Protesters detained in Tamil Nadu
Road rokos were staged in different parts of Kanyakumari district as part of the All India strike. Members of the Central trade unions, AIKS, AIAWU, DYFI and SFI who took part in the action were detained.
Workers Strike Spreads, Farmers Face Police Barricades in War Zone Haryana
An estimated 25 crore (250 million) workers are on strike, and millions of farmers will join the protest
In what is perhaps the biggest ever coordinated general strike anywhere in the world, an estimated 25 crore (250 million) workers and employees struck work since the midnight of November 26. Industrial and mining belts in many states including Maharashtra, West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Haryana Punjab, Assam, Odisha, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and other states reported complete or partial shutdown. Banks and insurance offices were also closed, while state govt. offices saw employees protesting in support of the strike. Several lakh women Anganwadi workers/helpers, healthcare workers, mid-day meal cooks and those employed in other government run schemes are also reported to on strike in all states. Trucks, buses and other public vehicles were off the road in many states.
In many parts of the country, university teachers, students and professionals came out in solidarity with workers.
Meanwhile, farmers from across the country are preparing to join the workers in protests despite several state governments like those in Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh (all ruled by the BJP), have sealed highways and deployed security forces to prevent agitating farmers from reaching Delhi where a massive protest demonstration was planned. Reports indicate that while all eight highways entering the Capital are currently blocked by farmers, thousands may have managed to sneak in and will hold the protest near Parliament on November 26 and 27. Security forces used water canons to disrupt movement of farmers towards Delhi in Ambala and Karnal in Haryana. Large number of farmers are gathered at Delhi-UP border after Delhi police put up multi-layered barricades and refused entry.
Demands of All India General Strike - 26 November 2020
·10kg per person per month food grains to all needy; Urgent measures for containing price-rise through universalisation of public distribution system and banning speculative trade in commodity market
·Cash transfer of Rs.7500 per month for all Non Income Tax paying families
·Expand MGNREGA to provide 200 days’ work in a year in rural areas at enhanced wages; extension of employment guarantee to urban areas. Containing unemployment through concrete measures for employment generation.
·Withdraw all anti farmer laws
·Withdraw the anti worker labour codes
·Universal social security cover for all workers
·Minimum wages of not less than Rs 21,000/- per month with provisions of indexation to all workers including scheme workers
·Assured enhanced pension not less than Rs.10,000/- p.m. for the entire working population. Scrap NPS and restore earlier Pension, improve EPS-95
·Stoppage of disinvestment in Central/State PSUs including the financial sector and stop corporatisation of Govt run manufacturing and service entities like Railways, Ordnance Factories, Ports etc.
·Stoppage of contractorisation in permanent perennial work and payment of same wage and benefits for contract workers as regular workers for same and similar work. No fixed term employment in any sector
·Removal of all ceilings on payment and eligibility of bonus, provident fund; increase the quantum of gratuity.
·Withdraw the draconian circular on forced premature retirement of Government & PSU Employees. Withdraw the DA Freeze
·Compulsory registration of trade unions within a period of 45 days from the date of submitting application; and immediate ratification of ILO Conventions C 87 and C 98
·Withdraw the Electricity Amendment Bill 2020
·Withdraw the NEP 2020. Allocate 5% GDP for Public Education
·Public Healthcare for all. Allocate 6% GDP on Public Health
[These demands include demands of 12 point charter of demands of CTUs as well as the current demands. In addition demands of various sectors such as construction, beedi, domestic workers etc are there.]
( Live Blog Inputs by Amey from Maharashtra, Shilpa from Kerala, Sagrika from J&K, Ronak, Anand, Ravi and Mukund from Delhi, Kashif from MP, Prudhviraj from Telangana, Alim from UP, Imran from Bihar, Sandipan from Assam and Sandip from West Bengal)
Live blog
“Workers Won’t Allow Governments to Exploit Them”
In Kerala, CITU State President Anathalavattam Anandan formally inaugurated the National Strike at a gathering of trade unionists. Leaders from the central trade unions and State trade unions took part in the gathering, alongside representatives of the Kerala Karshaka Sangham, the State chapter of the All India Kisan Sabha.
“The government wants to reinstate bonded labour, said Anathalavattam Anandan, adding that the workers won’t allow the governments to exploit them.
