Prime Minister Narendra Modi held an emergency meeting on Monday to discuss alternatives to convince trade unions to cancel their massive strike which is to be held on Friday.
The unions have issued a warning that government offices, banks and factories will remain shut on Friday. State unions are also in favour of the strike and this could affect public transport majorly. However, railways are likely to be unaffected.
The panel consisted of Power Minister Piyush Goel, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and Labour Minister Bandaru Dattatreya.
The government will be reaching out to the unions again in an attempt to convince them to call off the strike, according to the sources who attended the meeting.
The unions are unhappy with the government’s take on foreign investment. Losening of rules in sectors like defence and pharmaceutical could jeopardize national security, according to them. The union has also been asking for a rise in the minimum wage from Rs 9,000 to Rs 18,000 since last September.
The timing of the strike comes at a time when the government is gearing for major reforms to boost the economy and trying to distance itself from its reputation of just helping big businesses.
The PM had asked his party workers last week to be more vocal about pro-welfare schemes.
The Bhartiya Mazdoor Sangh (BMS), a major union linked to Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) could also join the strike. If this happens, it would be damaging for the Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP) as opposition parties would get an opportunity to claim that the government’s policies are not working even for its allies.
The BMS will decide its position on Friday. It opted out of a similar strike last year after being assured by the government that it would consider nine of the twelve demands put forth by the union.
(Source: NDTV)
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)