The Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh, a trade union affiliated with the RSS, on Thursday announced plans to carry out a nationwide agitation against the suspension of labour laws by the Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat governments, which are all ruled by the BJP.

The BMS said in a statement a virtual meeting of its national office bearers was held on Wednesday where the recent withdrawal of the labour laws was “strongly condemned”. Other States including Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Goa and Odisha had either already implemented or were planning to increase the daily working hours from eight to 12, it said.

“This is unheard in history and is rare even in most undemocratic countries. The BMS State units have written to the Chief Ministers but only the Chief Minister of MP has shown the courtesy to meet our delegation,” the statement said.

Referring to the plight of the migrant workers during the pandemic and lockdown, the BMS said these issues had been aggravated “mainly because there is gross violation of the Migrant Labour Act by most of the States. Hence we are pushed to the wall and there is no other way out except going for agitation.”

The agitation planned by the BMS included a letter-writing campaign by local unions to the district authorities to raise the issues of wage payment, job losses and relief measures for workers from Saturday till May 18. Protests against the States' suspension of labour laws and extension of working hours would be held at district and industrial estates on May 20, while maintaining social distance, it said. State, industry, company and sector-level conventions would be organised on May 30 and May 31 to press for the demands of the workers and withdrawal of the labour law suspensions, it said.