Last Updated on November 28, 2023 at 4:58 pm
A large number of workers and farmers assembled at Maharaja Hari Singh Park Jammu here today and held protest demonstration against “anti-workers, anti-farmers and anti-people policies” of both the governments at the centre and UT of Jammu & Kashmir.
While addressing the demonstration, CITU President Mohammad Yousuf Tarigami expressed serious concern over unending problems being faced by the farmers, workers and common people due to job losses, unemployment, spiraling prices of all essentials, He said that due to the government policies the indebtness of farmers has increased, agrarian economy is continuing to face a crisis despite their contribution in enhanced production.
Further, he said that all the hard won rights of the workers are watered down through pro-employer labour codes for ease of doing business. He said that Indian Government has been one of the founding members of International Labour Organisation but the government is not observing even the ratified conventions, the very first convention enjoins the government to limit working hours of workers to 8 but the governments are increasing it to 12 hours.
He said that due to strong opposition of trade unions against privatization the government now came up with National Monetisation Pipeline project and handing over all public sector assets built with people’s money to big corporates to make money without any investment. He said that Rs.15.32 Lakhs crores have been written off by the PSU banks during last 9 years but this government is not ready to write off debts of peasants.
Kishore Kumar, President J&K Kisan Tehrik said that struggle of Samyukta Kisan Morcha has no parallel in the world because of which government has to take back all three farm laws but even the written assurance given by the government on MSP and Electricity (Amendment) bill has not been honoured and all the promises made to the farmers to double their income- have fallen flat.
He urged the government to give MSP on J&K basmati and other crops.
Hari Singh Regional Secretary CPI(M) condemned the “autocratic directions” issued by the J&K government prohibiting strike and other forms of protest action by the government employees and said this order appears to cover also the central government establishments. He said already right to unionise in private sector and various MNCs are under severe attack throughout the country with active patronage of the government and workers are confronting the same.
Others who spoke on this occasion were Om Parkash Working President State CITU, Sohan Lal & Sewa Ram of J&K Kisan Tehrik, Jagdish Sharma General Secretary, Muzafar Wani Vice President, Jia Lal Parihar Secretary Ramesh Chand & others of State CITU.
