EVEN as central trade unions and other organisations working towards securing workers’ rights and mobilising against the anti-people policies of the BJP led Modi government were preparing for the massive national strike against the four Labour Codes on July 9, some state governments were busy enacting the very provisions that are being opposed by trade unions in the name of “Labour Reform” but are really for the sake of “Ease of Doing Business.”Prominent amongst them are the amendments to the Factories Act, 1948 and Shops and Commercial Establishments Acts, to allow for the employment of wo

A LARGE protest rally and gherao of the Dahanu office of the Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company (Mahavitaran) was led by the CPI(M) last week. The protest was against the installation of smart meters, electricity privatisation, and the huge power bills that are attacking lakhs of peasants, workers, and common people. The rally marched into and occupied the Mahavitaran office and gheraoed its officials for over two hours.

THOUSANDS of apple growers and farmers staged a dharna and demonstration on July 29, outside the state secretariat to protest against evictions, sealing of homes and felling of apple-laden trees. Organised under the banners of the Himachal Kisan Sabha and the Seb Utpadak Sangh, affected farmers from every district of the state gathered in protest.

The 72nd anniversary of Moncada Day was observed by the National Committee for Solidarity with Cuba. Speaking on the occasion, Juan Carlos Marsán Aguilera, the Cuban Ambassador to India, highlighted the intensification of the US economic blockade, which has persisted for over six decades. He noted that during Donald Trump’s presidency, more than 263 additional sanctions were imposed in an attempt to strangle Cuba’s economy. He firmly stated that the Cuban people would never surrender their sovereignty or yield to US pressure.

The call for justice in the brutal rape and murder of Abhaya is intensifying in West Bengal, with the Abhaya Mancha, a powerful coalition of diverse organisations, declaring a series of protests for the coming month. The movement's explicit goal is to rid Bengal of "rapists, oppressors, looters, and their patrons and protectors."A significant "Kalighat Chalo" (March to Kalighat) programme has been slated for August 9, aiming to ignite a widespread struggle.