DEFEND RIGHT TO STRIKE

Abstract

A Critique of the Bills introduced in Parliament in the last Budget Session intended to Curtail the right to strike -------- Two Bills namely, the Industrial Disputes (Amendment) Bill 1982 and the Trade Unions (Amendment) Bill 1982 were intro-duced in the Lok Sabha towards the end of last session. Another Bill-The Hospitals and other Institutions (Settle-ment of Disputes) Bill-was hurriedly introduced on the 6th May the last day of the Rajya Sabha Session. The Industrial Disputes (Amendment) Bill had been introduced in the Lok Sabha in the teeth of protest from the entire opposition-barring of course the DMK and the AIDMK which are, as is well known, vieing with each other to curry favour with the Congress (I). It is known that earlier in September, '81 the Essential Services Maintenance Bill was passed finally in the Parliament despite countrywide opposition of all Trade Unions, excepting the INTUC unions, and the unprecedented massive demonstration of half a million workers before Parliament against it and in the teeth of the opposition of the entire opposition. All these four Bills together constitute the bitterest attack on the working class aimed at crippling the activities of those trade unions which are not subservient to the Govern-ment. In order to understand the diabolical intentions of the Government, it is necessary to understand the implications of these Bills.