The Communist Party of India (CPI) and the Communist Party of India- Marxist (CPI-M) have extended their support to the workers, affiliated to various trade unions, who staged protests against the State and central government’s ‘anti-worker’ policies. The trade unions staged protests at various places in the city on Friday.

Addressing the gathering, leaders of the Left parties said that the Centre was ignoring all the representations from trade unions and continuing its aggressive attack on workers’ rights.

The Centre had used the pandemic Coronavirus and lockdown as an excuse to push through its agenda of disinvestment and wholesale privatisation of public sector enterprises. The government was handing over civil aviation, coal and other sectors on a platter to the corporate sector, they alleged.

CPI State secretary K. Ramakrishna said that workers were agitating against the bankrupt policies of the Centre. The government was all set to privatise maintenance of 151 passenger trains. Most prestigious ISRO and the Defence were being privatised. The government plans to sell away Air India. The Atmanirbhar package of ₹20 lakh crore was of no use to migrant workers, daily wage workers, construction workers, he said.

State too not spared

CITU leader Ch. Babu Rao said that the State government, which boasts of welfare, did nothing for the unorganised sector. Hardly any assistance was given to it.

The State government washed its hands off by giving a mere ₹1,000 to the workers. The Central government did nothing for the welfare of the workers if the government’s ‘loot’ through increase in prices of petrol and diesel were to be considered.

The Centre spends ₹8,000 crore to purchase flights for a few at the helm of affairs, but has no money to extend financial assistance to the workers and the poor. Under the garb of self reliance, the Centre was handing over coal, civil aviation and space to the corporate on a platter. The workers would intensify the agitation against the anti-labour policies, he said.