Speakers at the protest condemned the diesel price hike, warning that his would have a cascading effect on prices of essential commodities and further fuel inflation
Central trade unions held a demonstration at Jantar Mantar here on Saturday to protest against the Government’s decision to hike diesel price, curtailment of subsidy in LPG, and allowing foreign direct investment in multi-brand retail trade. The unions that protested include the BMS, AITUC, CITU, AICCTU, AIUTUC, TUCC and UTUC.
Speakers at the protest condemned the diesel price hike, warning that his would have a cascading effect on prices of essential commodities and further fuel inflation.
“Withdrawal of subsidy on LPG will hurt the budget of millions of people who are already reeling under burden of soaring prices. What is worse it has been done after steep increase in water and electricity charges by State governments. The entry of FDI in single brand and multi–brand retail trade will take away livelihood of several of millions of Indians,” a statement released by the unions said.
The corresponding creation of jobs by the corporate sector in the retail trade would not be able to offset this large-scale job loss in the unorganised retail trade, the unions said. The leaders said the recession was already affecting the common man’s ability to buy goods and with inflation this would go down further. The unions gave a call to workers everywhere to “protest in a suitable manner” all over the country for the rollback of these decisions.
Meanwhile, the National Association of Street Vendors of India (NASVI) on Saturday called upon small retailers to take to the streets in protest again the Central Government’s decision to allow FDI in their sector. It said the FDI infiltration into retail sector would badly impact the livelihood of vendors and small retailers and the massive contribution of this section to city, state and national economies would reduce drastically.
NASVI national coordinator Arbind Singh accused the Government of protecting the interests of realtors and mall developers. “FDI would ruin the retail and help the realty sector as the move would create demand of mall and real estate developers for retail space. While at one level the UPA Government was introducing the Bill to protect livelihood of street vendors, on the other it was allowing multinational retail giants to further threaten the livelihood of vendors,” he said.
Mr. Singh said the Government was not coming out of its so-called “policy paralysis,” but continued to remain “politically confused”.
FDI in retail is the most required decision at this point of time when our country is facing inflation problem and high degree of retail anarchy. This will benefit the customer and farmer, that is what the country needs. Every body should work and eat. Not just get retail commision by sucking the blood of farmer at one end and cheating the customer on the other end. Just think how difficult it is to bargain from street vendors of vegetables, small retails who sell fish,prawns, mutton and chicken, who take customer for a ride and use abusive language. Now all have to close their shops and go home. Big retailers will come and save the hard-workers(farmers,rearers etc) by giving them correct value for produce and deliver good quality products to middle class, like what is happening in developed countries. Dont worry about this small retailers. They have to close shop and find jobs in malls or go for begging. No more boasting with costomers and farmers.More over, We should ban all unions(trade and labour) who are ruining this country.
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