All-India union statement on general strike

The following abridged press statement of the All-India Committee of the All-India United Trade Union Center was issued by Comrade Sankar Saha, general secretary, on Feb. 21.

We once again congratulate the working millions of our country for their spontaneous massive participation in the two-day nationwide general strike that took place on 20th and 21st February at the call of all the Central Trade unions to press the long-pending 10-point demands.

Starting from Meghalaya, Assam to Andhra Pradesh, Kerala and Karnataka, and again from West Bengal, Odisha, Bihar and Jharkhand to Uttar Pradesh, MP [Madhya Pradesh], Delhi, Punjab, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh — everywhere the workers took to the street in thousands, voicing their demands, defying all sorts of threats, intimidations, arrests, organized armed attacks and even a brutal killing of a striker of Haryana.

The principal trend which was reflected in the slogans raised by the employees — be they in bank, insurance, coal, steel, power, port and dock, central and state services, engineering, or jute, as well as in various schemes like ICDS [Integrated Child Development Services], ASHA [Accredited Social Health Activist], etc., or millions of workers who are in unorganized sectors, including contractual employees — was finally against the policy of capitalist globalization being pursued by the successive central and state governments, without exception, for the interest of domestic and foreign monopolists throughout the last two decades.

The two-day strike also brought to the fore the growing urge of the working people to come closer to each other and build up united sustained militant struggle, adhering to “unity-struggle-unity” against the anti-people and anti-worker policies until such are reversed.

In view of the above, we urge the entire working-class fraternity of the country to remain on guard against any sorts of conspiracy to foil or frustrate or misdirect the ongoing movement, and to pledge to intensify the united movement further in the right direction to achieve final victory.