CITU claims NCR industrial strike successful

New Delhi, Apr 24 (UNI) The Centre for Indian Trade Unions (CITU) has claimed that the two-day industrial strike in the National Capital Region to demand higher minimum wages was successful with workers in several industrial areas abstaining from work.

Today was the first day of the strike which has been supported by several intellectuals and artistes.

A CITU statement claimed that factories in Mayapuri, Mangolpuri, Noida, Faridabad and Ghaziabad remained closed following the strike.

The strike was called in support of increase in minimum wages of Rs 8,500 per month.

''The Indian economy has boomed in the recent past and the industrial production has also increased accordingly. But the wages of labourers have decreased,'' claimed economist and member, National Knowledge Commission Prof Jayati Ghosh.

She claimed that the industries have used the benefits of increased production to earn more profits but not to hike the wages of the workers.

The Jana Natya Manch has held 75 performances of its latest 'Yeh hum kyun sahen' in support of the strike.

The supporters claimed that a vast majority of workers in the organised and unorganised sector are denied even government-notified minimum wages of Rs 3,516 per month. Many basic rights, achieved by trade union struggle are being eroded as a consequence of liberalisation-privatisation policies, they claimed.

UNI NAB SB HT2004