NEW DELHI: More than 25 crore workers across sectors including banking, insurance, postal services, coal mining, and construction are expected to join a nationwide general strike on Wednesday, potentially disrupting key services across India, according to a joint forum of central trade unions.The strike, described as a ‘Bharat Bandh’, has been called by a forum of 10 central trade unions and their associates to protest against what they term “anti-worker, anti-farmer and anti-national pro-corporate policies of the government”.“Preparations have been taken up in earnest by unions in all sectors of the formal and informal/unorganised economy” and urged supporters to make the strike a “grand success”, said the forum in a statement.
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“All India Trade Union Congress’s Amarjeet Kaur said, “More than 25 crore workers are expected to take part in the strike. Farmers and rural workers will also join the protest across the country.” Harbhajan Singh Sidhu of Hind Mazdoor Sabha added, “Banking, postal, coal mining, factories, state transport services will be affected due to the strike.”The forum said it had earlier submitted a 17-point charter of demands to Union Labour Minister Mansukh Mandaviya but received no concrete response. It also alleged that the government had not conducted the annual labour conference for the past decade and was instead pushing through four labour codes that would weaken collective bargaining, cripple union activity, and favour employers in the name of “ease of doing business”.It further claimed that economic policies were deepening unemployment, raising prices of essential commodities, suppressing wages, and reducing expenditure on education, health, and civic amenities, thereby widening inequality and burdening the poor, lower-income groups, and the middle class.The statement added, “The government has abandoned the welfare state status of the country and is working in the interest of foreign and Indian corporates, and it is so evident from its policies being pursued vigorously.”The unions are also protesting against the privatisation of public sector enterprises, outsourcing, contractual employment, and casualisation of the workforce. They claim that the four labour codes passed in Parliament were designed to “suppress and cripple the trade union movement, increase working hours, snatch workers’ right to collective bargaining, right to strike, and decriminalise violation of labour laws by employers.”“We are demanding from the government to address unemployment, recruitments against sanctioned posts, creation of more jobs, increase in days and remuneration of MGNREGA workers and enactment of similar legislation for urban areas. But the government is busy imposing ELI (Employment Linked Incentive) scheme to incentivise employers instead,” the statement said.It also alleged that instead of hiring young professionals, government departments were increasingly recruiting retired personnel, as seen in Railways, NMDC Ltd, steel sector, and education services — a move the unions say is harmful to a country where 65 percent of the population is below the age of 35 and unemployment is highest among those aged 20 to 25.Unions from NMDC Ltd, non-coal minerals, steel, state government departments, and other public sector enterprises have also served notices for participation in the strike.The Samyukta Kisan Morcha and a joint front of agricultural workers’ unions have also extended support to the strike and announced large-scale mobilisation in rural areas.Similar nationwide strikes were observed by trade unions on November 26, 2020; March 28-29, 2022; and February 16, 2023.(With inputs from news agency PTI)
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