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TUs to launch agitation against government

BS Political Bureau

The Federation of Central Trade Unions, in New Delhi, decided to launch a concerted and aggressive agitation against the government's economic policies on Thursday.

The decision is expected to set the stage for a fresh round of confrontation between the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government and the RSS-backed Bharatiya Majdoor Sangh.

Though the meeting, held at the BMS headquarters, was attended by all trade unions irrespective of their political ideologies, the BMS was deliberately allowed to take a lead in launching the anti-government tirade from the joint platform of trade unions, known as a Federation of Central Trade Unions.

Referring to the decision, Hasubhai Dave, all-India general secretary of the BMS, said that the meeting of trade union leaders welcomed the decision to hold indefinite strike from July 3 and bring to a halt work in all defence factories in protest against opening up of defence sector to 26 per cent foreign investment and privatisation.

However, Dave said that the date of indefinite strike might "be suitably amended in consultation with other confederation of defence employees.

The BMS leader said that all trade unions, including BMS, AITUC, Intuc and Citu, would join in the strike which would paralyse the defence sector production.

Admitting that the decision was taken after a long deliberation, Dave said that the Prime Minister Vajpayee's outright rejection of demands had prompted the BMS to take to the agitation path.

"We are neither against the BJP nor Vajpayee but we will oppose the government's policies," the all-India general secretary of the BMS said.

He said the central trade unions had decided to hold dharnas, demonstrations and rally in all state capitals and at industrial centres and would mobilise the working masses in July.

In the second phase of the agitation, the central trade union organisations have decided to hold a massive demonstration at Parliament on the second day of Monsoon session.

To intensify the agitation, the central trade union organisations have also okayed the proposal to launch one-day all-India strike of workers to express solidarity of the working class against the government's policies.

Dave said that the BMS would continue to play the lead role in chalking out aggressive agitation programmes against the government in consultations with all trade unions.

Obviously, the confrontationist stance of the BMS defies the initiative taken by certain top ranking RSS leaders to bring about a truce between the government and belligerent constituents of the Sangh Parivar like BMS and SJM.

The luncheon meeting of the prime minister and a group of senior RSS functionaries, led by H V Seshadri recently, was seen as an effort in this direction. Apparently, the BMS leadership has decided to chart its own course of action and take on the government on economic issues.

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