Central trade unions, including the RSS-backed Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh (BMS), in separate statements, said they would oppose “tooth and nail” the Centre’s recent move to further ease FDI norms in 15 sectors, including defence, railways, retail, banking and plantations.
“All central trade unions will meet soon to decide the future course of action,” DL Sachdeva, National Secretary, All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC), told BusinessLine here on Thursday.
AK Padmanabhan, President, Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU), said: “These announcements, soon after the poll debacle faced by BJP in Bihar, and prior to the Prime Minister’s visit to London, Malaysia, G-20 meet and Singapore, are aimed at appeasing foreign companies about India’s reform agenda”.
He added that it is time for the Centre to “let the whole country know how much FDI has flowed in so far.”
The BMS, while urging the government to review its decision, said it had written separate letters to the Prime Minister and Finance Minister demanding a white paper on the inflow and outflow of FDI in the country.
BMS General Secretary Virjesh Upadhyay told PTI that allowing FDI in retail will “finish” the local retail sector leading to large-scale unemployment. He said his union would wait for the government’s decision to initiate a discussion on FDI and review it, failing which the Sangh would “take to the streets.”
The Left-backed CITU and AITUC unions said opposition to FDI in vital sectors was part of the 12 demands made by the 10 central trade unions during the countrywide strike on September 2.
Incidentally, the BMS had pulled out of the strike citing “government assurances” on demands such as higher ceiling of bonus, wider coverage of provident fund, among others.