The Central Trade Unions (CTUs) and Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) together organised the first ever joint all India convention of Workers and Farmers on 24 August 2023 at New Delhi has given the joint call to take the protest forward by declaring Feb 16 as a nationwide protest day.
In a national convention held in Jalandhar, Punjab on 16th January, the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) called for a nationwide ‘Grameen Bandh’ (rural strike) on February 16th against the anti-farmer policies and betrayals by the Modi government. Later in a joint press statement of CTUs and SKM it was announced that on Feb 16, 2024 an industrial, sectoral and rural strike would be carried out backed by massive mobilizations against the anti-worker, anti-farmer and anti-national destructive policies of the Central Government.
SKM and CTUs noted with concern the current developments of the ruling corporate communal nexus, shamelessly syphoning off the national assets and finances to a handful of private corporations and paralysing and capturing all the institutions of Indian democracy. It is unconstitutionally denying the rights of elected state governments and suppressing all democratic assertions of various sections of the people and voices of dissent. It is continuing with the dangerous game plan of criminalising the polity and constitutional institutions, utterly misusing and abusing administrative authorities and agencies.
An elaborate plan as part of build up for Feb 16, 2024 nationwide protest has been announced. The workers and farmers jointly carried on Jana Jagaran Campaign (People Awareness Campaign) of house-to-house contact from 10th - 20th January 2024 in all the villages across India to distribute leaflets, demand charter and ensure massive participation in the ensuing struggles. The CTUs, Federations/Associations have supported the call already given by the SKM for a Tractor rally at the district headquarters on 26th January, 2024.
The joint statement called to intensify struggle until the demands of MSP@C2+50% for all crops with guaranteed procurement, dismissal of central minister Ajay Mishra Teni and registration of case on him, comprehensive loan waiver to small and middle farm households for freedom from indebtedness, minimum wage of Rs 26,000/- per month for workers, repeal of 4 Labour Codes, repeal the draconian amendments made to IPC/CrPC, guaranteed employment as Fundamental Right, no privatisation of PSUs including Railway, Defence, Electricity, Coal, Oil, Steel, Telecom, Posts, Transport, Airports, Port & Dock, Banks, Insurance etc., no to privatisation of Education and Health, no to contractualisation of Jobs, scrapping of Fixed Term Employment, strengthen MGNREGS with 200 Days work per person per year and Rs.600/- as Daily Wage, restore Old Pension Scheme, Pension and social security to all in formal and informal economy, scrapping of Sec 104 of newly introduced BNS, Welfare Boards for all categories of Unorganised Workers on the lines of Construction Workers Welfare Board, implement the LARR Act 2013 (Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013) amongst others, are met.
It also called for campaign to counter the heinous religious fanaticism and jingoism to bring the real livelihood issues of the people back to the national agenda and save the basic principles of democracy, federalism, secularism and socialism enshrined in the Constitution of India. The joint platform of CTUS and SKM called upon the workers, farmers, agricultural workers, women, youth, students, teachers, advocates, civil society and all other sections of the people to join this massive peoples’ action to resist and defeat the anti-people, anti-national authoritarian policy-regime and requested all secular and democratic forces to support this struggle to Save the People, Save the Democracy and Our Nation!
