Punjab: Higher Education Teachers’ to intensify indefinite strike demanding implementation of 7th pay commission
30 December, 2021: The indefinite strike by teachers across five state universities and 200 colleges in Punjab and Chandigarh UT, called the ‘Education bandh’, has completed one month as Punjab govt refuses to accede to the teachers’ demands. The teachers are demanding the implementation of revised pay scales as per the 7th pay commission, which is only pending in Punjab, Chandigarh and Himachal Pradesh. They have been protesting since 05 September (Teacher’s Day) but their demands have only been met with empty assurances. They are also demanding withdrawal of Punjab govt’s disastrous move to de-link the salaries of new Assisstant Professors in the state from that of the UGC.
Maharashtra: SPPU staff strikes work demanding 7th commission pay, better benefits
24 December, 2021: Non-teaching staff at the Savitribai Phule Pune University (SPPU) went on strike demanding implementation of the 7th pay commission. They also demanded the payment of arrears according to the pay commission’s pay, and also better work conditions and benefits.
Jharkhand: Workers continue strike at Heavy Engineering Corporation as management refuses to release pending wages in full
23 December, 2021: Workers at Heavy Engineering Corporation continued their tools-down strike as management tanked negotiations over payment of pending wages in full. It is important to note that the Minister of Heavy Industries urged the management to bring the strike to an end while shooting down their proposals to raise money to pay the pending amount. Workers had gone on strike as they had been forced by the management to work without salary for months.
Haryana: Urban Company sues women workers for protesting, asks court to direct police to clear protesters
22 December, 2021: Urban Company has sent legal notices to its women ‘partners’ for protesting outside its main office in Gurgaon. It sought a permanent injunction from the court banning any “demonstration, dharna, rally, gherao, peace march, shouting slogans, entering or assembling on or near the office premises.” Women workers of the spa and salon verticals have been protesting against imposition of new subscription system forcing workers to ‘pay to work’, penalising workers for non-subscription or low response rates, and forcing workers to provide discounts to customers from their own earnings.
Lakhs of Bank employees go on two day strike against privatisation of state run banks
16 December, 2021: Around Nine lakh bank employees went on a two-day nationwide strike called by the United Forum of Bank Unions to protest against the Central government’s decision to privatise at least two public sector banks which would be disastrous for India’s economy as well as people. Unions said that apart from unprecedented job losses, privatization of state-run banks will lead to the shutting down of thousands of bank branches, mostly in rural and backward areas, which will have a devastating impact on the poorest citizens of the country.
Odisha: Anganwadi workers, helpers hold massive rally demanding regularisation as govt employees, wage hike
13 December, 2021: Thousands of Anganwadi workers and helpers held a massive rally in Bhubaneswar, and marched towards the State Legislative Assembly in support of their long-held demands. As with their counterparts in other states of the country, they are also demanding regularisation of their services, government employee status as well as a pay hike.
Telangana: Workers of the Singareni Collieries go on strike against auction of coal blocks
09 December, 2021: The Joint Action Committee (JAC) of trade unions at the govt-owned Singareni Collieries Company Limited (SCCL) went on a 72-hour strike after discussions with the management at Regional Labour Commissioner failed. The JAC had issued a strike notice demanding that the Centre withdraw its decision to auction four coal blocks at Kothapalli, Koyyagudem, Sravanapalli and RK-6, besides some other demands.
Resident Doctors in govt hospitals across country go on indefinite strike against inordinate delay in NEET-PG admissions
06 December, 2021: Resident Doctors in govt-run hospitals across the country went on an indefinite strike against the inordinate delays in NEET-PG 2021 counselling. This has caused a huge shortage in manpower thus overburdening Resident Doctors as well as hampering the healthcare system’s ability to fight the Omicron-led surge. Doctors Associations have also approached the Supreme Court seeking immediate remedy, according to whom around 42,000 doctors would have joined six months ago, had the admissions happened on time.
Trade Unions announce nationwide general strike against Centre’s attack on country’s people, democracy and economy
06 December, 2021: Trade Unions will go on a nationwide general strike on 23-24 February, 2021 against the anti-people, anti-worker and anti-national destructive policies of the Central govt. They are demanding a repeal of the Labour Codes, end to privatisation in all forms, acceptance of farmers’ demands post repeal of farm laws, regularisation of contract workers & scheme workers, ‘equal pay for equal work’, cancellation of NPS and restoration of Employees’ Pension Scheme with a substantial increase in the minimum pension, among others.
Uttar Pradesh: Contractual NHM workers go on indefinite strike over regularisation, pay parity
03 December, 2021: Contractual workers under the National Health Mission (NHM) went on a state-wide indefinite strike demanding regularisation of their jobs, pay on par with regular staff, and health insurance benefits. They had gone on a strike in the first half of 2021 with the same demands, but they were not heeded by the extremely anti-worker government.
Construction workers go on 2-day nationwide strike against Labour Codes, dilution of construction workers’ welfare law
02 December, 2021: Construction workers went on a 2-day nationwide strike against the 4 anti-worker Labour Codes, especially the OSH Code. They especially protested against the codification of two essential welfare laws – the Building & Other Construction Workers Act, 1996, and the Inter-State Migrant Workers Act, 1979 – under the Occupational Safety, Health & Working Conditions Code, 2020 which dilutes the already neglected welfare provisions of the two laws.
Jharkhand: Contractual sanitation workers protest against non-payment of minimum wage
01 December, 2021: Sanitation worker employed on contract by various municipal bodies staged a protest outside the Deputy Labour Commissioner’s office demanding payment of minimum wages as fixed by the state government at Rs. 373 per day. They are paid a meagre amount of Rs. 200 per day and an amount of Rs. 40 is stolen from them in the name of their PF and ESIC. Their Union announced an indefinite strike if their demands weren’t met in 2 weeks time.
Gujarat: Frontline health workers protest against dismissals by AMC
01 December, 2021: Hundreds of frontline health workers went on protest after the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) fired them suddenly on directions of National Health Mission. The workers, hired on contract during the peak of Covid-19, are demanding reinstatement of all 1100 terminated workers and priority for absorption as permanent staff.
Karnataka: Workers of ITI ltd. protest against rampant violation of labour laws, termination of union members
06 December,: Workers of govt-owned Indian Telephone Industries (ITI) Limited went on protest against the witch-hunt of union members by the company. The company vindictively terminated employees who were active in fighting against rampant violation of labour laws by the company management. The management refuses to respect orders of the courts and labour officials who were approached by the workers.
