This week end, on September 2 workers and employees in private sector; in central and state public sectors enterprises; banks and insurance in financial sector, state governments; several departments of central government will be on strike.

Despite deferring indefinite strike, proposed from July 11 by the NJCA (National Joint Council of Action) of the central government employees based on the government’s assurance on formation of a minimum wage review committee for central government employees, several central government departments’ employees will observe September 2  strike on 12 point demands including the demand for scrapping of NPS (New Pension System) which is enforced on the newly recruited employees of the government since January 1, 2004.

All 11 central trade unions – CITU, AITUC, INTUC, HMS, AIUTUC, UTUC, TUCC, AICCTU, LPF, SEWA and BMS – and national federations of central and state governments and service sector employees jointly submitted 12 demands to NDA’s Modi government. They added two new demands with earlier 10 demands to UPA government on which they jointly resorted to two days country-wide general strike on February 20-21, 2013. Two additional demands to Modi government include the demand (i) to stop pro-employer labour law amendments by the central and, mainly, by BJP-led state governments spearheaded by BJP’s Vasundhara Raje government of Rajasthan and (ii) to stop FDI, announced by Modi government, in railways, insurance and defence.
All central trade unions and national federations, not only jointly formulated 12 demands, but also jointly held national convention of the workers; in the joint declaration supported farmers’ movement against ‘land-grab’ ordinance of Modi government and demand of agricultural workers for comprehensive legislation; decided a day’s country-wide general strike on September 2, 2015 and launched pre-strike joint campaign in states and industries and held country-wide satyagraha movement.

This was the first united working class general strike against Modi government’s aggressive neo-liberal policies, attack on the workers’ legal rights and for 12 demands. But, just three days before, on August 29, 2015, RSS-affiliated BMS opted out of the strike giving reasons as quoted by Indian Express, ‘“In talks on August 26 and 27, the government has agreed to some of the demands put forth by trade unions and has assured that it will continue with discussions on other issues…BMS has now decided to postpone the strike on September 2 and has asked its affiliates to withdraw the strike notice as well,” said Vrijesh Upadhyay, general secretary, BMS, after a meeting of the core committee of the trade union on Saturday.’
The two reasons for opting out of September 2, 2015 strike by BMS that the government (i) ‘agreed to some of the demands’ and that it (ii) ‘will continue with discussions’ proved to be false during this one year since then. The group of ministers (GoM), headed by finance minister Arun Jaitley and appointed by the government to hold talks with the central trade unions on 12 point demands, did not even meet once. The government has not agreed so far on a single demand in the 12 point charter of demands.

Despite BMS opting out, the September 2, 2015 strike was unprecedented with organised efforts and spontaneous and deeper response of the workers going beyond the trade union organisations in wider areas supported by huge sections of the farmers and agricultural workers and other democratic sections.
Since then, BMS kept out of all joint initiatives for action in pursuance of 12 points demands, formulated jointly, obviously as directed by the RSS.

All other 10 central trade unions and national federations jointly held national workers conventions; decided country-wide general strike on September 2, 2016; jointly held country-wide pre-strike campaigns, workers mobilisations and actions including August 9 Satyagraha movement.
Division, disruption and deception are the hallmarks of Modi’s governance. As the private sector managements always uses management-agent union for ‘discussion’ and ‘settlement’ on the demands of the striking unions, so also the CEO-prime minister of India Inc. Narendra Modi called the non-striking BMS for discussion on the strike demands! RSS-affiliate BMS had to attend meeting with the government on August 16 and 24 just on the eve of the strike. This is the first time in independent India that a single central trade union held separate meeting with the government on joint demands.

Conflicting signals are being fed to the media on outcome of government – BMS discussion that government made substantial offers on some of the demands; that BMS would join in September 2 strike/not to be in the strike etc.
Whereas the union labour minister sent email to other striking central trade unions on August 26 suggesting calling off the strike in view of ‘pro-active steps’ taken by the government in respect of 12 demands and attached a nine page status report on action taken by the government.
All striking central trade unions rejected the labour minister’s suggestion in their respective letters and reconfirmed their decision to go ahead with strike as the government did not meet any of the 12 demands of the workers and, on the contrary, imposed further burden on the workers since the last strike.

As the last moment propaganda blitz to disrupt the strike, in a press conference on August 30 afternoon, finance minister Arun Jaitley announced ‘acceding to major demands’ in the 12 point charter of demands of the trade unions. But, except empty words, the government did not accept any of the 12 demands of the trade unions. On minimum wages, the government suggested Rs 350 per day for a non-agriculture manual worker which is less than the minimum wages fixed by some of the state governments under Minimum Wages Act. Similar proposal in the central rules for contract labour under Contract Labour Act is already in public domain and has been rejected by the trade union movement reiterating their demand of Rs 18,000 per month as minimum wage on the basis of 15th Indian Labour Conference unanimous recommendation, Supreme Court’s 1991 judgement in Raptakos Brett case and as per 7th CPC (Central Pay Commission) calculation and recommendation for minimum wage for central government employees.