VERSUS....STORY IN DECCAN CHRONICLE TODAY DATED 24TH FEB.2013 ON PG.2

VERSUS....STORY IN DECCAN CHRONICLE TODAY DATED 24TH FEB.2013 ON PG.2 A two-day nationwide bandh called by trade unions disrupted day-to-day life across the state. The government has incurred huge losses, while lakhs of labourers lost their income. Trade union leaders feel that bandh is important to check the government from taking anti-people decisions, but others feel that a bandh only causes several problems for people. CITU general secretary Prasanna Kumar and traders’ association representative Sajjanraj Mehta debate the issue Bandh opened the eyes of lawmakers B asically trade unions are people’s bodies. A strike is collective action for social impact and a viable stage for the people to raise their voices and force the government to hear them before taking any policy decisions. It is the labour class which suffers more than any other due to a bandh call as it loses wages as a result of it. But it has no option as the government is always ready to come out with a number of anti-people legislations and decisions. It is because of the continuous struggle and resistance from trade unions in the form of protests and strikes that successive Union governments have dropped several anti-people, anti-labour legislations. This includes the Industrial Relations Bill, disinvestment policy, Industrial Disputes Act, Provident Fund Reforms Act and so on. Many legislations have been pending for decades due to our opposition. The recent two-day bandh call had a good impact on the Union government. Two meetings were held between trade union leaders and the government to sort out issues. At the first meeting held on February 13 in the presence of Union labour minister Mallikarjun Kharge, we convinced him about our demands and as part of the negotiations another meeting was held on February 17 under the chairmanship of Union defence minister, A K Antony. So we succeeded in opening the eyes of the government to our demands. The issue was discussed in Parliament at length and this opened the eyes of our lawmakers to the problems of the people. In that sense the bandh was a success. — The writer is general secretary, CITU Dialogue can also solve problems SAJJAN RAJ MEHTA Inflation is on the rise and growth has declined alarmingly. The month of February is not auspicious for the country’s economy and this two day strike has only worsened the situation as it hit industry and trade bodies hard. A bandh call can be given to protest against the antipeople and anti-labour policies of the government, but the country cannot afford it as it creates problem for all, right from the general public onwards. Although it did not affect Karnataka, much the bandh paralysed day to day life in other parts of the country, resulting in huge losses to all. When the tax collection is the lowest in recent years, the bandh has hit it further, adversely impacting our economy. Also, when everyone is waiting eagerly for the Union budget for confidence building measures, a bandh call means a lot of inconvenience to all. Instead of a bandh call, trade bodies could have opted for a dialogue with all the stakeholders concerned. Talks can also solve problems. — The writer is representative, various trade bodies