Chennai, Oct 14: Protesting what it termed as "repressive action" let loose by the Tamil Nadu government against the state government employees, a trade unionists' conference here has decided to call a day's general strike in Tamil Nadu and observe a "National Protest Day" during the Budget session of the Parliament. All India Trade Union Congress General Secretary Gurudas Dasgupta told the conference last evening that he would raise the issue of mass dismissal of government employees and the question of right to strike with Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee at the forthcoming labour conference.
Accusing the centre of offering "silent, backdoor support" to Tamil Nadu government's action of dismissing nearly two lakh employees for participating in a strike in July last, Dasgupta asserted it was an "experiment" done as part of economic liberalisation policy.
On the Supreme Court's observation that workers had no moral and legal right to strike, he said this was unacceptable. The right to struggle or protest could not be a matter for judicial interpretation and pronouncements.
CITU General Secretary M K Pande said TUs should mobilise themselves and give a "fitting reply" to the ruling. The unions should prepare themselves for longer struggle and power and bank employees should be roped in the struggle to force the government to change its "dangerous" economic policies.
Bureau Report