Trade Unions call for united action against anti working class policies of government

Trade unions across the country have given a call for a march to Parliament on February 23, 2011, to protest against the anti working class policies and practices of the UPA government at the centre.

Trade unions across the country have given a call for a march to Parliament on February 23, 2011, to protest against the anti working class policies and practices of the UPA government at the centre.

Some of the main issues that are proposed to be highlighted during the march are

• Extreme food insecurity of masses of people
• Relentless price rise of all essential commodities, especially food items, due to dismantling of the public distribution system and speculative trade in commodity markets
• Growing unemployment
• Disinvestment of public sector enterprises
• Gross violation of labour laws relating to minimum wages, working hours, maintenance of registers, use of contract labour, social security and trade union rights, collusion of the government machinery with employers in denying workers their rights

A 5-point charter of demands has been proposed, including control of price rise, expansion and effective implementation of PDS, effective implementation of labour laws, job protection, adequate financial allocation for providing social security benefits to all unorganized sector workers and stopping of disinvestment.

"MEL calls on all trade unions and workers’ organizations to mobilize in large numbers and participate in the march to Parliament on February 23, 2011, as part of the struggle against the growing attacks on the working class and all sections of the working people."