Trade unions protests against ‘anti-people’ policies

Trade unions protests against ‘anti-people’ policies

Mangalore Today News Network

Udupi, Aug 10, 2016:Members of the  JCTU, Joint Committee of Trade Unions staged a dharna against the “anti-people” policies of the Union government in front of the Clock Tower Udupi on Aug 9, Tuesday.

Addressing the protesters here, Admar Sripati Acharya, convener of the district unit of JCTU, said that though the BJP, Bharatiya Janata Party led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government came to power in 2014 promising a lot of things to the poor and the middleclass, the last two years had seen it favouring the foreign direct investors, corporate sector and the rich.

It had done little for the welfare of farmers, labourers and the poor. The amendments to the labour laws by the Union government had reduced whatever little freedom the working class had. Though petroleum prices had reduced in the international markets, its reduction in the country was not commensurate with the international prices.

The prices of essential commodities had increased drastically. The prices of turdal and urad dal were hovering around Rs. 200 per kg. This had hit the poor people hard.

When the banks in the country had willful loan defaults to the tune of Rs. 4.4 lakh crore, hardly any action had been taken to recover it. But the common man had to bear the burden of indirect taxes to the tune of Rs. 20,100 crore. This even as the corporate sector was being given tax sops.