CITU State secretary Elamaram Karim has said here that the all-India general strike called by trade unions across the political spectrum on January 8 will receive an “unprecedented” response from the labouring class given the current political and economic conditions in the country.
Speaking to reporters here on Tuesday, he said workers from various sectors would participate in the strike. The general strike will also have its impact on rural life, he added.
The major demands raised by the unions include a minimum wage of ₹21,00 per month and social security cover for workers, Mr. Karim said, adding that ever since the BJP assumed office in 2014, it had been following anti-worker policies. “Labour policies are now being oriented to help employers at the peril of workers. The new laws will also break the collective bargaining power of the working class,” he observed.
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The workers are also demanding that the government turn back from its policy of privatisation of public sector undertakings. Mr. Karim listed a number of PSUs that had been lined up for privatisation including BPCL, HNL, and HLL.
CITU leader K.N. Gopinath and INTUC State general secretary Jyotishkumar Malayalappuzha, M. Rahmatullah of STU, K.C. Jayagopalan of AITUC, M.K. Thankappan of TUCI, and Sonia George of Sewa were among those who participated in the press meet.