Trade unions, employee federations call for strike

Trade unions and employee federations held a state-level convention here today at Desh Bhagat Yadgar Hall, for the preparation and success of the upcoming nationwide strike. The convention was held on the lines of a meeting held in Delhi by Central trade unions and employee federations on March 18 against the anti-people policies of the Central and state governments, and called for a nationwide strike on May 20.

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The convention, held at Deshbhagat Yadgar Hall today, was presided over by a presidium consisting of Surinder Sharma (INTUC), Bant Brar (INTUC), Mahan Singh Rori (CITU), Rajwinder Rana (INTUC), Dev Raj Verma (CITU), Kulwinder Singh Warench (IFTU) and Kulwant Singh Bawa (HMS). At the beginning of the convention, a two-minute silence was observed to pay tribute to the tourists killed in the terror attack in Pahalgam.

The convention was addressed by Nirmal Singh Dhaliwal, Chandra Shekhar, Amreek Singh, Natha Singh, Raj Singh, Shiv Kumar and Satish Rana, Jagdish Singh Chahal, Gurpreet Singh Gandiwind, Gagandeep Singh Bhullar, Germanjit Singh and Usha Rani from the Employees and Pensioners’ United Front. Addressing the convention, these leaders said it was being held for the success of the nationwide strike being held to expose the ‘anti-people policies’ of the Central and Punjab governments and the communal agenda of the Central government.

The leaders said the nationwide strike on May 20 is against the destructive economic and industrial policies of globalisation, liberalisation, privatisation and the anti-labour decisions of the Modi government at the Centre and Punjab government, while also demanding a repeal of all four labour codes, implementation of a minimum wage of Rs 26,000 per month, implementation and strengthening of the public distribution system throughout the country, and the abolition of Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA).

Today’s convention called for making the May 20 strike a success and appealed to the people to observe a complete shutdown on May 20.