Courtesy: PTI, 5 June 2020

Ten central trade unions, including Hind Mazdoor Sabha (HMS), Indian National Trade Union Congress (INTUC) and Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU), on Friday called for a nationwide protest on July 3 against “anti-worker and anti-people” policies of the government.

“We call upon the working class and trade unions of all affiliations to make the programme of Nationwide Protest Day on 3rd July 2020 a massive success throughout the country…,” a joint statement said.

After the observance of the Nationwide Protest Day, a concrete form of non-cooperation and defiance, including a nationwide general strike, will be decided by the joint platform of Central Trade Unions and independent Federations and Associations at an appropriate time, it added.

Apart from HMS, INTUC and CITU, the other seven are All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC), All India United Trade Union Centre (AIUTUC), Trade Union Co-ordination Centre (TUCC), All India Central Council of Trade Unions (AICCTU), Self-Employed Women’s Association (SEWA), Labour Progressive Federation (LPF) and United Trade Union Congress (UTUC).

The unions also asked the government to immediately hold the long overdue Indian Labour Conference to dwell upon the 12-point charter of demands, the labour and trade union rights, issues of job losses, wages, job security and the migrant workers’ issues.

There are 12 central trade unions in the country.

“We cannot accept lying down the designs for imposition of slavery on workers through total nullification of all labour laws; nor can we remain an onlooker to the government project of wholesale privatisation of our public sector undertakings (PSUs) through multi-pronged routes,” they said.

The jobless are more than 14 crore and if the daily wagers/ contract/casual workers are added, the number swell up to more than 24 crore who are out of livelihood at present, they noted.

“The so-called Rs 20 lakh crore package of the government is nothing but a hoax and cruel joke on the suffering people,” they said.

The unions also alleged that the Central government has most insensitively dealt with the problem of COVID-19 as a law and order issue instead of treating it as a medical emergency for the human being and society.

“It has caused immense miseries to millions of workers, farmers and other vulnerable sections of the society. Whereas, the government stood only by corporates and big businesses,” they said.