The district unit of the Joint Committee of Trade Unions (JCTU) has appealed to the public to extend support to the two-day nationwide general strike on February 20 and 21.
Addressing a joint press conference here on Thursday, A.R.M. Ismail of the All-India Trade Union Congress (AITUC), Satyababu of the Centre of Indian Trade Unions, and Somashekar of the All-India United Trade Union Centre (AIUTUC), on behalf of other trade unions, said that the proposed strike was not only limited to the issues of the working class but also to highlight the problems of the common man owing to inflation, foreign direct investment in retail trade and privatisation.
The strike was against the anti-people and anti-labour policies being followed by the Union and State governments, they said and added that fixation of a minimum wage of Rs. 10,000 a month for daily wage workers, implementation of labour laws, social security for workers, stopping privatisation of profit-making public sector undertakings, abolition of contract labour, enhancing bonus, retirement benefits and gratuity, and pension for all, were among other prominent demands.
R.S. Basavaraj of CITU, Vijayakumar of the Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh, and Ganapati Hegde of the Grameen Bank Employees Association were present.