CPI(M) state secretary P Madhu addresses a public meeting in Vijayawada
Andhra Pradesh: Addressing a public meeting in Vijayawada, CPI(M) state secretary P Madhu said, "In the Modi regime, the income of workers is gradually falling while corporate giants are making huge profits in crores. Because of the BJP-Corporate nexus, unemployment is rising and working hours are rising. Today's strike is the beginning of a larger movement against the BJP government."
Farmers rally stopped near Rathiwas village in Haryana
Farmers rally stopped near Rathiwas village in Haryana. The farmers were marching to the national capital at the call given by AIKSCC.
Hundreds of Workers Protest, Picket Near Assam Refineries
Observing the All India General Strike various organisations all over Assam are participating in large numbers. Factories, refineries, banks, transport sector—all have been shut down and workers, employees are picketing from morning as early as 5 a.m
News from Digboi Refinery at Tinsukia district of Upper Assam said that since 6 a.m in the morning workers are picketing in front of the main gate of the refinery. Till 8.30 a.m hundreds of workers gathered for picketing.
Read More: Hundreds of Workers Protest, Picket Near Assam Refineries
Massive Participation by Workers in Bihar; Chakka Jams, Banks Closed
Bihar seeing massive participation of the workers in the nationwide general strike against the “anti-people, anti-worker and anti-farmer” policies of the central government. Chakka Jams and Rail Roko agitations took place across the state by the strikers including hundreds of trade unions and different federations and associations of both orgnaised and unorganised sector workers. The Left parties and their ally RJD also took to the streets to protest.
Several roads including national and state highways were blocked in Begusarai, Vaishali, Jehanabad, Gaya, Patna, Bhagalpur, Madhubani, Bhojpur, Siwan, and Samastipur districts. Protestors staged dharnas, burnt tyres and waste materials at several squares in urban localities. Trucks, buses, four-wheelers and pickup vans are also off the road in support of the strike.
Meanwhile, hundreds of RJD workers have blocked roads in Vaishali by using cattle since early morning. Strike supporters have also halted two express trains at Masaurhi railway station in Patna district. Besides, trade union members associated with the CPI(ML) have blocked the railway track and stopped Palamu and Janshatabdi express trains at the station for over three hours, police said.
In Patna, officials of all banks sans SBI joined the strike and their branches remained closed. LIC offices and post offices also downed shutter.
CPI (M) leader Arun Kumar Mishra said the strike has begun with expected support from the common people fed up with the government due to price rise, joblessness and privatisation. Contractual health employees and others too have joined the strike.
Workers of the private and public sector in support of the general strike in Jammu
Jammu: Hundreds of workers from the private and public sector are gathered today in support of the nationwide general strike at the Press Club. The workers are demanding the abolition of anti-labour and anti-farmer bills.
Teachers, Handloom Workers and Sanitation workers stage protests across Maharashtra
Teachers organisations are participating in the strike. Till now Bombay University College Teachers Union (BUCTU) has staged protests in Palghar, Thane and Ratnagiri districts.
People are also protesting at the Tehsil offices in Nasik, Nandurbar and Palghar districts.
40 thousands handloom workers will participate in a march which is set to begin from Solapur against the policies of the Modi government. The march will also be joined by various organisations of the district including sanitation workers, Sanvidhan Sanvardhan Samiti and others.
Workers, farmers protest in Telangana
Activists of the Telangana Rythu Sangam which is affiliated to All India Kisan Sabha, take part in the Yapalguda Palle village bandh in Adilabad district as part of the ongoing Grameena Bharat Bandh in the state.
Lakhs of workers are participating in the general strike in Telangana. The ruling party, Telangana Rasthra Samithi and its affiliated organisations, have extended support to the strike called by the central trade unions. Hyderabad saw a rasta roko by protesters.
Andhra Pradesh: ASHA workers participate in the strike in Hindupur in Anantapur district amid massive rainfall.
Coimbatore’s textile workers join strike
Members of CITU, AITUC, LPF, CWFI and AIDWA joined the All India Strike in Coimbatore A number of workers from the textile sector joined in the protests. Workers in this sector have been hit hard by the pandemic.
Anganwadi workers and Helpers join strike in Tamil Nadu
Anganwadi workers and Helpers in Tamil Nadu have been demanding a minimum wage, retirement benefits and social security measures for them. Another major demand is to incorporate them as government employees from the status of scheme workers.
Strike observed by unions across Kashmir
Kashmir saw massive protests by workers who came together to demand basic rights in many districts including Anantnag, Kulgam, Pulwama and Srinagar. They were joined by Anganwadi workers and care workers.
