As many as 11 central trade unions have called an all-India general strike for February 20 and 21 to protest the “anti-people” policies of the UPA government that include price rise and poor implementation of labour laws, and disinvestment in public sector units/increased FDI in various sectors.
CPI MP and All-India Trade Union Congress general secretary Gurudas Dasgupta told The Hindu here that the Indian National Trade Union Congress and the Labour Progressive Front — trade union wings of the ruling Congress and its ally DMK — would join hands with the others.
The unions are demanding fixing of statutory minimum wages at Rs. 10,000 a month, stopping of contract labour, bringing 37 crore unorganised sector workers under the EPF/ESI Acts and raising minimum pension to Rs. 3,000.
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The functioning of the power and transport sectors, oil industries, the RBI and other banks, insurance firms, posts and telecommunications, and information technology firms would be affected during the strike by the unions, which include the BMS, CITU, HMS, AICCTU, AIUTUC, UTUC and SEWA, Mr. Dasgupta claimed.