Support To Feb 24 General Strike

THE All India State Government Employees Federation (AISGEF) and Confederation of Central Government Employees have accepted the new date suggested by the central trade unions and accordingly asked all government employees to join the nationwide general strike on February 24, 2004 so that the strike becomes massive and united.

As is known, these organisations had decided to organise one-day nationwide strike of the employees on February 11, 2004 against anti-worker Supreme Court ruling on strike and barbaric victimisation of Tamilnadu employees in July 2003. Simultaneously all central trade unions were also requested to join this strike and make the strike a united one. With the trade unions accepting this call and suggesting February 24 as the date, these organisations also made this change.

In a separate statement, the All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS) welcomed the decision of the major trade unions to organise a countrywide strike on February 24 over the right to strike and against the economic policies of the BJP-led central government.

AIKS president, S Ramchandra Pillai, stated that the strike is to protect and defend the democratic right of the people. “The economic policies are causing great difficulties for the common people including the different sections of the peasantry in the country.”

The AIKS called upon its members and the peasantry to organise solidarity actions in the form of picketings, rasta rokos, rail rokos etc and to unite with the workers in the general strike to make it a massive protest action. (INN)