A national convention of workers was held on 30 March 2016, at the Mavlankar Hall in New Delhi, under the joint banners of the country’s central trade unions. The convention issued a declaration calling for a countrywide general strike on 2 September 2016 to strengthen the agitation against the government’s neglect of workers’ demands and the growing attacks on workers’ rights. It is noteworthy that last year on this same date the working class of the country had held a countrywide strike to protest against the Modi government.
The central trade unions which participated in the convention were AICCTU, INTUC, AITUC, HMS, CITU, AIUTUC, TUCC, SEWA, UTUC, and LPF. The Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh (BMS) did not participate in this convention. Independent national federations and organizations from various sectors such as banking, insurance, defence, railways as well as Central/State workers participated in the convention. The convention was addressed by AICCTU National Secretary Santosh Roy, AITUC General Secretary Gurudas Dasgupta, CITU General Secretary Tapan Sen, HMS General Secretary Harbhajan Singh Sidhu, UTUC leader Abani Roy, INTUC General Secretary Sanjeeva Reddy, AIUTUC General Secretary Shankar Saha and other union leaders.
Addressing the convention, Com. Santosh Roy said that the present government brings to mind the slavery practiced by the British government. The Modi government is attacking and oppressing workers and farmers from all directions. However, the working class will put up a historic fight in the same way that it played an important role in the freedom struggle. He further said that the truth of the current situation is revealed by the way in which the judiciary has passed anti-worker sentences in the Pricol, Maruti and Honda cases on the one hand and remains silent on the people who loot the country’s resources and spread communal hatred and violence, on the other hand. He called upon workers, farmers, students, dalits, adivasis, women, and all struggling sections to come together in rock-solid unity and make the strike on 2 September a huge success.
