Ahead of Nov 26 General Strike, Trade Unions Back 2-Day Farmers’ Stir Next Week

New Delhi: Ten central trade unions on Tuesday said they were going ahead with their planned nationwide general strike on November 26 and also announced their support to a two-day farmers' agitation next week.

At a meeting of the Joint Platform of Central Trade Unions (CTUs) and sectoral independent federations and associations, held virtually on November 16, the unions expressed satisfaction over the “tremendous response” from workers and people at large throughout the country to their campaign for the countrywide general strike, according to a joint statement.

The forum consists of Indian National Trade Union Congress (INTUC), All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC), Hind Mazdoor Sabha (HMS), Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU), All India United Trade Union Centre (AIUTUC), Trade Union Co-ordination Centre (TUCC), Self-Employed Women's Association (SEWA), All India Central Council of Trade Unions (AICCTU), Labour Progressive Federation (LPF) and United Trade Union Congress (UTUC).

The preparatory campaign for the general strike against "the anti-people, anti-worker, anti-national and destructive policies of the BJP government led by Modi has been going on with great enthusiasm all over the country", the statement said.

Joint conventions, posters, leaflets jointly as well as independently by the central trade unions and their affiliated trade unions are being held at state, district and local levels as well as at the sectoral level.

The strike notices have been served, the forum said,  adding that in addition to workers, people from all walks of life and all sections of the society, namely, students, youth, women, peasants have been coming forward to extend their support to the strike call.

The All India Kisan Sangharsh Coordination Committee (AIKSCC) has also backed the general strike by workers.

"It is heartening that the peasants, who are already in the midst of struggle against the draconian farm laws passed by the Modi govt, support the workers fighting against the anti-worker measures of this government," the statement read.

The Joint Platform and Sectoral Federations and Associations, which has been extending active solidarity and support to the struggles of the peasantry and agricultural workers from the very beginning, has reiterated its active support to the countrywide protest actions and march to Delhi on November 26-27,  at the call of AIKSCC, an umbrella of over 200 farmer organisations..

The charter of demands of the general strike by CTUs and federations and associations includes the demand to scrap the draconian farm laws.

Along with the demands directly related to the workers, the trade unions have also been campaigning on this demand, it added.

 Meanwhile, the All India Power Engineers Federation (AIPEF) has also stated that power engineers across the country would protest on November 26 against the privatisation policies of  the Central government.

The AIPEF is demanding scrapping of Electricity (Amendment) Bill, 2020 and standard bidding document (SBD) for the privatisation of electricity.