The State, which is known for observing total bandhs and hartals, will see, on February 20 and 21, life coming to a complete standstill in a spontaneous expression of anger against the anti-people policies of the Manmohan Singh-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) Government.

The strike was decided at the National Convention of Public Sector Unions, which took place in Chennai on December 15. It was attended by representatives of INTUC, AITUC, CITU, BMS, HMS and LPF besides independent unions and their joint action committees from Bangalore and Hyderabad.

The main demands are an end to the astronomical rise in prices of essential commodities, providing and safeguarding employment, strict implementation of job rules, halt to the deregulation of petrol and diesel prices, end to the contract system, pension for all workers, removal of ceiling on bonus and provident fund, a minimum wage of Rs 10,000 per month for unskilled workers and corresponding rates of wages for semi-skilled, skilled and highly skilled workers and equal wages for equal work.

The unique feature of the February 20-21 strike is that this time around, it will be a two-day affair instead of the normal one-day work stoppage. Participation this time will be more than that the countrywide strike on February 28, last year witnessed - an estimated 10 crore workers struck work on that occasion - according to AITUC and CITU sources.

Life will come to a standstill as all sectors – road transport, telecom, defence production, power, coal, oil and gas supply to power – have decided to participate in the strike. Banking operations will also come to a close for two days as besides nationalised banks, also private banks, with the exception of the ICICI Bank, will strike work. Public transport vehicles, taxis and autorickshaws included, will keep off the roads. As usual, drinking water supply, milk, newspapers and hospitals will be excluded.

The extent of Manmohan Government’s alienation is clear from the fact that even the pro-Congress INTUC has decided to join hands with other trade unions in the February 20-21 strike. INTUC chief Sanjiva Reddy has come out with an uncharacteristically aggressive criticism of the UPA Government’s anti-people policies.

The Congress-led UPA Government at the Centre cannot afford this time to be indifferent to the massive show of strength of the trade unions and federations of other professional organisations. The Government, which has gone out of the way to rain concessions on the corporate and cruelly heaped untold miseries on the common man, will have to mend its aam admi-hostile ways in the face of what is being billed as the biggest-ever such exercise undertaken by trade unions anywhere in the world. It is well and truly a wake-up call for the government. (IPA)