Protest marches were taken out by members of various trade union bodies and memoranda were submitted to district and taluk authorities at the district headquarters and cities and towns on Thursday, in response to the call for nationwide strike given by Joint Committee of Trade Unions (JCTU).
In Hubballi, hundreds of people from different sectors congregated near Sangolli Rayanna Circle and held a protest meeting seeking fulfilment of various demands. Members of various trade union bodies of sectors including banking, insurance, telecommunication, midday meal programme, ASHAs, construction industry, gram panchayat employees, autorickshaw drivers, street vendors, and others took part in the agitation.
Trade union leaders Mahesh Pattar, Devanand Jagapur, Gangadhar Badiger, Ashok Barki, Stephen Jayachandra, G.M. Vaidya, Harish Doddamani, B.S. Soppin, Vijay Guntral, Amrut Ijari, R.F. Kavalikai and others addressed the protesters and condemned the anti-labour, anti-farmer policies of the successive governments in general and present Union government in particular.
In Dharwad, members of various trade union bodies took out a protest march from Mallikarjun Mansur Kala Bhavan to the office of the Deputy Commissioner of Dharwad covering the thoroughfares of the city.
Severa trade union leaders, including B.N. Pujari, Bhuvana Ballari, V.M. Inamdar, Manoj Toranagatti, B.I. Iliger Ramesh Hosamani, J.I. Karennavar, Laxman Jadagannavar, Sharanu Gonawar, Nagappa Undi, and several others addressed the protesters and condemned in strong words what they termed as pro-corporate, pro-rich policies of the Union government.
In both Hubballi and Dharwad, after the speakers addressed the protesters, a joint memorandum from JCTU addressed to the Chief Minister and Prime Minister was submitted to the authorities.
In the memorandum , they demanded immediate withdrawal of anti-labour and anti-farmer ordinances and all moves to privatise education, health, drinking water, railway, road, power, telecommunication, insurance and banking sector. They also demanded an assistance of ₹7,500 per month to all families that do not come under the Income tax purview, for six months and pension to all workers after abolition of New Pension Scheme and reinstatement of old pension system. Minimum wages of ₹21,000 per month, regularisation of contract workers, ASHAs, midday meal and anganawadi workers, social security scheme for workers of unorganised sector were some of the other demands.
