Trade unions, farmers hold protest rally at bus stand

A massive rally was held at the bus stand here on Wednesday, in response to a call by the Sanyukt Kisan Morcha and Central Trade Unions, in which thousands of protesters from various sections of society participated.

Advertisement

The employees of banking sector and public transport undertakings also took part in the protest which hampered work for the general public. The protesters stated that they had given prior notice to the government and the inconvenience caused to the public could have been avoided had the government listened to their demands.

The rally, led by leaders from various farmer organisations and trade unions, including Bant Singh Brar, Amarjit Singh Asal and Kulwant Singh Bawa, among others, aimed to oppose the policies of the BJP government at the Centre.

The protesters expressed their concern over the government’s policies, which they alleged are ‘pro-corporate’ and ‘anti-worker’. They specifically highlighted the government’s plans to implement the four labour codes, which would abolish the 29 existing labour laws and potentially destroy workers’ rights.

The protesters also raised several demands, including providing farmers with one and a half times the cost of all crops, waiving loans of farmers and labourers, fixing the daily wage for MNREGA labourers at Rs 600 per day and providing work for at least 200 days annually.

The protesters also demanded that the minimum wage for skilled labourers be fixed at Rs 26,000 per month. They further demanded providing a minimum pension of Rs 9,000 per month for labourers.

Leader of the protesters, Amarjit Singh Asal, demanded immediate end to contractual recruitment and stated that employees should be provided permanent jobs as they are being exploited under the contractual system.

Asal also demanded that recruitment in the Army under the Agniveer scheme should be stopped and the government should revert to the previous recruitment process. Bant Singh Brar demanded stopping of privatisation of government institutions and ensuring access to healthcare and education for all

The rally saw participation from various leaders and workers, including Vijay Kumar, Shaukat Masih and Gurjinder Singh. The protesters demanded that the government take immediate action to address their concerns and meet their demands.

Effigies of Union Govt burnt in Tarn Taran

Tarn Taran: Meanwhile, a large number of government staff, including employees of banks, post offices, other government departments and other union employees, farmers, labourers and daily wagers, took part in the one-day strike against the policies of the Union Government organised joint rallies and marched through bazaars of the town on Wednesday.

The protesters burnt effigies of the Union Government at the spot. Workers, farmers and employees along with contractual staff too organised protests in different parts of the district.