 Hello and welcome to People's Dispatch. Today January the 8th saw perhaps the biggest strike in Indian history as over 250 million workers across the country struck work. These workers are from various sectors and were joined by as farmers and agricultural workers as well and students. To talk more about this, we have with us AR Sindhu, the National Secretary of the Center of Indian Trade Unions. Thank you so much for joining us. So before we get into some of the details regarding why the strike was organized, could you give us a quick idea of how the response has been throughout the country? The response was almost fantastic and in 15 states it was almost like the totally closed down, it's a bundt-like situation and then the public sector, the coal, including the defense, the defense production sector, the strike and the heavy industries, then in the automobile industry like in Manesar in Gurgaon, that is a automobile hub, there was a total strike. Then in the unorganized sector also, unorganized sector, it is difficult to find that how many were there but it was almost, they came out on the streets for participation. Our estimation is 250 million, it will not be less than that and the thing is that there was tremendous support and action from the part of the farmers and the agriculture workers also and there were rail banth, rail roco, means actually train has been stopped in many places, many places train has to be cancelled, then there was even including national highways were blocked by the striking workers and in many parts of the country there was a total transport strike also, so that affected the public's transport and even the traders, small traders, petty traders were also part of the strike, they closed down automatically means by themselves also. So the response to the trade union is called, responded it has become a people's strike. And this policy decisions that the Narendra Modi government, a far right wing government has been implementing over the past few years, the workers have been fighting on a consistent basis for many years. But if you go back a bit to the past, this larger policy framework, the neoliberal framework as we call it, it has started in the 90s. So what has been the difference since the Modi government came to power? What has been the say the increase in the implementation of these reforms and especially this year, what is the significance of the strike? This is the 19th strike after the neoliberal policies are started, the 19 general strike. From 1991 itself after the Congress government at that time started implementing the neoliberal policies, the trade union movement was continuously on the struggle and that year itself we have given a call for general strike and there was no much difference in the policies. But what happened in the last more than 5 years is that the Modi government which came to power on the basis of the discontent against the last one Mohan Singh led up a government which was implementing the same policies, neoliberal policies. So here Modi started in a very large scale implementing in a very speedy way, whether it is the disinvestment of the public assets and the public sector companies, the most which are giving the revenue to the government including the defence, the petroleum, the electricity sector, all the basic service and that the Modi government went in a very speedy way. And now in the Modi 2 government, this government within 100 days of coming into power, they have almost in means such a high speed they have started implementing all those things including the privatisation of the rail and even the defence production which the government called itself as a nationalist government and for the people and every second they speak about our armed forces and the armed production of the country has been stopped, they have given stop giving orders to the defence production units and then declared that FDA will be brought in that also. And the rail, the private trains are allowed to run in the railway tracks of the public sector company, this kind of moves they were taking. And also on the farmers, the land acquisition, ordinance they have brought in the Modi 1 government and that has been stopped by the united movement of the workers and presence. But the Modi 2 government again has declared that they will be, they change the forest right act of the tribals and then the basic right of the workers that has been taken away by the, in the name of simplification of the labour laws, the Modi government said that we are having 44 labour laws, that is too much. So, we want to bring down it to four labour codes. The one code has already been passed the wage code, that is taking away the basic two rights of the workers, the eight hour working hour and also the minimum wages. So, now no more in India the eight hour working day is no more there that has been removed from the act and now the government can decide how much will be the, earlier in the act it was there the 48 hour working week and the eight hour working day now it is no more there even in the overtime it can be increased to any extent. The minimum wages also that they have there is no criteria for the minimum wage in the act. So, these are all the attack on the working class movement that is internationally acclaimed rights of the eight hour worker that also is being done away with. So, this is a very serious situation in the country and in addition to that the country is the government this is a far right wing government is trying to divide the country in lines of the religion and this citizenship amendment act they have brought is it is in the name of including the refugees, but they are creating a divide among the people and it is against the constitution of India and it is against the democratic principles of India. So, that is an additional demand we are raising from this strike that is a for the withdrawal of this citizenship amendment act. And regarding the citizenship amendment act there has been a lot of discussion protests have been taking place across the country. So, in addition to the national strike what efforts have been the what efforts of the trade unions been taking across the country