AITUC to hold massive protest rally in Delhi

Kolkata, Aug 25 (UNI) Renewing its war cry against the Congress-led UPA Government at the centre, the All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC) will organise a mass rally in Delhi on November 16 demanding change in the present industrial and labour policies and enactment of laws safeguarding the interest of unorganised workers.

Announcing this at a convention, AITUC General Secretary Gurudas Dasgupta, MP alleged that under the present rule, the rights of industrial workers were being grossly violated while the government was shirking its responsibility to protect the interest of unorganised workers, despite promises in the Common Minimum Programme(CMP).

He demanded that the centre take immediate steps in this direction.

''Our membership is increasing rapidly and we will show our strength to the Prime Minister to get our demands fulfilled,'' Mr Dasgupta said.

He said the AITUC had also invited the other central trade unions, including the CITU, INTUC and BMS to participate in the rally. About ten million AITUC activists would take part in it, he said.

Lashing out at the centre for pursuing an ''anti-labour policy'', Mr Dasgupta alleged that all over the country peasants and the poor were being forced to sell their land at a throw away prices in the name of setting up of industries.

But workers were getting exploited and losing all their rights in these new industries, he said.

Mr Dasgupta alleged that while farmers were committing suicide in different parts of the country because of debt-trap, the Government was taking no move to recover the huge amoung of bank loans taken by big industrialists.

He said though Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had called for withdrawing the proposed nationwide strike on December 14, the Left parties were determined to go ahead.

''The Left parties can withdraw support to the UPA Government in a day, but it is our policy to create pressure to set our demands fulfilled,'' Mr Dasgupta said.

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