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CPI(M) wants right to strike protected

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI, DEC. 18. The Communist Party of India (Marxist) today demanded that the Government legislate to protect the right to strike and expressed reservations over the Employment Guarantee Act in its present form.

Briefing newspersons on the two-day Polit Bureau meeting that ended today, Sitaram Yechury said the meeting expressed serious concern over various pronouncements by the higher judiciary on the right to strike. It said that this would deny the working class and the citizens their basic right. The party decided to approach the Government to see that a suitable legislative provision was made to protect the right to strike.

The Polit Bureau said the proposed Employment Guarantee Act was diluted first by restricting it to the rural areas and now by limiting it to "poor households." There was no provision for any timeframe for extending the coverage of the Act to the whole country and it did not ensure employment for women. Also, there was no provision for the Centre providing cent per cent funding, it said stressing that "these defects need to be removed."

The meeting also sought restoration of the rate of interest on the employees' provident fund.

Strategy for polls

The Polit Bureau asserted that the party's basic thrust was to counter the communal forces and that it would approach the coming elections to the Bihar, Jharkhand and Haryana Assembly elections with this end in view. The party would hold discussions with other Left and secular parties on an electoral understanding.

Basu meets Sonia

The veteran Marxist leader, Jyoti Basu, met the Chairperson of the United Progressive Alliance, Sonia Gandhi, and discussed issues in the Common Minimum Programme (CMP) that need to be implemented on a priority basis.

Mr. Basu told her that the UPA and the Left parties must work for speedy implementation of the CMP.

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