Labour unions ramp up efforts to take on Centre over rising prices

Inflation becoming difficult to tame, says BMS; CITU, AITUC plan to hold protest on I-Day eve

With the inflation rate hovering over 7 per cent for the third month in June, labour unions are ramping up efforts to take on the government on this issue.

As part of these protests, the Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU), affiliated to the Communist Party of India (Marxist), is set to start a ‘Samuhik Jagran’ drive, beginning on August 1, which will conclude with an overnight dharna (sit in) at all district centres on the eve of the 75th Independence Day.

Umesh K N, national secretary, CITU, said: “There will be a national convention, jointly with All India Kisan Sabha and other agriculture workers’ unions on September 5 at the Talkatora Stadium, in New Delhi, where our future programmes will be finalised.”

Other labour unions, too, are planning to mobilise workers in the coming months.

The Indian National Trade Union Congress (INTUC) will consider a 14-point agenda, including inflation, unemployment, and minimum wages at its upcoming core committee meeting scheduled to be held next week.

“Inflation is rising through the roof and the government is least bothered to bring it under control. The INTUC will fight the government on the streets,” said Ashok Singh, vice-president, INTUC, and governing body member, International Labour Organization (ILO).

The All India Trade Union Congress’ (AITUC’s) working committee at its two-day review meeting, which ended on Monday, decided to take up workers’ issues by sectors (like banking, steel, cement, etc.). The AITUC, too, will start its mass awareness and mobilisation drive from August 1 and culminate on Independence Day.

Amarjeet Kaur, general secretary, AITUC, said: “We have prepared our resolution and will go to the prime minister as a central trade union to demand quashing of the labour codes. Now our battle has to be more volatile and militant,” she added. “Wage repression and high inflation have made conditions worse for 90 per cent of the workforce engaged in the informal sector.”

BMS unconvinced

Addressing the concern of rising consumer price inflation numbers, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman recently noted that Centre is watchful of the price situation and had already taken necessary steps to bring inflation under control by reducing excise duty on petrol and diesel, banning wheat exports, allowing duty free import of certain crude edible oil and revising duty structure on steel and steel products. “Will continue the pointed attack on inflation,” she said.

But the government’s efforts to tackle rising prices appear not to have convinced the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP’s) sister organisation, the Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh (BMS). The union is set to discuss a plan of action at its central meeting in Bhubaneswar, scheduled to be held in the last week of August.

The BMS recently concluded its district-level deliberations to raise the issues of inflation, corporatisation of public sector undertakings (PSUs), wages, and social security.

Calling the government’s efforts to curb inflation insincere and dishonest, BMS general secretary Binay Kumar Singh said: “The economic condition is very bad and the rise in inflation is becoming difficult to tame. The government has also failed to bring petrol and diesel under the ambit of the goods and services tax (GST).”

The BMS will start a ‘Jan Jagran’ mobilisation drive to create awareness on corporatisation of PSUs, minimum wages, and social security issues. It will organise a national level protest in New Delhi on November 17 to address these issues.

General strike

Though labour unions are looking to mobilise on some specific issues, there are no immediate plans to call for a general strike. However, union leaders say such nationwide protests could take place if the government does not act fast. “National-level general strikes are not a day-to-day affair. But, more such protests will be witnessed in the coming days,” said Tapan Kumar Sen, general secretary, CITU.

On the question of trade unions joining hands, AITUC’s Kaur said central trade union organisations (CTUOs) will meet over the week to discuss the matter.

The programme

• CITU's ‘Samuhik Jagran’ drive will start from August 1 and culminate on August 14
• INTUC will take a decision on its strategy in its upcoming core committee meeting scheduled to be held next week
• AITUC’s awareness and mobilisation drive will start from August 1 and culminate on Independence Day
• BMS' ‘Jan Jagran’ mobilisation drive will start from July-end and culminate on November 17