretary of the Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU), while briefing presspersons about the second day's proceedings of its tenth national conference, here, on Thursday.

Besides those from CITU, representatives of the All-India Trade Union Congress, the Hind Mazdoor Sabha and other central trade unions would participate in the conference, the exact date and venue of which is yet to be decided. But a united countrywide campaign would be launched against the ``anti-national'' globalisation and privatisation policies, for sure, after this meeting, he asserted.

Responding to questions, he said the CITU was opposing globalisation as it was essentially one-sided, financial market and commodity-oriented. It was definitely not globalisation of people. Developed countries wanted to dump their products from steel to agriculture but they did not want anything from developing countries. They did not want people from here to work there, nor did they want to bring their latest technology.

In fact the Left unions wanted to present alternative models of development and economic policies prepared by them to the Union Finance Minister, but the latter had not convened a meeting so far, as demanded by them, he added.

In his report presented to the conference, a discussion on which was underway, he outlined the developments in the political and economic scenario in the country and the debilitating effect of the policies adopted by the Centre on society and common people. On the political situation, he said never before had the country faced such a danger and threat to its secular fabric, national integrity and unity as after the BJP assuming power at the Centre. ``The Vajpayee regime has become a pliable partner of the US imperialism.''

He said there was all-round decline in the economy, aggravating the misery of a majority of the population.

``The much propagated theory that the policy of globalisation will bring prosperity and create more employment has already turned into a hoax and the country is being pushed towards economic disaster,'' he added.

A resolution on ``the fight against the anti- people economic policy'', moved by Mr. Suryanarayana Rao, vice-president of CITU, and seconded by Mr. Jibon Roy, secretary, and unanimously adopted by the conference, too expressed ``deep resentment at the devastating damage done to the national economy'' by the BJP-led NDA Government.

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