The workers said they have been hit hard by the pandemic and that the anti-labour laws of the Modi government has been the last nail in the coffin.
Over 400 arrested in West Bengal till 11 AM
A rally led by central trade union leaders, CPI(M) state secretary Suryakanta Mishra and the LF chairman Biman Bose took place in Kolkata. The rally from Entally Bazaar to Parkstreet started after pickets in the area for more than two hours. AIDWA state secretary Kaninika Ghosh was manhandled by police during the protest in Kolkata.
In East Midnapore and Murshidabad district more than a 100 people have been detained so far. As the strike is not being supported by the ruling TMC, the police and administration have taken tough measures against it.
Surya kanta Mishra said that the issues have hit the people hard which is apparent because of the success of the strike. Biman Bose alleged that the TMC is trying to save Modi which is why such great attempts are being made to foil the strike.
Maharashtra: Workers Brave Police to Participate in General Strike, Health Employees Union Members and JNPT Workers Strike in Mumbai
As soon as workers in Maharashtra’s Solapur began to gather for the nationwide general strike today, the police too reached the Centre of Indian Trade Unions’ (CITU) office in large numbers. Despite the police presence, thousands of resolute workers sat in protest and listened to veteran leader and former MLA Narsayya Adam.
About 180 kilometres away, in Beed, DYFI members also protested and participated in the nationwide strike. Sugarcane growing farmers also took out a protest in Pathri town which falls under Parbhani district in Maharashtra.
In Mumbai's Ramabai Nagar and Ghatkopar, the health employees union held protests with workers from the area. They demanded rupees ten thousand as relief to each poor family.
Workers in Maharashtra's Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust in Nhava Sheva were also on strike on Thursday. More than three thousand workers participated in the strike, protesting against the Modi government's efforts to privatise India's last public sector port.
ASHA and Anganwadi workers come out on the streets in Jammu
Jammu: Slogans like "Inqalab zindabad", "Lal jab aayega", "Inqilab aayega" and "Hamari maange poori karo" rented the air after Anganwadi and ASHA workers joined today's protests demanding minimum wages, fixed work hours, incentives and regularisation.
Darshna, an Aganwadi worker, told Newsclick that after the COVID-19 lockdown they are being asked to put in extra hours without any payment. "We are doing work outside our job profile. We are putting in more than 16 hours a day, which excludes the emergency calls we often get in the middle of the night for pregnancy related issues, yet we aren't paid regularly. Last payment I received was 7 months ago."
Municipal, Gram Panchayat, ASHAs and Anganwadi Workers Across Andhra Participate in Strike
Over 40,000 permanent, contractual and outsourced municipal workers in 120 municipalities and over 35,000 gram panchayat workers across villages in Andhra Pradesh participated in the November 26 General Strike. Despite heavy rains across the state due to Cyclone Nivar, lakhs of workers have boycotted work and participated in the general strike through various protest demonstrations.
“Workers are outraged over the anti-labour policies, hence the massive response to the strike,” said K Umamaheswar Rao, state general secretary of the Andhra Pradesh Municipal and Employees Federation, affiliated to CITU. “Non-payment of salaries and harassment by contractors – especially towards female workers – and the exploitative working conditions are among the main causes of concern for the protesting workers,” he said.
According to C. Dhanalakshmi, president of the ASHA Workers’ Union, thousands of ASHA and Anganwadi workers have participated in the strike.
Kerala: Close to 1.5 Crore Workers and Farmers Participate in General Strike
Close to 1.5 crore workers, farmers and the general public took part in the nationwide general strike in Kerala. Healthcare workers and employees who were on election duty for the upcoming local body elections have extended their solidarity to the national strike by working without marking their attendance.
Protestors demand solution to unemployment
Members of DYFI and AIDWA protested in the Dindigul district of Tamil Nadu as part of the all India strike. They demanded the BJP-led union government fulfill its electoral promise of generating 2 crore jobs every year. The protestors accused the union government of jeopardising the future of youth by reducing the job opportunities by encouraging privatisation and corporatisation. AIDWA also demanded better laws to prevent atrocities against women and children.
MP: SEWA Workers Hold Silent Protest, to Submit List of Demands
In Ujjain, members of SEWA (Self Employed Women's Association) conducted a silent protest at their work place and in their homes in support of the nationwide general strike.
The workers wore masks and maintained social distancing while holding up banners with a list of their demands. Later, a team of SEWA workers is expected to meet the Ujjain administration and submit a memorandum with their demands.
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