RSS’ BMS to agitate pan-India from July 24-30 against privatisation, labour policies

• Sector-wise demonstrations will be held at state capitals, district headquarters, tehsil / block centres and big industrial estates, said BMS

• The sector-wise agitation programme will address privatisation of PSUs, issues faced by unorganised sector workers, PSU employees, non-payment of wages, job losses, etc

New Delhi: After June 10 and the July 2 coal sector strike against commercial mining, RSS-affiliate BMS (Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh) is set to hold a week-long, nationwide agitation from July 24 to July 30 against the BJP government's public sector privatisation policies and labour policies. "The BMS has decided to observe Nationwide "Sarkar Jagao Saptah" from July 24-30 on problems of the workforce at the national, state, industry and local level. Sector-wise demonstrations will be held at state capitals, district headquarters, tehsil / block centres and big industrial estates," said an official statement released by the organisation on Wednesday.

Over the course of the week, workers belonging to one particular sector will conduct processions and street-corner meeting/public meeting/hall meeting on each day as per the local situations by following all the COVID-19 norms, BMS said. The decision was taken at a virtual meeting of national office bearers of BMS which was presided over by National President CK Saji Narayanan and convened by General Secretary Virjesh Upadhyay.

BMS week-long agitation: Issues in focus

According to the statement, BMS has identified five major burning issues: problems of unorganised sector workers, particularly migrant workers, non-payment of wages, huge job losses, suspension of labour laws and increasing working hours in many states, and unbridled privatisation of PSUs and the corporatisation of defence and railway production units.

As a part of "Sarkar Jagao Saptah," BMS activists will contact grassroots level workers, employees in each sector and educate them about the Central as well as the state governments' latest policies and their severe impact on labour. It will also expose the anti-workers ordinances brought by four state governments and increasing of working hours from 8 to 12 hours by 12 state governments, said BMS.

The week's agenda

While July 24 will be dedicated to scheme workers (ASHA, Anganwadi, Midday meal workers, NHM Workers, 108 Ambulance workers etc.), July 25 will focus on power sector and transport sectors, July 26 will focus on private industries in cement, engineering, jute, textiles, sugar, distilleries, pharmaceuticals, medical representatives and industrial estates, July 27 will be for issues pertaining to government sector like Railways, postal, defence, PSUs, local bodies, state government employees, July 28 will focus on the financial sector (banking and insurance employees), July 29 will be dedicated to the issues facing the unorganised sector, and July 30 will be focused on public sector issues facing companies like BHEL, NTPC, coal, non-coal, mining, steel and maritime employees.

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