BJP wing BMS to join 10 other TUs' stir against Govt policies

Upping the ante against 'anti-worker' policies, disinvestment and hike in FDI across sectors, 11 central trade unions including pro-BJP Bhartiya Mazdoor Sangh on Monday decided to launch nationwide protests against the government's measures saying it would have 'serious negative' impact on the people. Representatives of 11 major unions and federations across sectors like banks, insurance, defence, railways and others decided to hold state-level joint conventions in September- October and a national protest day all over the country on 5 December by holding demonstrations at all state capitals.

The decision was taken at the National Convention of Workers, where senior AITUC leader Gurudas Dasgupta said, ' 5 December will be the beginning of the protest and a prelude to a bigger action.'

Maintaining that their 'quarrel with the government is on policy', he said, 'They are liberalising labour laws for the benefit of corporates. We are opposing FDI in railways and financial sector. They are modifying Industrial Dispute Act, Apprentices Act, Trade Union Act and other laws to help the corporates of the country.' Asked about the key issues on which the unions were protesting, he said they want the stoppage of reform of labour laws and curb inflation. The meeting was attended by leaders of AITUC, CITU, BMS, INTUC, HMS, AIUTUC, TUCC, AICCTU, UTUC, SEWA and LPF, apart from the federations.

BMS General Secretary Virjesh Upadhyay said, 'Government is trying to say there is no policy paralysis. 

They are trying to paralyse the society and the labour class as a whole.'

Maintaining that the unions were fighting jointly for the last five years and had submitted a 10-point charter to the earlier UPA regime, he said, 'What we are asking the government is that if you really want to go for amendments (of labour laws) and reforms, then first you should implement the unanimous points of the Second National Labour Commission. But they are not addressing that.' 

The BMS leader blamed the BJP-led government for 'bringing in new issues and creating unnecessary controversy.' 'The government is not trying to listen to anyone.  Unnecessarily, they have become mad to go on for reforms just to show they are smart enough to implement it,' Upadhyaya said.

The declaration unanimously adopted at the convention said most of the amendments to labour laws 'will have serious negative impact on the working conditions including trade union rights of workers and employees.'

Despite assurances given by the Labour Ministry, 'The amendments to labour laws were being pushed without consultations with unions.'

The convention also denounced the 'retrograde moves' of the government in hiking or allowing FDI in defence, insurance, railways and other sectors, as also 'aggressive moves' for disinvestment in PSUs including those in the financial sector like banks and insurance companies. All these measures would be 'detrimental' to the interest of the national economy, national security as well as the common people, it said.