In India, as many as 150 million unionised workers went on
strike on Wednesday in protest over Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s labor
reforms. Modi has proposed the largest overhaul of India’s labour laws in
decades. The reforms would make it harder for workers to unionize and go on
strike. Rajya Sabha MP Tapan Sen, who is the vice president of Centre of Indian
Trade Unions, affiliated with the CPI(M). "The proposed amendments in the
Factories Act 1948, proposed Labour Codes on Wages, on Industrial Relations,
will leave 70% workers outside the purview of any labour laws and legal
protection," said Tapan Sen.
Ten of India’s 12 trade-union federations joined a nationwide
strike yesterday to protest at proposals to reform India’s employment laws. Trade
unions say prime minister's proposed changes will put jobs at risk and make it
easier to lay-off workers. The central trade unions had submitted a 12-point
charter to the government. Their demands included fixing the minimum wage at
not less than Rs. 15,000 per month, ensuring that contract workers got the same
wages and benefits for contract workers at par with regular workers, universal
social security and a pension plan for all Indians.
The government sought to downplay the strike, saying it was
"not felt much" in most parts of the country.
Our companion party in
India, the World Socialist Party (India) a few months ago issued a cautionary warning upon relying on the one-day strike strategy:
“In this era of capitalism's decadence the general strike
(or ‘bandh’) for more reforms or mere protest is futile. It has lost its edge.”
Contact the WSP (India)
E-mail: wspindia@hotmail.com
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