A joint platform of Central Trade Unions, federations and associations has decided to observe nationwide protest day on May 22 against the alleged "anti worker and anti people onslaughts" of the Centre and various State governments. Central leaders of the trade unions will also participate in a day-long hunger strike at Gandhi Samadhi, Rajghat here on May 22.

Trade unions have decided to demand the Centre for immediate relief to stranded workers, food to be made available to all, universal coverage of ration distribution, wages to all during the lock down period, cash transfer to all unorganised labour force, withdrawal of the decision to freeze DA to central government employees and pensioners and surrendering of live sanctioned posts.

The CTUs have also decided to send joint representation to International Labour Organisation against the alleged violations of all the international commitments on labour standards and human rights by the governments.

“Now the Government at the Centre, in a most dubious manner, taking advantage of prolonged lockdown period, has been targeting the rights of the workers and the trade unions towards abrogation of labour rights. It has taken the strategy of letting loose their pliant state governments to take such anti-worker and anti-people measures and many other state governments are being made to follow the same path to the detriment of the rights and livelihood of workers. The advisories to this effect are being sent to the state Governments from the Ministry of Labour and Employment Government of India," the joint statement of trade unions said.

Such draconian measures are not only to facilitate more exploitation of workers without their rights for collective bargaining, dispute over proper wages, safety at work place and guarantee of social security, but also to throw them into slavery, despite continuing economic slowdown. “All this means that the workers are to be used as bonded labour without any rights for sheer exploitation in the interest of capital without any guarantee of wages, safety and healthcare, social security and above all human dignity only to benefit those who maximize their profits. This is against the basic tenets of human rights," they said.

Their statement added that Indian working class is sought to be pushed back into British Era. "The trade union movement cannot accept such nefarious design lying down and resolves to fight back unitedly with all their might with determination to defeat the anti-worker anti-people policies, of which these are a part. We have to mount resistance against such design of imposing slavery through countrywide struggle in the days to come," they claimed.

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