Protesters who were on the streets as part of the nation-wide strike called by trade unions, had a heated exchange of words with police when the latter attempted to remove them from Anna Salai.
As the protesters squatted on the arterial road blocking vehicular traffic, police forcibly removed them and bundled them into police vehicles.
The strike call was made to protest against the “anti-working class policies of the Modi-led government.” The employees of banks, Income tax department, BSNL, Postal department were staging demonstrations in the city.
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On Anna Salai, the leaders of The Central Trade Unions (CTUs) namely INTUC, AITUC, CITU, LPF along with independent federations and associations from various sectors staged a demonstration. They shouted slogans seeking reversal of the anti-worker, anti-people, anti-national policies of the Government.
LPF General Secretary M. Shanmugam said the government, after failing to tackle a crisis ridden economy is busy in privatising and selling PSUs, natural resources and other national assets, which is detrimental to the national interest and national development.
The trade unions said in a statement that 12 airports have already been “sold out to private hands,” 100% sale of Air India has already been decided upon, the decision to sell BPCL taken, BSNL-MTNL merger announced and 93,600 telecom workers already thrown out of work under the garb of voluntary retirement scheme. The privatisation of railways is being pursued in steps, attempts to privatise railway production units are being made, forcible merger of banks, despite opposition from employees and officers unions, and 100% FDI in the coal sector is also on the cards.
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The leaders also said privatisation of power and road transport as well as moves to encourage private insurance companies of Indian and foreign origin to weaken the public sector in insurance are being pursued. It is a policy to put the national assets and resources on sale.
M.Durai Pandian, General Secretary of Confederation of Central Government Employees and Workers' Union said, in Tamil Nadu, over one lakh Central Government Employees are participating in the strike.