People's Democracy

STATE government employees all over the country will observe a Nationwide Protest Day on April 16, through a nationwide strike and day-long mass dharnas. The action is meant to register their protest against the ongoing privatisation, downsizing, retrenchment, stopping of economic benefits and the government’s anti-people economic policies. Thus the state government employees will join hands with the public sector and financial sector employees who have already declared their plan to go on a countrywide strike on the day.

This was decided by the national executive of the All India State Government Employees Federation (AISGEF) in its emergency meeting at Kolkata, on March 31. The AISGEF statement issued by its chairman R G Karnik and general secretary Sukomal Sen said the government of India is, under the pressure of imperialist dominated IMF-World Bank-WTO, following a disastrous economic policy of outright sale of national assets and is handing over the economy to the MNCs for unhindered plunder. Public sector units, whether sick or profit-making, are being sold out to private owners for a song or being closed down. As a result, a process of deindustrialisation of the country has set in.

The union and state governments are also downsizing their departments. Some departments of some state governments have been corporatised or outright privatised or closed down. Health and education are being privatised very fast. All public welfare activities are coming to a halt. The government is totally ignoring the formidable rise of unemployment in the country.

While the working class and other toiling people are worst victims of untold deprivation, the government is merrily distributing all sorts of concessions to indigenous monopolies and foreign capital.

Moreover, to crush the rising protest struggle of the working class, the government is desperately trying to effect retrograde amendments to the existing labour laws.

It is in this situation that a nationwide strike and mass dharnas have been planned for April 16.

The AISGEF meeting warned the government that if it does not reverse its fatally anti-people policies forthwith, it would have to face the wrath of the working class and other toiling people of the country. (INN)