August 27, 2019
INTTUC leading hunger strike against disinvestment of 42 PSUs
From 12pm of August 16, INTTUC, Trinamool Congress’ trade union wing has been leading a hunger strike at the foot of Mahatma Gandhi’s statue on Mayo Road, Kolkata against the Central Government’s decision to disinvest from 42 public sector companies.
The hunger strike is being led by the trade union’s senior leader and Trinamool’s Rajya Sabha MP, Dola Sen. Besides the INTTUC members, temporary workers of BSNL, one of the 42 PSUs marked for disinvestment, are participating in the protest. They have not been getting their salaries for the last eight months.Workers of other PSUs as well as other unions are coming daily to the site of the protest to show solidarity with the protestors.Several senior leaders of INTTUC were present at the venue today to show their support and empathy for the protesters.The party has also decided to carry forward the Didike Bolo communication campaign from the protest site. On this and several other issues, Dola Sen addressed the media.She said that following the party’s instructions, she was there today to spread the Didike Bolo campaign, which has achieved huge success. She exhorted workers across Bangla, whether members of INTTUC or any other organisation, to call up the number to express any view or talk about any issue that they want.She said that it was extremely unfortunate that the Central Government has taken the decision of disinvesting from, and corporatisation of, 42 PSUs, several of which were profit-making, including a few from Bangla.Importantly, she said that unlike other trade unions, INTTUC was not for stopping of work, pointing out in this respect that Trinamool Congress Chairperson Mamata Banerjee has ensured that strikes are a thing of the past in the State. The BSNL workers (except those at the site) and the Ordnance Factory Board workers (even those belonging to other unions) are not ceasing work but showing their solidarity with the strikers.Mamata Banerjee, she said, has written to the prime minister herself, requesting him to not go ahead with the disinvestment but there has been no encouraging response. She also told the media that the BJP-led Central Government has not advised the President to put his signature of assent on the decision of the Bangla Government, taken at the behest of Mamata Banerjee in 2016, to take over Jessop and Dunlop and return them to profitability.At the end she said that this protest by the INTTUC will continue till the Centre takes back its decisions on disinvesting from PSUs and corporatisation of defence, and the BSNL workers get their due salaries.
