CPI backs nationwide farmers protest on July 9

TIRUCHY: CPI state secretary R Mutharasan on Saturday announced his party's full support for the nationwide general strike and picketing protest scheduled on July 9, called by central trade unions and sectoral federations, in collaboration with the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM), a united platform of farmers.

In a statement, he said the strike aims to oppose the BJP-led Union Government's "anti-people and anti-labour policies". He said major trade unions, including AITUC, CITU, INTUC, HMS and TUCC, have been engaged in continuous resistance against the Centre's policies and have now joined hands with the farmers' front for the July 9 protest.

In Tamil Nadu, trade unions and SKM have planned demonstrations in front of Central government offices. Their demands include repeal of the four labour codes, which they allege take away hard-won rights of workers, a halt to the privatisation of public sector undertakings built using taxpayers' money, and an end to the practice of hiring for permanent jobs on daily wage or contract basis.

They have also demanded the withdrawal of the fixed-term employment model, legal guarantee for Minimum Support Price (MSP) for all crops, and the scrapping of cases filed against farmers during the earlier protests. In addition, they called for an increase in the number of workdays and wages under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS).

Despite these being welfare-oriented demands for various sections of society, the Union government has failed to initiate talks or offer solutions, Mutharasan noted. He accused the BJP government of showering tax breaks, debt waivers and subsidies on corporates, while systematically stripping workers of their rights. He urged all sections of society to join the strike and make it a success.