Let’s face it. The various trade unions have called for a country-wide Bharat Bandh on September 2 to protest against the central government policies. The main demand is the increase in wages. However, with the recent approval of pay commission, the majority of the demands are already met by the government. We still wonder for what purpose the bandh serves other than putting the life of citizens on hardship. The life of common citizens will be put into acute difficulty when the majority of political leaders enjoys the life inside AC rooms.
As part of Bharat Bandh, banks, government offices and factories will remain closed. However, in some states like Kerala, local unions have also agreed to join the strike. Hence, the public transport has been affected. Even people are asked not to board private taxis. In Kerala, union leaders have smashed the window panes of Uber mobile car service.
Commenting on the bandh, Coal and Power Minister Piyush Goyal revealed that power plants have enough coal on hand to operate even if nothing is mined over the next 50 to 60 days. This is because workers of Coal India limited are participating in the strike.
Mamata Banerjee opposes today’s strike
Interestingly, Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who had conducted around 80 such bandhs in the past, has said that her government will not allow offices and factories to close. Moreover, public transport will run as usual.
Trade unions want reduction in FDI
On Tuesday, the government made an outreach to trade unions which include the All India Trade Unions Congress and Centre of Indian Trade Unions. However, they rejected the idea to call off strike since their demands are not addressed.
Moreover, the trade unions also put forward a theory to reduce FDI in areas such as insurance and defence, which was blatantly rejected by the government.
Our Take
The trade unions should note that they have right to protest. At the same time, workers have a right to work without fear. Hence, those interested in work should be given an opportunity rather than forcing them to stand outside offices and factories.