New Delhi: Eight major trade unions including Congress-affiliated INTUC on Friday gave a call for a country-wide general strike on September 7 against price rise, violation of labour laws and disinvestment of PSUs.
“All central trade unions have together decided to go on a
general strike on September 7 all over India to press the
major demands of the working class including rise in prices of
the food and essential articles," INTUC president and Congress
MP G Sanjeeva Reddy told reporters here.
The other issues include protest against violation of labour laws, disinvestment in profit making public sector, retrenchment, layoff and job losses, he said.
"Our demands also include unorganised sector welfare and
regularisation of contractual workers," he said. AITUC, CITU, HMS, AIUTUC, TUCC, AICCTU, UTUC and federations of different categories of workers and employees "having united for the first time in the history of India" will participate in the general strike, he said in presence of the senior leaders of these unions including AITUC general
secretary Gurudas Dasgupta.
Bhartiya Mazdoor Sangh (BMS), has not officially joined
the strike call. "It has not opposed the general strike
anywhere. They said date of strike was not suitable to them,"
he claimed.
"Nearly six crore workers from coal, power, banks,
insurance, telecommunication, insurance, port and dock, road
transport, petroleum, defence and construction sectors will
join the strike," Reddy said.
He also claimed that Railway workers are in support of the
call but will not join the strike. "We have excluded Railways
from the one-day strike as passengers will be unnecessarily
harassed," he said.
"Strike is not against anybody but to open the eyes of
the government. We met Prime Minister thrice with our demands
but we could not come to an understanding on major issues. We
are fed up with the situation," Reddy said.
He alleged that formation of new trade unions is not
being allowed and leaders are victimised.
PTI
First Published: Friday, September 03, 2010, 23:54