Unions call for united fight to defeat Narendra Modi

Tirupati: Speakers at a state-level trade union convention here on Sunday on attack of governments on trade union rights called for a united struggle for the removal of the anti-labour Prime Minister Narendra Modi to save the rights of workers and the nation.

Leaders of employees unions of various public sector undertakings, including banks, postal, BSNL and also other trade union leaders who participated in the convention slammed Narendra Modi government for amending the Trade Union Act, 1926,  to benefit corporate sector and deprive rights to workers and also diluting public sector undertakings.

The meet, presided over by CITU Chittoor district (East) president Nagarjuna, also discussed making the ‘All India General Strike’ called by the trade unions on January 8 and 9 a success to build up a strong public opinion against the Modi government so as to get rid of it in 2019 elections.

CPM central committee member and CITU vice-president AK Padmanabhan said Modi government in the name of reforms brought 44 amendments to labour laws to trample the rights of workers and even to deny the right to form trade union solely to benefit the managements.

Though the successive governments were bringing out reforms for the last 27 years, the Modi government was vigorously pursuing them at the cost of workers, he said, adding that the contract and outsourcing system had now become entrenched thanks to Modi’s anti-workers and employee policies. “Ninety per cent of the workers are getting less than 10,000 a month as salary. This  reveals the intensity of the exploitation of the workers in the country,’’ he averred.

CITU state vice-president Ajay Kumar said that the people’s anger  was growing by day towards the BJP and the TDP governments as they had turned more and more inimical to all sections of people, including employees, workers, farmers and farm labourers. The only way to save the workers and employees is removing Modi in the 2019 election, he said, while urging the working class not to rest till the anti-people governments were dethroned.

BSNL Employees Union leader Asok Babu, Postal Employees Union leader Prasada Rao, CITU state general secretary and former MLA MA Gafoor, district general secretary and others also spoke in the meeting attended by the members and leaders of various unions from all the districts.