Trade Unions in Jamshedpur condemn Union Budget, call for nationwide protest on Feb 5

Mail News Service

Jamshedpur: A crucial meeting of central trade unions and independent federations was held on Sunday at the Tinplate Union office, presided over by Rakeshwar Pandey. During the meeting, the joint platform of trade unions strongly condemned the Union Budget, terming it a deceptive move to promote exploitation while ignoring the struggles of the working class.

Speakers at the meeting expressed disappointment, criticizing the budget for failing to address key issues such as a statutory Minimum Support Price (MSP) for farmers, urban employment guarantee schemes and job creation in both public and government sectors. They also raised concerns about the lack of measures for informal, contract and unorganized workers, along with the absence of provisions to ensure social security for scheme workers. The union representatives also noted the failure to announce an increase in pension under the Employees’ Provident Fund (EPF) and the lack of action on reducing petroleum product duties.

In response, the unions have called for a nationwide protest on February 5 against the “anti-wage, anti-people and anti-national” budget. The protest will begin at 12 noon at Sakchi Birsa Chowk, where copies of the budget proposals will be publicly burnt. A more intense struggle is expected to follow, particularly focused on opposing the implementation of the four controversial labor codes.

The meeting was attended by several prominent leaders, including Rakeshwar Pandey, Biswajit Deb, Sanjay Kumar, Nagaraju, Ambuj Kumar Thakur, Hira Arkane, Dhananjay Shukla and many others. The trade unions are united in their resolve to protect the rights and welfare of workers and the public at large.