Trade unions protest govt’s ‘anti-worker policies’

Tribune News Service

Jammu, February 26

The Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) and others organised a workers’ rally against the government policies of deregulation, disinvestment, privatisation and denationalisation, raising FDI cap in strategic sectors of industries and services, etc.

MY Tarigami, Jammu and Kashmir state committee secretary of the Communist Party of India (CPI), while addressing the gathering said, “The true face of the Modi government is being exposed by its anti-working class, pro-corporate policies. To divert the attention of the people, the RSS is playing its communal cards and trying to polarise people on the lines of religion.”

He added that the big corporate companies had invested heavily in ensuring victory of the BJP in the last Parliamentary elections and now it was time for the Modi government to pay them rich dividends on their investments. That was why the government had intensified its offensive attacks on the working class.

“Unfortunately the government has not taken any action on our 10-point charter of demands. The proliferation of contract system of labour and outsourcing continues. No steps are being taken to fix need-based workers’ minimum wage according to updated norms of the 15th Indian Labour Conference,” Tarigami said.

Om Parkash, general secretary, J&K state CITU, and Sham Parsad Kesar, senior leader of the CITU, also addressed the gathering. Later, the leaders courted arrest.