The unions have claimed that this year’s strike will be bigger as the number of striking workers is expected to swell to as much as 180 million, larger than last year when around 140 million workers participated.
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Ten Left-affiliated central trade unions today observed one-day strike to protest against the Modi government’s alleged anti-people policies and authoritarian attitude, and to press for their 12-point charter of demands.
Ramen Pandey of the Indian National Trade Union Congress also said the strike was “against the central government” and “for the cause of the working people”.
The government said sectors such as railways, civil aviation and major ports remained “unaffected”, while banking and insurance, coal, telecom and defence production were “partially affected” and transport and steel saw only marginal impact.
The CITU statement said: “The labour minister claimed to have announced a 42 per cent rise in minimum wage for the workers in central sphere”.
As a result, many schools, colleges and offices also closed.
The labor unions accuse the government of taking side with the huge corporations in a “vile conspiracy.to privatize the public sector and invite foreign capital in some parts of industry”.
In late June, India approved a more than 14 percent increase in salaries and pensions for about 10 million government employees and pensioners, which is expected to cost almost $17 billion in the financial year through March 2017, according to Reuters.
Emergency services, such as medical shops and hospitals, along with the supply of essential commodities will not be affected by Bharat bandh on Friday.
There were incidents of violence from states like Haryana, West Bengal, Odisha, Kerala and industrial towns of Karnataka.
India workers’ strike against Modi’s anti-labour policies was posted in World of TheNews International – https://www.thenews.com.pk on September 02, 2016 and was last updated on September 02, 2016.
The strike has disrupted normal life in Kerala, West Bengal and Uttar Pradesh state affecting transportation as well as banking, while Delhi and Mumbai were unaffected, according to local media.
Reacting to Jaitley’s comments that bank mergers need not be the concern of bank unions, C.H. Venkatachalam, General Secretary, All India Bank Employees Association, said: “It just shows the continuing feudal outlook of those in power when in comes to the workers’ unions”.
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The scheme workers overwhelmingly participated in the strike action everywhere.
