Date:19/08/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/08/19/stories/2008081960221100.htm

National

Nationwide strike tomorrow

Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI: The stage is set for a nationwide strike on Wednesday called by the Left-backed trade unions to protest against the “anti-worker,” “anti-people” neo-liberal economic policies of globalisation.

Addressing a joint press conference here on Monday, leaders of the Sponsoring Committee of Trade Unions – M.K. Pandhe (Centre of Indian Trade Unions) and Gurudas Dasgupta (All-India Trade Union Congress) – noted that the government was desperate to hasten some of its “cherished” anti-people and anti-national programmes.

The government had ganged up with the employers’ lobby and decided, through a “dubious” majority in the tripartite Central Board of Trustees of Employees Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO), to hand over the huge corpus of the fund to private mutual fund companies whose only business was to speculate in the stock and money markets, they alleged. The move for starting disinvestments/privatisation in the highly profit-making public sector undertakings was being renewed with haste.

The unions supporting the general strike are the All-India Trade Union Congress, Centre of Indian Trade Unions, Hind Mazdoor Sabha, All-India Central Council of Trade Union, Trade Union Coordination Centre and All-India United Trade Union Centre.

Several bank federations, insurance, State and Central government employees’ unions, railways, defence, telecom, airlines and airports unions have also extended their support to the strike.