The RSS-affilliated trade union Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh may soon come back to the joint platform of about 10 Central Trade Unions (CTUs) belonging to the Opposition camp. INTUC president and senior Congress leader G Sanjeeva Reddy has taken an initiative to bring the BMS back to hold joint protests against the Centre’s policies and the BMS has considered the request positively. The BMS had left the association with the CTUs after Narendra Modi government came to power at the Centre.
In a recent letter to BMS general secretary Virjesh Upadhyay, Reddy said it is time for a united approach to safeguard the interests of workers. “The Central Government continues with its arrogant attitude of going ahead with privatisation and sale of PSUs. The government is also moving ahead with the labour codes with no respect and concern towards the trade union rights and tripartism.” The joint platform will be happy if the BMS could join the proposed agitations against the Centre.
Upadhyay, replied it is a great pleasure that INTUC has invited the BMS for such an agitation and said it has directed its sectoral unions to join the movement along with other trade unions. “We assure you that the BMS is working in its full capacity to fight these policies of successive governments that hurt the interests of the workers of the country. We assure that the BMS will stand up to the cause of workers under all circumstances without politicising the issues , standing true to our non political nature and policy of responsive cooperation.”
Trade union unity
BMS president CK Saji Narayanan told BusinessLine “Our understanding is that the fight against these policies should be united. We have certain problems with the attitude of some Leftist trade unions. They hold positions in their political parties and they try to implement their political agenda among the workers, which we opposed. Now, we welcome Reddy’s letter and have responded positively. Our unions in civil aviation, coal and defence production have been working with the other trade unions in the protests, including in the call for an indefinite strike in Ordnance factories.”