All-India trade unions and Bank strike
New Delhi:Tuesday’s strike, one of the biggest in recent times, is being backed
by all 11 major trade unions in the country, including the left
affiliated All India Trade Union Congress [AITUC] and Indian National
Trade Union Congress [INTUC] linked to ruling Congress party, local
television station said.
The strike marks the latest test for Manmohan Singh's government, which has has been shaken by a succession of corruption scandals and popular protests since the prime minister's Congress party won a second term in 2009. The government’s appeal on Monday failed to impress the unions, who want the government to take measures to contain inflation, provide universal social security cover for workers in the vast unorganised labour sector, and to stop selling stakes in state-run companies."We will have to think about our future course of action if the government does not come forward with proposals on how it will react to our demands," G Sanjeeva Reddy, president of INTUC, told Reuters news agency.
The strike threatens to disrupt transport and port operations, while banks and post offices could also be closed.Workers from state-run telecom companies and postal department will also join the shutdown, which comes amid weakening economic growth and a slew of state-level elections.Last week, the country's labour minister said the government was ready for talks on any labour-related issues, NDTV website reported.
But AITUC leader Gurudas Dasgupta rejected it saying, "The government had enough opportunity earlier to sit with unions to discuss the issues"Sri B.N,Rai General Secretary, BMS appealed to all the workers to observe industrial strike on 28th February, 2012 peacefully, to express their anger against the neglect of their plight by the Government.
The strike is having little impact in Delhi and Mumbai,Kolkatta..Strike basis on India's inflation rate dropped from 9.1% in December, it remains stubbornly high at 7.5%.Growth for the financial year ending in March is also expected to be around 7%, lower than the previous forecasts of about 9%.The government of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is trying to cut its budget deficit by selling stakes in state-run companies - something the unions object to.Other demands include measures to curb inflation, universal social security cover for non-unionised workers and enforcement of labour laws.Reference to the media reports that the Prime Minister is attempting to talk with individuals in a bid to avert strike, Sri Rai said that all Central Trade Unions gave a joint call for strike and there is no place for individual decision for withdrawal. He reiterated that all Central Trade unions are united in this regard. The appeal from the Labour Minister through media for averting strike has no relevance, as the government is maintaining silence on various basic issues of the workers.
The policies of liberalization and the systems of contract labour and outsourcing launched two decades ago have rendered the lives of workers miserable. The Government is running away from its responsibility to fix minimum wage rates in relation to the spiraling prices, and to provide social security cover, universally. Though four years since passed, the demand for adequate funds for The Unorganized Workers Social Security Act, 2008, is not yet conceded. Since three years, the workers have been demanding for a minimum pension of Rs. 3000/- per month. Pending finalization, as an interim measure, the workers demanded pension of Rs. 1000/- which require an annual contribution of 0.63% (equivalent to Rs. 480 crores) to the Pension fund which is also negated by the government. Government is the biggest Labour exploiter and violator of the labour laws in respect of wage, benefits and social security. The Government is delaying the merger of 50% of DA in basic in respect of employees of Govt., PSUs and financial institutions. There are no signs of implementing the decisions of the 44th Indian Labour Conference, which shows that the Government has no respect for the highest tripartite body, popularly called the Labour Parliament. It is the government that thrust the strike on the workers.
Terming the proposed steps by the Governments like West Bengal and Delhi to suppress the strike as undemocratic, Sri Rai called up on the workers to remain peaceful while exercising their right of strike.
The strike marks the latest test for Manmohan Singh's government, which has has been shaken by a succession of corruption scandals and popular protests since the prime minister's Congress party won a second term in 2009. The government’s appeal on Monday failed to impress the unions, who want the government to take measures to contain inflation, provide universal social security cover for workers in the vast unorganised labour sector, and to stop selling stakes in state-run companies."We will have to think about our future course of action if the government does not come forward with proposals on how it will react to our demands," G Sanjeeva Reddy, president of INTUC, told Reuters news agency.
The strike threatens to disrupt transport and port operations, while banks and post offices could also be closed.Workers from state-run telecom companies and postal department will also join the shutdown, which comes amid weakening economic growth and a slew of state-level elections.Last week, the country's labour minister said the government was ready for talks on any labour-related issues, NDTV website reported.
But AITUC leader Gurudas Dasgupta rejected it saying, "The government had enough opportunity earlier to sit with unions to discuss the issues"Sri B.N,Rai General Secretary, BMS appealed to all the workers to observe industrial strike on 28th February, 2012 peacefully, to express their anger against the neglect of their plight by the Government.
The strike is having little impact in Delhi and Mumbai,Kolkatta..Strike basis on India's inflation rate dropped from 9.1% in December, it remains stubbornly high at 7.5%.Growth for the financial year ending in March is also expected to be around 7%, lower than the previous forecasts of about 9%.The government of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is trying to cut its budget deficit by selling stakes in state-run companies - something the unions object to.Other demands include measures to curb inflation, universal social security cover for non-unionised workers and enforcement of labour laws.Reference to the media reports that the Prime Minister is attempting to talk with individuals in a bid to avert strike, Sri Rai said that all Central Trade Unions gave a joint call for strike and there is no place for individual decision for withdrawal. He reiterated that all Central Trade unions are united in this regard. The appeal from the Labour Minister through media for averting strike has no relevance, as the government is maintaining silence on various basic issues of the workers.
The policies of liberalization and the systems of contract labour and outsourcing launched two decades ago have rendered the lives of workers miserable. The Government is running away from its responsibility to fix minimum wage rates in relation to the spiraling prices, and to provide social security cover, universally. Though four years since passed, the demand for adequate funds for The Unorganized Workers Social Security Act, 2008, is not yet conceded. Since three years, the workers have been demanding for a minimum pension of Rs. 3000/- per month. Pending finalization, as an interim measure, the workers demanded pension of Rs. 1000/- which require an annual contribution of 0.63% (equivalent to Rs. 480 crores) to the Pension fund which is also negated by the government. Government is the biggest Labour exploiter and violator of the labour laws in respect of wage, benefits and social security. The Government is delaying the merger of 50% of DA in basic in respect of employees of Govt., PSUs and financial institutions. There are no signs of implementing the decisions of the 44th Indian Labour Conference, which shows that the Government has no respect for the highest tripartite body, popularly called the Labour Parliament. It is the government that thrust the strike on the workers.
Terming the proposed steps by the Governments like West Bengal and Delhi to suppress the strike as undemocratic, Sri Rai called up on the workers to remain peaceful while exercising their right of strike.
Comments
Post a Comment