Trade unions, Farmers launch nationwide strike on Wednesday

New Delhi: Banking, postal and other services are likely to face disruption on Wednesday as more than 25 crore workers affiliated with central and sectoral trade unions have announced to go on strike across the country to protest against new labour codes and privatisation, and press for demands such as minimum wage of Rs 26,000 and old pension scheme, according to union leaders.

The general strike is expected to disrupt services in sectors like banking, insurance, postal, coal mining, highway and construction, a trade union official said.

The Central Trade Unions such as CITU, INTUC and AITUC are pressing for doing away with the four labour codes, contractualisation, and privatisation of PSUs, increasing minimum wages to Rs 26,000 per month, as well as the demands of farmer organisations for Minimum Support Price (MSP) for crops based on Swaminathan Commission’s formula of C2 plus 50 per cent and loan waiver.

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Sectoral organisations such as the Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) and NREGA Sangharsh Morcha have extended their support to the nationwide strike.

RSS-aligned Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh (BMS), however, will not participate in the general strike, calling it a politically-motivated protest.

A R Sindhu, National Secretary of Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) said around 25 crore workers, including workers in organised and unorganised sectors, are likely to take part in the general strike.

“Protests will be held in industrial areas, services like banking, postal services, and public sector companies are likely to be closed,” Sindhu told PTI.

“Not all unorganised sector workers may be able to join the protest, but they will also be mobilised, and roadblocks and ‘rail roko’ (stopping railways) would also be done,” she said.

Sindhu said workers in the country are facing a grave situation.

“In Delhi, how many workers earn over Rs 10,000 in a month? Even in the public sector, over 70 per cent of employees are contractual,” she said.

“Casualisation and unemployment are high. Farming is not viable anymore, so the poor people are forced to come to the cities to work. Wages have also been falling in real terms,” she said.

“Workers are not being criminalised for organising… Right to unionise is the basis of democracy,” she said.

She also called the strike another step forward in consolidating the emerging unity of workers and farmers.

“We had joint action during the Farmers’ Protests as well, this will be further consolidation of workers and farmers for future action,” she said.

Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM), which had led the 2020-21 farmers’ protests, will hold protest rallies at the tehsil level across India on July 9 independently as well as in coordination with the trade unions and agricultural workers unions.

SKM has urged farmers to intensify the struggle on demands, including enacting a law for MSP at C2 plus 50 per cent, with guaranteed procurement for all crops, comprehensive loan waiver to free the peasantry from the debt trap and end rampant peasant suicides across India, withdrawal of National Policy Framework on Agriculture Marketing.

The SKM has also opposed bilateral and free trade agreements hurting agriculture, industry and services, privatisation of electricity, and “indiscriminate acquisition of land violating the Land Acquisition Act 2013.

The NREGA Sangharsh Morcha has called for MGNREGA workers across the length and breadth of the country to participate in the general strike. Their demands include wages of Rs. 800 per day, resumption of MGNREGA in West Bengal, scrapping NMMS and ABPS, among other things.

This is the 22nd General Strike since the advent of neo-liberal policies in India in 1991, as per the unions.

The general strike was initially called for May 20 but was rescheduled following the Pahalgam terror strike and subsequent Operation Sindoor. The ten trade unions are INTUC, AITUC, HMS, CITU, AIUTUC, TUCC, SEWA, AICCTU, LPF and UTUC.

A forum of 10 trade unions has given a 17-point charter of demand. It includes withdrawal of fixed-term employment and scrapping of Agnipath scheme, 8-hour workday, restoration of non-contributory Old Pension Scheme and a minimum monthly penion of Rs 9,000 for the EPFO subscribers, among others.

The forum has alleged that the economic policies are resulting into more unemployment, rising prices of essential commodities, depression in wages, cut in social sector spending in education, health, basic civic amenities, and all these are leading to more inequalities and miseries for poor, people of lower income group as well as the middle class.

The four labour codes that have been passed by the Parliament are meant 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, the forum has stated.

They also demand implementation of the recommendation of Indian Labour Conference to give worker status to scheme workers-Anganwadi, Asha and Midday meal, Asha Kiran etc and ESIC coverage to them.

The charter also suggests that here is an urgent need to form a Climate Resilience Fund to cover the risks and damages caused due to extreme climate conditions including heat wave, floods, cyclones, unseasonal rains and so on.

Besides, unions have demanded for immediate halt to the privatisation of Indian Railways, road transport, coal mines and other non-coal mines, Port and Dock, Defence, Electricity, Postal, Telecom, Banks and Insurance sector etc.

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