both with their membership and outside their membership to actually talk about this issue and to create an under consensus and understanding about this issue. See this government by its media and means it is the paid media they are trying to project it as a Hindu, Muslim or a divide, but actually this act which in in India the Modi government came to power getting votes from the people and this water identity card is not an not a proof for your citizenship that is the act which they have brought. So, that that means that then on which basis you are there in the power and moreover this is not only a case of Hindu or Muslim the workers the poor people they don't have even they don't know means their birth dates they don't have any document to prove that they are means any citizen of any country and whether it is their refugees or not they cannot prove that they cannot prove that they are Indians and they cannot how can they prove that they belong to any other country. So, the question is not about the Hindu or Muslim the question is about the poor people of the country they will be deprived of the citizenship the very basic right they in their any law will be applicable only to their citizens. So, if they you are taking away that right and that in addition to that it will the basic democratic right you cannot vote you cannot vote any government out actually that is the purpose of bringing this act itself. So, we are taking it to our rank and file that is definitely but we are having our own workers work among the people. So, they ask members of the trade union we will be taking it to the common public also it's a question of saving the country and its democracy. And the other aspect you highlighted considerably in the strike is the issue unemployment and now India is facing a record amount of unemployment right now. So, what do the trade union suggest is a path forward to actually address this issue? You see this unemployment has been always a problem that the now in the name of this slowdown economic slowdown the government is again helping the employers the automobile sector there is a recession they are writing off the taxes they are giving them even incentives for investment the loans are giving provided to them. So, there in nowhere there is any condition for no retrenchment. So, it has been always our demand that if you want to help the economy you want to give any incentive to any of the employer. So, there you put a condition that the no worker will be retrenched and means for whom and the crisis it is itself is a crisis created because of the lack of purchasing power. So, without creating employment without having minimum wages how can you increase the purchasing power even we were called by the government for a pre-budget discussions there also we have raised this demand that you ensure with you guarantee that whichever company you are helping that there should not be any retrenchment and they should ensure minimum wages and also the programs like the rural employment guarantee program which the government is continuously curtailing the budget allocation to increase the budget allocation for the employment guarantee how urban employment guarantee as well along with the rural employment guarantee and also you provide the unemployment allowance. So, you will be getting people will be their purchasing power will be increased. So, there will be the economic can recover only through that. So, then naturally then the production or the investment will also increase and there will be employment also will be generated, but instead of that the government is doing even from the public sector like for the public sector telecom company the BSNL it has been they are planning to close it down actually disinvest in it also and 93000 people are asked to take for voluntary retirement. So, like that even in the railways there is no appointment and instead that through mergers and through privatization they are even even from the government sector the jobs have been lost. So, this is the situation with the employment that is why we are getting the support of the youth organizations also which they already they are facing the problem of unemployment. So, that that has been reflected the large participation of youth in the strike and also women the women's work participation in India is one of the lowest and now it is coming down further. So, there there is the women need employment and the precarity of the employment which already is there that is also one of the biggest issue nowhere in the country in the even in the organized sector in the private sector the minimum wage is not implemented when the laws are there that is not even being implemented now even whatever assurance in the law that is also being done away with. And finally, what are the next steps as far as the trade unions are concerned regarding further protests. If none of the demands were met by made the government and if they are going along with the same kind of policies there is a standing decision that we will be planning for an indefinite strike. So, that need a lot of preparation and already the rail employees they have already declared starting for a referendum for a strike indefinite strike and also in different sectors struggles are going on in the public sector like the petroleum the PPCL the one of the biggest oil companies in the world. There the employees are already on the struggle different sector struggles are already going on and along with that the kind of a joint struggle of a it will take a shape of an indefinite struggle a strike that we are planning that in the coming days definitely the government means even today I heard that their government has declared another round of disinvestment even today. So, that means that the government is no way is ready to hear the workers and also the percentage demands also is there that for the minimum remunerative price for the farmers. So, that with all these that it will be definitely joined by the farmers in the future in the future India India in our country will witness bigger struggles in more militant forms. Thank you so much that's all we have time for today keep watching People's Dispatch.