Left parties, trade unions vow to fight against Centre’s ‘anti-worker’ policies

In response to the Bharat Bandh call given by a joint forum of 10 Central trade unions against the Centre’s alleged anti-worker policies, leaders of the Left parties and several affiliated trade unions in Andhra Pradesh took to the streets on Thursday to condemn the “policies that are detrimental to the interests of the working class pursued by both the Centre and the TDP-led coalition government in the State.”

The protesters started at the Ratham Centre in the commercial area of One Town and held a massive rally, holding placards and raising slogans against the ruling party. The protest rally culminated in a public meeting at the bustling Lenin Centre, where leaders of the CPI(M), CPI, and representatives of various trade unions denounced the shrinking space for public sector undertakings to make way for private players.

The protesters demanded that the Central Government withdraw its anti-labour policies, repeal the four Labour Codes, fix a minimum wage of ₹30,000, and strictly implement labour laws.

CPI(M) State secretary V. Srinivasa Rao and CITU State president A.V. Nageswara Rao alleged that public sector undertakings in Visakhapatnam had been shut down, and demanded that the privatisation of Visakhapatnam Steel Plant be stopped. They said, while the Narendra Modi Government at the Centre was introducing anti-labour policies, the coalition government in the State was eager to implement them.

The leaders slammed the government for failing to provide minimum wages and legal protection to workers. contract and outsourced employees, expressed concern that under the Labour Codes, their chances of becoming permanent employees in the future would become uncertain. They demanded immediate regularisation of services of the 3 lakh contract workers in Andhra Pradesh, and urged both the Central and State Governments to ensure equal pay for equal work and to fix the minimum wage at ₹30,000.

The protesters also demanded withdrawal of the Seed Act amendments, the amended Employment Guarantee laws and the Electricity laws, and called for scrapping the CPS (Contributory Pension Scheme) and implementation of OPS (Old Pension Scheme). Criticising the Centre for its reported move to privatise banks, they said such proposals should be withdrawn immediately.

Stating that the Labour Codes introduced by the Modi Government benefited corporate forces rather than workers., they warned that if the four Labour Codes were not immediately repealed, workers’ struggles would be intensified further.

The leaders called for a united and a sustained movement to thwart such evil designs of the parties in power at the Centre and in the State.

However, the protest had no visible impact on shops, commercial establishments, schools or banks, all of which functioned normally.