Trade Unions Organise Black Day Across India Demanding Strengthening of Workers’ Rights
On the call of the joint platform of Central trade unions a ‘Black Day’ was organised across the country on 23 September 2024 demanding for withdrawal of anti-worker Labour Code laws. The protest action also called an end to rampant privatisation of public resources and institutions and demanded immediate steps to prevent the dilution and violation of rights of the working class.
In the national capital, a protest was organised at Jantar Mantar along with various area level demonstrations. At Jantar Mantar, Com. Surya Prakash, Secretary AICCTU Delhi said that the Modi Government in its ten years of rule has broken the back of the common man with each of its policies and in its 11th year of rule has set out to implement the much opposed anti-worker, pro-corporate labour code laws. It is now imperative that we oust the Modi-led government.
In Kolkata, a protest march was carried out at Nizam Palace, demanding the repeal of the labour codes. AICCTU leader Basudev Basu said that under the Modi regime, the working class is being turned into a tool to generate profits for the big corporates. He called for immediate withdrawal of all policies that allow Corporates/Capitalists to loot the workers.
Mahendra Parida of AICCTU Orissa speaking at a protest program in Bhubaneswar said that the refusal by the Modi Government to hold Tripartite meetings and continuously exploit the labour of the masses to feed its corporate friends will not be tolerated. Protest march was also organised in Bhadrak, Odisha by AICCTU and other central trade unions as part of National Black Day.
As part of the national protest call, in Patna’s Buddha Smriti Park AICCTU along with other central trade unions burned the copy of the four labour code laws that enslave workers and violate all the hard-earned rights of workers from right to minimum wage to right to unionise.
In East Champaran, a protest march was taken out by the Bihar Rajya Vidyalaya Rasoiya Sangh towards the District Magistrate office with their demands. Com. Saroj Chaubey, General Secretary of Bihar Rajya Vidyalaya Rasoiya Sangh, said that almost one crore scheme workers all over the country shoulder the burden of implementing several important public schemes of the central government on health and education. These scheme workers who deliver some of the most essential services to the nation are themselves at the receiving end of ruthless and cruel exploitation of their labour.
‘National Black Day’ Protest actions were also organised at Birsa Chowk, Bokaro (Jharkhand), Nadia district (WB) and several other places across the country demanding an end to corporate loot and attack on the working class.
A protest sit-in was organised in Haldwani by the workers of AICCTU affiliated trade unions at Ambedkar Park which was addressed by KK Bora, Kailash Pandey and Bahadur Singh Jangi.
