Bharat Bandh: 25 crore workers join nationwide strike

A nationwide strike is being observed on Thursday by 10 central trade unions. Around 25 crore workers are participating in the countrywide strike. They are protesting against the new farm and labour laws. Also other workers-related issues, as well as to raise various demands.

These are the demands:

• Withdrawal of all “anti-farmer laws and anti-worker labour codes”
• Payment of Rs 7,500 in the accounts of each non-tax paying family
• Monthly supply of 10 kg of food grains to needy families
• MGNREGS expansion to give 200 workdays every year, higher wages, and the scheme’s implementation in urban areas
• Stop “privatisation of the public sector, including the financial sector, and stop corporatisation of government-run manufacturing and service entities like railways, ordinance factories, ports, etc.”
• Withdrawal of the “draconian circular on forced premature retirement of government and PSU employees”
• Pension to all, scrapping of NPS (National Pension System) and the reimposition of earlier pension with improvement in EPS-95 (Employees’ Pension Scheme-1995 run by retirement fund body EPFO)

Here is all who will be joining the protest:

From Indian National Trade Union Congress (INTUC), All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC), Hind Mazdoor Sabha (HMS), Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU), All India United Trade Union Centre (AIUTUC), Trade Union Co-ordination Centre (TUCC) to Self-Employed Women’s Association (SEWA). Also joining them are All India Central Council of Trade Unions (AICCTU), Labour Progressive Federation (LPF) and United Trade Union Congress (UTUC).

As reported by sources to ABP, The Independent Sectoral Federations and Associations in the central and state government employees. Also, the public sector enterprises have served the strike notice. The industrial units in the private sector, big and small. The scheme workers, domestic workers, construction workers, beedi workers, hawkers, vendors, agricultural workers, self-employed in rural and urban India. They all have decided to come to the streets for ‘chakka jam’.

Banking operations are also likely to hit hard as the All India Bank Employees’ Association has also announced that it would join the trade unions’ one-day strike.

In many states, auto and taxi drivers have also decided to keep off the roads. Bus Services have also taken a hit in many states.

“The strike has begun. Kerala and Tamil Nadu are completely shut down. A similar situation is also developing in Odisha, Punjab, Haryana, Telangana and Goa. There is also a good response to the strike in Maharashtra,” AITUC General Secretary Amarjeet Kaur told PTI.

The trade unions have asked the Centre to provide 200 days’ work in a year at enhanced wages under the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) scheme.

The unions are demanding the withdrawal of ‘anti-farmer laws and anti-worker labour codes’.

They are also demanding to stop privatisation of public sector, including the financial sector and corporatisation of government-run manufacturing and service entities like railways, ordinance factories, ports.

Other demands of the unions include ‘pension to all’, scrapping NPS (National Pension System). They are asking for the restoration of earlier pension with improvement in EPS-95 (Employees’ Pension Scheme-1995 run by retirement fund body EPFO).