New Delhi, Feb 12 (IANS) As a nationwide Bharat Bandh is being held to protest what unions describe as anti-worker, anti-farmer and pro-corporate policies of the Central government, leaders and legal advisors associated with some organisations in Delhi-NCR on Thursday supported the laws introduced by the government and termed the strike wrong and politically motivated.
The strike, led by a coalition of 10 central trade unions and supported by farmers’ groups, students and youth bodies, aims to highlight issues, including the four Labour Codes, the Electricity Bill 2025, the Seed Bill 2025, and concerns over recent free trade agreements.
Speaking to IANS, Sheo Prasad Tiwari, National General Secretary of the Trade Union Coordination Centre (TUCC), criticised the bandh and said that trade unions should work for the welfare and rights of workers, not for political interests.
“Trade unions work for the facilities and rights of workers. There has been a long-standing demand for minimum wages and social security for everyone. The government has introduced rules for this very purpose; hence, this strike is wrong,” Tiwari said.
He further alleged that the strike was being conducted solely for political reasons, claiming that the government’s decisions were commendable and that only politically connected trade unions were opposing them.
Tiwari said that allegations made by political parties were baseless and added that repeated strikes over the last decade have harmed the working class.
“Through numerous strikes in the last 10 years, political parties have caused great harm to the working class,” he said.
Similarly, in Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh, Girish Chandra Arya, former All India Secretary and Financial Sector In-charge of the Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh (BMS), told IANS that the labour codes were the result of extensive consultations and were designed to benefit crores of workers.
“The strike happening today is being called by those who do not want the labour codes to bring benefits. These labour codes have not been made in a single day. The government has held many meetings with industrialists and traders. Around 44 crore people will benefit from it,” Arya said.
He added that reforms were necessary with changing times and argued that those opposing the labour codes were trying to push the country backwards.
“With changing times, if we don’t change, then we will be left out. We have to change with time. I don’t know what the people who are opposing want. They only want to take the country backwards,” he said.
Arya also pointed out that the previous 29 labour laws were framed during the colonial period and had become outdated in the current economy.
“The 29 old laws were from colonial times and are now irrelevant. At that time, there were no gig workers like Ola and Uber, so who would address their problems? Under the new labour codes, they have been included, and social security will be provided to around 44 crore workers,” he said.
He concluded by calling the strike politically motivated.
–IANS
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