Remove BJP – Save the Country – Trade Unions Joint Convention

Workers Called upon to participate in large numbers in Nation-Wide Strike on 8 -9 January Ludhiana, December 27, 2018: The leaders of various Trade Unions including AITUC, CITU, INTUC, CTU called upon workers to participate in large numbers in the 8 – 9 January nation-wide workers strike. Speaking in a joint convention organized here today at Ludhiana various speakers said that this strike is being organized jointly by all central trade unions, Industrial workers, Construction Workers, Palledars, Bhattha Mazdoors, federations and associations of employees of Banks, Insurance, Railways, Defense, Telecom, Electricity, Oil, Coal land Non Coal sectors, Anganwadi, Aasha workers, mid day meal workers, the state and central government employees including independent trade unions. The formal and informal workers including those engaged in agriculture and self employment and un- organized sectors will also participate in this massive action. The speakers while deploring the Central and state Governments’ failure to check price rise of essential commodities are demanding universal pubic distribution system, provision of cheap ration, check on hoarding and black marketing, end to future trade in grains, and system of price fixation among other steps to control prices. The trade union leaders alleged that the labour law violations are rampant in the country such as resistance to unionisation, non implementation of equal pay for equal work and minimum wages, denial of maternity benefits to more than 90% of women work force. The contractorisation and out sourcing has become a norm which further depresses the wages of workers while denying all kinds benefits which regular workers draw. The trade unions are demanding substantial budget allocation to be part of the enactment for the social security to the unorganized sector work force. The workers are demanding for job creation, check on the falling employment opportunities. They are also opposed to disinvestment of public sector and FDI in finance sector and retail trade etc. They alleged that the government at the centre and states are allowing corruption and scams resulting in loss to the public revenue on the one hand, giving concessions to big corporate houses, while denying the workers and peoples their due. The trade union leaders said this strike is to demand from the govt. to fill all the vacant posts on regular basis, to regularize the services of daily wagers, contract workers and the workers employed throughout sources, to check the price rise, for proper implementation of labour laws. Regularisation of services of Aganwadi and Asha workers, misuse of police against workers, minimum wages to be Rs.18000.00 for unskilled workers. They also said that working women are worst sufferers in the pursuit of neo liberal economic policies by the governments which is resulting in the rising cost of living and no secured income to the families. The violence on women is rising and new kind of slavery is being imposed on them in the export promotion zones. They called upon the women workers to participate in a big way. Those addressed the convention include Comrades Bant Singh Brar, President AITUC Punjab, Sukhvinder Sekhon – General Secretary All India Kisan Sabha Punjab, D P Maur – Vice-President AITUC Punjab, Jatinder Pal Singh & Jagdish chand - CITU, Paramjeet Singh – CTU, Gurjit Singh Jagpal – INTUC and Tarsem Jodhan.