Major Central trade union leaders today called for strengthening of their unity to fight 'anti worker" and 'anti-people' policies of the Narendra Modi-led NDA government at the Centre.
They were addressing the 41st Session of AITUC here.
In his address, AITUC National president Ramendra Kumar alleged that the Centre was making all efforts to implement its hidden agenda, vis a vis the RSS, by saffronising the education sector and whipping up communal passion.
AITUC General secretary Gurudas Dasgupta said that the nation was going through an "extremely critical situation and the future of its people remained a question mark."
He alleged that workers were being attacked and laws were being changed to suit the needs of corporates in the country and abroad.
To fight the Centre's 'anti-people' and 'anti-worker' policies, there was a need for all trade unions to unite to carry forward the struggle to defend the rights of the people the people and labourers, he said.
Dasgupta chose the platform to greet 'comrade' Kanhaiya Kumar, JNU Students union President, who is in judicial custody in connection with the February 9 event at the university campus against the hanging of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru, where anti-national slogans were allegedly raised.
He also extended support to students of JNU and Jadavpur Universities in their 'battle'. "We are with you to carry on the battle. We are with JNU and Jadavpur University students," Dasgupta said.
Endorsing the view of both Kumar and Dasgupta, CITU President A K Padmanabhan said workers were under 'serious attack' for the last 24 years, due to the policies of both erstwhile Congress and present BJP Government.
It was the duty of the 11 central trade unions to safeguard the rights and interests of lakhs of workers and also farmers, youth and students, as government was 'foisting' sedition charges against those who "showed dissent", he said.
The unions decided to observe March 10 as 'National Protest day' against the Centre and some state governments' anti-workers policy, Padmanabhan said.
World Federation of Trade Unions General Secretary George Mavrikos, HMS president C A Raja Sridhar,LPF General Secretary M Shanmugam also spoke at the open session.
