May 21, 2003 – A Glorious Day of Resistance

Nationwide General Strike, A Resounding Success

MAY 21, 2003 will go into history as a glorious day in the resistance movement against the Vajpayee government’s anti-people and anti-worker policies. The day witnessed one of the biggest all India strikes in the history of independent India. With the workers determined to ensure that the government gets their warning, there was tremendous response to the strike call across the country. A total bandh was enforced in eight states – West Bengal, Kerala, Tripura, Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Goa and Pondicherry. According to information reaching at the time of writing these lines, more than 6,000 activists were arrested and the Police had resorted to lathicharge in 16 places. In many other states, a bandh-like situation prevailed due to the strike.  

A view of Kolkata port on May 21

Operations in all the ports of the country were severely affected because of the strike.  Banking operations in the country came to a grinding halt. Crucial industries such as oil, power, coal, steel, engineering and textiles experienced massive participation in the strike. Despite the intimidation by the management, the employees of the Reserve Bank of India struck work along with the officers and employees in all commercial banks. Lakhs of unorganised sector workers also joined the strike throughout the country.

Rail roko in Vishakapatnam

Supporting the workers on strike, lakhs of kisans, agricultural workers, students, youth and women staged actions like rasta roko/rail roko in several parts of the country, resulting in wide-spread disruption of public transport.  

There are also reports of large-scale resort to intimidatory measures, arrests, etc by the police in different states to prevent the workers and others from joining the strike. The strikers bravely countered these measures.

TRADE UNIONS’ WARNING

Congratulating the people for making the strike a big success, the central trade unions, which had called for the strike, have clearly stated that if the Vajpayee government refuses to heed this warning of the people and change its policies, then they will throw this government out.

At a press conference at the Press Club in New Delhi, the leaders of the CITU, AITUC, HMS, AICCTU, TUCC, UTUC and UTUC-LS expressed confidence that they will be able to rebuff the government’s anti-people policies.

M K Pandhe, CITU general secretary, while congratulating the people, informed that soon there would be a meeting of the central trade unions and independent unions and federations to chalk out the next phase of action programme in pursuance of the common demands. He said that the trade unions are willing to have a dialogue with the government on these issues at the level of prime minister or any other union minister, but if the government remains adamant on pursuing these policies then they will bitterly fight back.

Pandhe sharply criticised the attitude of INTUC and BMS towards this strike. “They have in written supported the demands of the strike. If the demands are in the interest of the nation, then how can the strike be anti-national or politically motivated, as alleged by these unions? Their policy is like running with the hare and hunting with the hound. This is not a correct stand,” said Pandhe. He informed that in many places workers belonging to and unions affiliated to the INTUC and BMS participated in the strike ignoring their leadership’s decision. He appealed to the leadership of the INTUC and BMS to come forward to join the mainstream of struggle, at least from now on.

Gurudas Dasgupta, AITUC general secretary, said that this strike was in effect a fight for the nation. It was not limited to any economic demands and was on issues concerning millions of toiling people of the country. He charged the union labour minister of speaking untruth by saying that the trade union leaders refused to meet the prime minister. “The minister sought an appointment for us with the PM right in front of us and surprisingly the PMO refused it. This was the actual reality,” said Gurudas Dasgupta.

Umraomal Purohit (HMS) said that all the organisations which participated in the strike are committed to carrying forward this struggle until the demands are met.

THE DEMANDS

1. Halt to privatisation of profit making and potentially viable public sector undertakings.

2.   No change in the labour laws in favour of the employers and against the interest of the workers.

3.   Immediate enactment of a comprehensive legislation for agricultural workers.

4.   No to policies that are leading to severe aggravation of joblessness and unemployment.

5.  A comprehensive social security schemes for all, including the workers in unorganised sectors.

6.  Restoration of quantitative restrictions on imports, which are proving increasingly detrimental to our economy.

7.  Amendment to the  Payment of Bonus Act by removing all ceilings.

8.  Restoration of 12 per cent interest rate on provident fund deposits. 

 (INN)