Massive strike by Indian workers

February 28, 2012
PSI affiliated union members in India are part of the over 10 million workers that have gone on strike on 28 February 2012. The major national trade union centers have called for the strike, which will affect the functioning of many sectors, including electricity, insurance, municipal functions, public sector banks, ports, road transport, mining and aviation.

The common demands are (a) gaining the same rights and protection for temporary and contract workers as that of permanent workers, (b) raising and extending the minimum wage, (c) resisting the attacks on trade unions, (d) stopping price rise, (e) the creation of a national social security fund, (f) increase in pensions, (g) combating corruption. 

The specific demands for public employees are:

  1. Stopping the downsizing, outsourcing, contractualisation, corporatisation and privatisation of government function
  2. Filling up all vacant posts
  3. Creating posts on functional requirements
  4. Regularising the daily rated, contingent and casual workers
  5. Make the right to strike a legal right
  6. Stop the trade union victimisation
  7. Scrap New Pension Scheme
  8. Ratification of ILO conventions 87 & 98
  9. Keep the public utilities in public hands

Despite economic growth of 9%, more than one third of Indians live in absolute poverty.  Majority of the Indian workers have not gained in the living and working conditions.  Over the years, India has seen downsizing of public employees and severe threat to public utilities through unbundling, corporatisation and privatisation.

Read the In These Times newspaper article.

RadioLabour report on the strike