Patiala, July 9: The nationwide strike called by 10 central trade unions had a huge impact in Patiala today as PRTC buses remained completely closed and employees remained on strike. Employees of all the banks, postal employees, electricity employees, insurance, LIC, Anganwadi and Asha workers etc. institutions remained on strike for the whole day and joined the massive rally in front of Patiala Railway Station.
The striking employees were associated with AITUC, INTUC, CITU, CTU Punjab, IFTU and Federations. Apart from this, employees of banks, insurance, LIC and many retired employees organizations also joined the rally. The rally was led by Shri Nirmal Singh Dhaliwal General Secretary Punjab AITUC, Baldev Raj Batta, Uttam Singh Bagdi, Hari Singh Daun Kalan, Tarsem Singh, Darshan Singh Lubana, S.K. Gautam, Darshan Singh Belumajara etc.
Leaders of farmer organizations involved in the Samyukta Kisan Morcha and common farmers also joined the rally. Addressing the huge rally, Punjab AITUC General Secretary Nirmal Singh Dhaliwal criticized the anti-industry and anti-poor laborer economic policies of the Modi government and said that the Modi government is deliberately targeting and ruining the public sector and the valuable assets of these institutions are being handed over to corporate houses at a throwaway price.
By abolishing 44 central labor laws and converting them into 4 labor codes, labor laws have been abolished in practice. Due to which now the corporates have got a legal guarantee to exploit the workers. Opportunities for court hearing have been limited. Old pension has been abolished, the services of workers engaged in contract and outsourced jobs under the contract system are not being regularized, who have been economically exploited for 2 decades.
Inflation is rising uncontrollably, health and education have become commercialized, due to which these services have gone out of the control of the poor. The minimum wage should be Rs. 125 per month. 26000/- per month. However, at present only Rs.11000/- are being received. Scheme workers like Anganwadi, Asha workers and Mid-Day Meal workers are on meager wages for decades and are neither being given employee status nor are they being regularized.
Other leaders of various organizations who addressed the rally today included Sarv Shri S.K. Gautam Bank Union leader Darshan Singh Lubana, Jai Ram, Ram Singh, Bahadur Singh, Raminder Singh Patiala, Boota Singh Shadipur, Hari Singh Daun Kalan, Darshan Singh Belumajara, Sunita Joshi, Harsharanjit Kaur, Nahar Singh Retired SP, Mohan Singh, Uttam Singh Bagri etc.