Historic general strike of 250 million workers in India
Indian workers, farmers and young people showed their anger against Modi government
CTU is a
platform of all the major trade union federations in the country, spanning the
ideological and political spectrum. It includes the Center for Indian Trade
Unions (CITU), the All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC), the Indian National
Trade Union Congress (INTUC) and several others.
The strike
was also supported by all the major groups of farmers, students, women, and
various professional unions such as teachers, journalists, and it
employees in the country. Workers in other organized sectors such as
ports, airports, and banking also participated alongside those in various
public sectors.
The strike
affected most of the industrial activities in the country, particularly
industries related to mining. A total shut down of all major business was
observed in various states in the country such as Kerala, Tripura, Bihar,
Jharkhand, and others.
Anti-worker
labor codes must be withdrawn
The workers
were demanding immediate withdrawal of the New Labour Codes introduced
by the extreme right-wing government led by Narendra Modi in 2020. CTU claims
the four new labor codes are anti-worker, depriving them of their basic rights,
including the right to collective bargaining, which was won through a historic
and painful worker’s struggle.
The other major
demands include:
·
The
end of the privatization and contractualization of jobs
·
A
national minimum wage of Rs. 26,000 ($ 303)
·
Improvements
in working conditions across all sectors for all kinds of workers
The strike
also supported the demands raised by the country’s major farmers groups, led by
the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM), for a legal minimum support price for all farm
produce, the waiving of loans for farmers, an end to all forced land
acquisition, and better employment opportunities.
A central protest rally was held in the national capital Delhi. The protest was attended by all the constituents of CTU and SKM, the farmer’s collective which has extended support to the strike.
The
different trade union leaders spoke at the protests and marches throughout the
country. They said that the success of
the strike demolishes the myths created by the Modi government about the
so-called economic prosperity his government’s policies have created.
They said
that most Indians today are struggling to find a decent source of livelihood
and those who have one are struggling to protect it from the effects of the
various wrongful and pro-corporate policies of the Bharatiya Janata Party
(BJP)-led government.
The lies
about India being the third or fourth largest economy in the world, propagated
by the present government in the country and magnified by the complicit media,
have been exposed by the sheer number of people who participated in today’s
strike. It establishes the fact that under Modi’s decade-long rule the
condition of the working classes in India has gone from bad to worse.
“The attempts
to divide the working class, so that the interest of its corporate bosses is
protected, were defeated by the successful strike” union leaders declared. They
noted that this was the fourth such strike since 2020 and more such strikes
will happen in the future, with more intensity, if the government fails to
correct its ways and take back the four draconian labor codes, and enact laws
which really benefit the working classes of this country.
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