Bharat Bandh will be successful in TN: CITU State prez

The nationwide strike call given by the Central trade unions on 14-point-charter of demands including unemployment, minimum wages and social security and against the ‘anti-labour’ policies of the Union government.

“Rather than holding talks with the trade unions and protesting employees on their demands Tamil Nadu government has threatened to take action against the employees if they took part in the protest. The government’s warning is nothing but a vindictive action. The employees will go ahead and taken part in the strike,” CITU state president A Soundararajan said.

Except for the department dealing with essentials, all other department employees would take part in the nationwide strike. Transport department workers affiliated to the central trade unions would abstain themselves from the work on the day of strike, he said adding, but the State government might try to operate a skeleton service with the help of its AIADMK affiliated union workers and claim to operate normal bus service. Even Tangedco employees would take part in large numbers in the strike along with other government department staffs, he noted.

Soundararajan said that the demands listed by the trade unions includes minimum wage of Rs 18,000 per month, ending contract labour system, right to form trade unions and collective bargaining as per the provision of the labour laws. “The Centre is more concerned about the corporate than the workers. The corporate tax has been reduced from 30 per cent to 22 per cent while the workers are currently facing “job loss growth” from “jobless growth”.

In a circular sent to all heads of departments on Thursday, Tamil Nadu Chief Secretary K Shanmugam said that strike or threat to strike or participation by government employees in strike or demonstration or any other form of agitation, affecting the normal functioning of the government offices, amounts to violation of TN government servants’ conduct rules and strict action would be taken.