Earlier this year, the central leadership of the trade unions of the eleven national level trade unions gave enough indication that if the NDA government assured the trade unions that the centre would not rush with into the labour law reforms until there was unanimous agreement between the trade unions and the government, the central TUs would postpone the strike but the centre kept mum and the committee of five ministers set up by the PMO to deal with the 12 poi9nt charter of demands, took no follow up actions.

Just two weeks before the general strike day, there is all round preparations among the organized working class in the country including the staff, in banks, insurance companies and the central government and state governments, but there is virtually no response from the PMO. At a time when the economy is really not in a good shape and the employment market is sagging, the centre is allowing the strike action to be held by taking no initiative in holding negotiations with the leadership of the striking trade unions. Prime Minister is talking of his pet Make In India slogan but he seems to be making India without the participation of the real makers.

As the central trade unions see it, the Modi government is totally apathetic towards the genuine demands that have been continuously raised by the national trade unions through their 12 point charter of demands. The government’s practice of bypassing the Parliament and implement pro- management measures through executive orders are continuing and the centre is totally ignoring the consensus recommendations of the Indian Labour Conference related to contract workers and minimum wages.

At the ground level, the situation is very grim for the workers in general and the unorganized workers in particular. The government has not taken any meaningful steps to curb price rises of essential commodities and to generate employment except making tall baseless claims through statements in the media. Instead of expanding the public distribution system, the NDA government is trying to scuttle it through the inherently anti poor targeting mechanism resulting in further exclusion of the common and needy people. The huge dose of additional duty on diesel, doubling of cess on coal and increase in indirect taxes in the latest budget as also hike in the prices of petro products , have only added to the woes of the working class.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is talking of acche din but real buda din is there for the poor and the commoners. The rich are having a field day and the poor are bearing the brunt of the faulty pro-rich economic policies of this government. The government is mysteriously inactive on the question of retrieving the black money slashed abroad. Equally, this government is failing in recovering more than Rs. 7 lakh crore of bank debts owed to the rich and wealthy while the poor farmers are committing suicides because they are burdened with debts due to the failure of the crops.

In the name of speeding up so called reforms, the Modi government has been moving fast in demolishing the existing labour laws thereby empowering the employers with unfettered rights to hire and fire and stripping the workers and the trade unions of all their rights and protection so far provided. Though the centre talks of federalism and the rights of the states in respect of few areas, the PMO has given instructions to the chief secretaries of the states recommending the Rajasthan type labour law which is anti working class and pro-management.

The central public sector undertakings, the temples of modern India, are under attack by the Modi government. Not only the profitable PSUs are being divested and opened to private sector participation, they are being opened for strategic sale. The valuable land and the assets of the blue chip public sector companies, are being grabbed by the private sector sharks. The ownership control and management of the leading PSUs are being sought after by the private sector with the government support. Allowing 100 per cent FDI in a number of strategic sectors of the economy, has made the Indian economy vulnerable to the manipulations of the foreign investors. The American defence companies are being allowed in the Indian defence manufacturing sector for the first time.

For the trade unions and the Indian working class, this is a testing time. The trade unions belonging to all major political parties including the Congress are supporting the general strike on the basis of the 12 point charter of demands . BJP’s trade union BMS is under tremendous pressure from its common members to support the strike. The BMS leadership is in two minds but they may finally opt out due to pressure from the BJP leadership. But there is every possibility that at the lower level, the BMS supporters will join the strike as the demands are in their own interests.

For the Modi government, still there is time to avoid the strike action which will cost the country’s economy thousands of crores due to loss of industrial production. The ministerial committee of the PMO must take immediate action to start negotiations. The trade unions are ready for a compromise solution but their interests have to be protected. The working class interests are national interests and any positive gesture will only strengthen Modi’s Make in India programme. The nation cannot afford a general strike for a day at this hour of economy. Prime Minister must address the points made in the charter and arrive at a solution. That will be true leader like. Modi must act like one who is the protector of the workers also. Time is running out. (IPA Service)