NewsGate Press Network

Central Trade Unions on Monday the 28th of March2022 began a two-day nationwide strike to protest against the government’s alleged wrong policies that are affecting farmers, workers and people.

Various media outlets including news agencies mentioned  quotes of Ms Amarjeet Kaur, General Secretary of All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC) stating that  two-day strike will impact entire coal belt (mining area) in Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh.

She also claimed that there is a “good” response in industrial areas of Assam, Haryana, Delhi, West Bengal, Telangana, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Bihar, Punjab, Rajasthan, Goa and Odisha.

As many as 10 Central Trade Unions (CTUs) have joined hands to go on a two-day nationwide strike from Monday. About 20 crore workers are expected to join the strike.

The strike notices have been given by the unions in various sectors, such as coal, steel, oil, telecom, postal, income tax, copper, banks, and insurance, among others.

The unions in railways and defence sector are making mass mobilisation in support of the strike at several hundred spots, the joint forum had said earlier.

Their demands include the scrapping of the labour codes, no privatisation of any form, scrapping of the National Monetisation Pipeline (NMP), increased allocation of wages under MNREGA (Mahatma Gandhi Rural Employment Guarantee Act) and regularisation of contract workers among others.

The central trade unions that are part of this joint forum include among others INTUC, AITUC, HMS, CITU, AIUTUC, TUCC, SEWA, AICCTU, LPF and UTUC.

Taking cognisance of the call, the Ministry of Power on Sunday had issued an advisory to states and other agencies to be on high alert and ensure round the clock electricity supply and stability of the national grid.