Airport workers to join union strike

Air services may be disrupted on August 20 as airport employees have decided to join the major trade unions in their general strike against the "anti-people" policies of the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government.

 

Seven trade unions, including the CPI-M-affiliated Centre for Indian Trade Unions (Citu) and the CPI-affiliated All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC) have already roped in telecom, railways, defence, banks, insurance, various public sector and state and central government employees in their protest.

 

"This is going to be the biggest ever general strike against the UPA government," claimed Citu National Secretary Tapan Sen. AITUC General Secretary Gurudas Dasgupta threatened to launch longer strike-programmes in the future.

 

The sponsoring committee, the apex body of

trade unions, has made elaborate plans to make the strike successful. Citu President M K Pandhe said even domestic helps have been organised to protest in front of some government offices in Mumbai.

 

Apart from issues like inflation and privatisation, the trade unions will also highlight the Indo-US nuclear deal and disparity in the 6th Pay Commission package.

 

"10,00,000 class IV jobs will be abolished. The Pay Commission awards are coming at the cost of downsizing the government," Dasgupta alleged.

 

While the DMK -- a major partner of the UPA -- remains evasive about Citu's call to oppose disinvestment in telecom service provider BSNL, its trade union wing, Labour Progressive Force (LPF), will join the August 20 strike, Pandhe claimed. The Left is also trying to involve employees in the atomic energy sector in the strike.