Trade unions slam coal, insurance ordinance; threatens strike

Criticising the Centre's move to issue ordinances on FDI in the insurance sector and coal block allocation, central trade unions including RSS-affiliated BMS said such moves were "highly detrimental" to national interest and threatened a nationwide strike.
"A joint meeting of central trade unions held on December 26 at the BMS office unanimously deplores the decision of the government to promulgate ordinances for de-nationalisation and privatisation of coal mining on one hand... And for hiking FDI limit in the insurance sector and starting disinvestment in public sector insurance companies on the other," central trade unions in a statement said.
This comes after Left parties raised their concern over the issue and CPI(M) shot off a letter to President Pranab Mukherjee urging him not to approve these ordinances and "nip in the bud" the tendency of imposing an "authoritarian" manner of governance.

Terming the move to issue ordinances as "clear violation" of parliamentary norms, senior CPI(M) leader Sitaram Yechury sought the President's intervention to ensure it is not permitted.
The CPI too condemned the ordinance brought by the NDA government on insurance and re-promulgation of an ordinance on the process to auction 24 coal mines.
The central trade unions said that "such move is highly detrimental to national interest, besides being totally undemocratic."

The trade unions said coal workers have already decided to go on a five-day strike from January 6 to protest against de-nationalisation while the insurance workers too are "preparing" for a strike against such "damaging" move.

"The coal workers have already decided on a country wide strike action. The insurance workers are also preparing for strike action to protest against such damaging move," the central trade unions said.
"This joint platform of central trade unions urges upon the government to refrain from resorting to ordinance route while extending full support to the struggle of coal and insurance sector workers," the central trade unions said.
During the meeting, the unions also opposed the Centre's move to bring FDI in Railways, defence, telecommunication and finance sectors.