Bharat Bandh: Essential services largely unaffected, over 8k protest at Freedom Park in Bengaluru

Bengaluur: As a part of the 24-hour strike called by the Joint Forum of Trade Unions, 8,000 people took part in the protest at Freedom Park on Wednesday against the central government’s alleged “anti-Bengaluru”
policies. 

Among those protesting were factory workers from various industries such as automobile, aerospace, electronics, food processing, pharmaceutical, aerospace, and the unorganised sector.

Employees from Bosch, Volvo and Collins Aerospace were seen at the protest.  Essential services mostly remained unaffected despite the nationwide strike. Some sectors, like banking and postal services, were partially affected as employees took part in the protest. 

The trade unions’ request to carry out a procession from the Town Hall to Freedom Park was denied by police officials. 

“The Labour Codes are deeply anti-working class. The dilution of the existing law, for instance, in the area of calculation of minimum wage, and the dilution of the inspection system to a mere facilitation system, and the plan to increase daily work hours from 9 to 12, are dramatic changes. They’re coming after the right to strike, it is deeply troubling,” said M Satyanand, state secretary, All India Trade Union Congress. 

The trade unions also condemned the recent statement by Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar on minimum wage in Karnataka. In late June, Shivakumar had advised the labour minister not to take any immediate decision on the minimum wage hike proposal. 

“He’s trying to meddle in affairs related to minimum wages. He cannot act as an extra-constitutional authority and give statements to industrialists,” added Satyanand. 

The protest on Wednesday was merely a teaser to what’s to come, if the labour codes are implemented in Karnataka, said S Varalakshmi, state president, Centre of Indian Trade Unions. 

“The government doesn’t care if labourers and farmers live or die. We will not stand by their partisan behaviour. We’ll take to the streets,” she told DH. 

The Joint Committee of Trade Unions, comprising 11 trade unions, has also submitted a memorandum to the chief minister, calling on the state government not to increase working hours, increase the minimum wage and reject the Labour Code.