Trade unions announce two-day nationwide general strike from Monday

Thousands of workers will go for a nationwide general strike for two-days from March 28 against the "anti-people, anti-worker and anti-national destructive policies" of the Narendra Modi government with a slogan "Save the People and Save the Nation'

Ten central trade unions -- INTUC, AITUC, HMS, CITU, AIUTUC, TUCC, SEWA, AICCTU, LPF and UTUC -- had earlier decided to organise the general strike on February 23-24 but it was postponed taking into account the fact that the fourth phase of Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections fell on February 23 as well as local body elections in Tamilnadu, Odisha and West Bengal around the same time.

RSS-backed Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh (BMS) has said it would not be participating in the "politically motivated" protest aimed at ensuring the "survival of political parties these unions are affiliated with and have nothing to do with workers’ interests".

Left MPs said they will raise the workers' demands in Parliament on Monday and hold a protest near Gandhi Statue in the complex. In support of the general strike, the Samyukta Kisan Morcha is observing Rural Bandh on these two days.

Read | West Bengal govt makes it mandatory for employees to attend office during March 28, 29 trade union strike

Trade union leaders said transport and electricity sector workers, bank and insurance employees, scheme workers, domestic workers, hawkers, beedi workers, construction workers will join the strike.

They said strike notices have been given by unions in coal, steel, oil, telecom, postal, income tax, copper, banks and insurance sectors among others. Unions in Railways and Defence sectors will also join the strike.

The unions said the BJP government at centre has intensified the "attacks on the working people" after its victory in recent elections by reducing the interest rate on Provident Fund deposits from 8.5 per cent to 8.1 per cent and hiking fuel prices.

The demands of the unions include scrapping the Labour Codes, scrapping of Essential Defence Services Act, accept six-point charter of demands of the Samyukta Kisan Morcha, no to privatisation in any form and scrap the National Monetisation Pipeline, food and income support of Rs 7,500 per month to non-income tax paying households and increased allocation for MNREGA and extension of Employment guarantee Scheme to urban areas among others.

They are also demanding universal social security for all informal sector workers, statutory minimum wage and social security for anganwadi, ASHA, Mid-day-meal and other scheme workers, proper protection and insurance facilities for frontline workers serving the people in the midst of pandemic and increase in public investment in agriculture, education, health and other crucial public utilities by taxing the rich through wealth tax in order to revive and revamp the national economy.

Substantial reduction in central excise duty on petroleum product and concrete remedial measure to arrest price rise, regularisation of contract workers, scheme workers and equal pay for equal work for all, cancellation of National Pension Scheme and restoration of old pension and substantial increase in minimum pension under Employees' Pension Scheme are also among the demands.

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