Members of various trade unions joined the all-India strike against what they called the anti-labour and pro-privatisation policies of the Government in Belagavi on Monday.
They walked to the Deputy Commissioner’s office and formed a human chain at the Dharmaveer Sambhaji Circle.
They listened to speeches by their leaders. They dispersed after submitting a letter addressed to the Government. They held posters against privatisation of public sector undertakings and the dilution of labour laws. They also urged the Government to bring back the old pension scheme and end the new pension scheme.
They said that the Union Government was selling off public sector undertakings to a few select private companies at prices far below their market value.
“The BJP-led NDA Government is undoing all the good work done by the successive governments, by weakening the public sector. They are surrendering public wealth to a few corporate houses who have helped them during the elections. The BJP has been blind to the several petitions and protests by labour unions and other organisations. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has fulfilled the demand by some private companies to dilute labour laws and allowed capitalists to exploit human capital,’’ they said.
They vowed to continue the agitation and intensify it if such policies continued.