CITU calls for strike against Bharti-Wal-Mart deal

New Delhi, Nov 29: The Bharti-Wal-Mart joint venture, expected to create ripples in the 300 billion dollar Indian retail market, today drew resistance from trade unions, which have called for a strike on December 14 to protest against the deal, terming it a ''conspiracy of backdoor entry of MNCs''.

Calling upon the unorganised retailers and other trade organisations to join the country-wide strike, Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU), the trade union arm of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), said the agreement between the world's largest retailer and Sunil Mittal's Bharti Enterprises to set up a joint venture for cash-and-carry trade and warehousing is a precursor to the opening of retail sector to Foreign Direct Investment (FDI), which has not been allowed in India till date.

The union said the UPA Government, while allowing FDI in single brand retail, has not been able to allow the multinational, multi-brand retailers to operate in the country because of strong protest by the Left parties, trade unions, trader's organisation and other sections of the people.

''This is a roundabout way of getting into the Indian retail scenario. This is similar to the manner in which FDI was allowed in the sensitive telecom sector; first through joint ventures with minority foreign equity ownership and then increasing the FDI cap to facilitate majority foreign ownership,'' CITU said in a statement here.

Wal-Mart, the biggest monopoly retailer in the world, is infamous for its pathetic record of violating labour laws, union-busting, displacing small retailers and exploiting small producers of manufactured and agricultural commodities, it said and added that its entry into India would invariably be followed by other MNC retailers like Tesco and Carrefour.

''The move would monopolise the domestic retail market in their (multinational's) hands causig harmful effects to all sections of the people including large scale displacement of small retailers,'' the trade body said.

Union Minister of Commerce and Industry Kamal Nath yesterday said the government will examine the deal to ensure that no regulations have been violated and gave assurance that the interests of farmers and small shopkeepers would be protected.

UNI