CITU to support transporters' strike on Apr 30

Claiming that Centre's new Bill on road safety would help private operators take over public undertakings, the Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) today announced its support to nation-wide strike called by transporters on April 30.
Operators of buses, trucks, autos and taxis attached to various unions and federations associated with CITU will participate in the day-long strike in protest against the Road Transport and Safety Bill, 2015, the CITU said.
"The CITU expresses its fullest support to the country-wide one-day strike on April 30. Workers in all sectors including buses, trucks, auto-taxis are to go on strike on that day.

"The bill contains clauses, which will result in death knell of existing 54 state road transport undertakings and is aimed at handing over the transport sector to private operators," CITU president A K Padmanabhan said in a statement.
Padmanabhan claimed various clauses proposed in the bill are against the interests of drivers, passengers and general public.
"The bill encroaches upon rights of state governments and some of them have openly criticised the bill and asked for changes. Many governmental functions like registration, licensing, etc are being handed over to private sector," he said.
The CITU chief said joint platform of unions have submitted detailed memorandums to Centre and conducted extensive campaigns including transporters' march towards Parliament on December 18 last year.

Asserting that CITU endorses demands of transporters, Padmanabhan called upon sections of workers and public to extend their support to the strike.