New Delhi, Jan. 6: The Congress-backed Indian National Trade Union Congress is likely to join an all-India strike on February 24, breaking its long-standing tradition of keeping out of such actions at the national level.
If Intuc joins the strike — called in protest against the Supreme Court’s verdict banning strikes by government employees as well as the Centre’s liberalisation and privatisation policies — it will be one of the largest trade union actions in recent times.
The RSS-supported Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh has, however, decided not to take part.
At a meeting yesterday of all trade unions, Intuc president Sanjeeva Reddy assured labour leaders his organisation would consider participating in the strike. “A final decision will be taken by the Intuc’s working committee, which is meeting in Varanasi on January 16,” said union leader Chandidas Sinha. “Our president will put the proposal before the committee and we will join the strike if the committee so sanctions.”
The working committee has 270 members. With an eight-lakh membership, Intuc is considered the largest trade union followed by the BMS.
M.K. Pandhe, general secretary of the Centre of Indian Trade Unions, the CPM’s labour arm, said Intuc agreed “in principle” to join the action.
“In fact, our meeting yesterday was held in the Intuc office. The leaders said they will consider the proposal favourably,” Pandhe said.
“This will be the first time that the Intuc will participate in a strike at the national level in case the working committee agrees,” the union leader added.
In the past, the Intuc, as an organisation, has always kept out of strikes at the national level, though its federations, regardless of a central fiat, participated in such actions in different sectors. Before the last all-India strike in May 2003, Intuc made it clear that it was not in favour of strikes because they disrupted production.
“The unions, at yesterday’s meeting, put a lot of pressure on us to join the strike. It would otherwise be meaningless, they said,” Intuc leader Sinha said.
The BMS has also done a U-turn on its position on strikes. Till two years ago, the BMS had been an equal partner with the Left unions, participating in strikes to protest against the National Democratic Alliance government’s economic policies.
“Now they do not want to embarrass the government,” said Pandhe. He maintained that the February 24 strike would be one of the largest trade union actions if Intuc joins.
The Centre has, so far, shown no sign of initiating a legal or legislative process against the Supreme Court’s verdict on strikes. But the BMS had claimed that Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee had assured a delegation that his government would take legal opinion to explore ways of reversing the order. BMS general secretary Hansubhai Dave said they would prefer the government to first exhaust all possibilities before the trade union joins a strike.
Pandhe disputed the BMS claim. “The Prime Minister’s Office has already denied the BMS’ assertion that the government is looking at ways to restore the right to strike,” the Citu leader said.
