In one of the biggest ever countrywide strike held in India by government employees, nearly 8 million central and state government employees and teachers struck work on July 25th bringing governance to a grinding halt. The strike call was given by Confederation of central government employees and workers and the All India state government employees federation. All India Federation of School Teachers had also joined the strike. All India Federation of University & College Teachers Organisation has extended moral support to this strike.

The employees and teachers went on strike demanding a stop to

• Privatisation of government functions.
• Corporatisation of government departments.
• Contractualisation and Casualistation of government jobs.
• Downsizing of establishments, abolition of posts and retrenchment.
• Amendments to existing Labour laws against workers’ interest and all other disastrous economic policies being adopted at the dictates of IMF, World Bank and WTO.

The strike achieved total success in Maharashtra, UP, Kerala, Assam, Tripura, Haryana, West Bengal, Chattisgarh, M P, Tamilnadu and Pondichery. The strike was successful in Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Uttranchal and Rajasathan in varying degrees. In Gujarat teachers’ strike was full. In Delhi central employees strike was partial. In Karnataka and Gujarat central employees strike was complete.

This is considered as the most magnificent strike held in India by the employees in the government sector against the government’s policy of globalisation and in that sense it is historic. In various states primary, secondary and college teachers participated in the strike. In many states like Maharashtra and Kerala even the University teachers joined the strike. In good many states state public sector undertakings and panchayat employees also joined the strike. Most unfortunately, various central government departments and some state governments have issued circulars for punitive measures against the striking employees.

The central government and many state governments have started indiscriminate downsizing, abolition of post, direct retrenchment, corporatisation of departments and casualisation and contractualisation of jobs, privatisation of education and medical services much to the detriment, not only of the employees and teachers, but of the people at large.

The countrywide strike has received wide support from the national trade unions. The strike received support and solidarity messages from various foreign trade unions and other organisations abroad.

World Federation of Trade Unions, Prague; Workers’ Militant Front of Greece, South African Government Employees’ Union (NEHAWU), Civil Service Wing of the British Trade Union Congress (UNISON); Director, Labour Studies Programme, Sanfrancisco State University; Trade Union International of Building; Wood and Building materials; President, Association of World Citizens, Sanfrancisco CA, USA; Director, International Centre of Peace and Justice, USA and Portugal Local Government Workers’ Union sent their messages of support and solidarity.

The striking federations hoped that good sense will prevail on the government of India and state governments and they will take serious note of the anger against and total disapproval of the government’s disastrous policies of privatisation, retrenchment, downsizing, casualisation, contractulisation, attempt for retrograde amendments to labour laws etc, at the dictates of World Bank & IMF. They demanded immediate reversal of these anti-people and pro-multi-national policies forthwith and refrain from any punitive action against the employees. Otherwise, they warned, governemnt will have to face more widespread united and militant resistance by the workers, employees and other toiling people of India.

This massive and successful strike, coming on the heels of massive upsurge and militant protest and first martyrdom in the struggle against imperialists held at Genoa, confirms a big ‘NO’ to the policy of IMF-World Bank-WTO and thus this strike is a very important addition to the ongoing global struggle imperialist-dictated globalisation, stated Sukumol Sen, general secretary AISGEF. Like other international resistance struggles this mammoth strike is also a bold assertion of the belief by the working class that ‘Alternative to Capitalism is urgently necessary and definitely possible’.

The federations thanked the employees and teachers for their very wide response to the strike and urged them to prepare for bigger actions.

They expressed gratefulness to the national and international trade unions and organisations who rendered their unstinted support to the strike and boosted the morale of the strikers.