The Centre of Trade Unions of India (CITU), All India Kishan Sabha and All India Agriculture Workers Union have decided to observe a nationwide 'protest day' on January 19 on their charter of demands.
"The trio decided to observe the day as 'Virodh Diwas' where labour force and farmers will hit the streets in support of their demands like genuine rates for agriculture produce, wages and other social security issues", CITU General Secretary and MP Tapan Sen said here.
"The protest will also cover farmer suicides due to agriculture crisis and the existing 12-point charter of demands", he told a press conference.
The unions in the coal sector were also discussing on their action plan to firm up protests against reported 10 per cent disinvestment in the sector by the Centre, he said.
Accusing the Centre of "taking" the 13 major ports in the country on the path of corporatisation, Sen said all the federations in the ports had written to the Centre against any repeal in the existing Port Trust Act as it was integral with the security of the country.
The trade unions in 'Anganwadi' sector would stage demonstration sometime in February near the Parliament against cut in allocations in welfare projects.
The ongoing four-day General Council meeting of the CITU is also deliberating to include the unemployed as about 40 per cent of the participation marked on September 2 strike had been outside union affiliations.
This, he pointed out, showed the "jobless growth in the economic policy pursued by the Centre."
"We are also discussing about our responsibility in the struggle against the conspiracy in creating wedge between workers through communal tension", he said.
On the Centre's Jan Dhan Yojana, the left leader did
not agree with the programme being referred to as mazdoor-friendly and claimed 48 per cent of the accounts have no deposits.
Dismissing "Make in India as a mere slogan prepared by professionals," Sen said that the economic policy followed by the Centre has not helped in improving the purchasing power of the people.
"Even old investments are being closed. 19.8 per cent factories have been closed and the government is talking about 100 per cent FDI in defence", he wondered.
"Major public sectors under defence ministry are unable to produce because of no orders...Export has reduced while import has increased", Sen added.
