Up to 150 million on strike in India for higher wages & protesting economic reforms
11 replies, posted
[quote]A nationwide strike by tens of millions of Indian public sector workers has been hailed by union officials as “the world’s largest ever” industrial action, and cost the economy up to 180bn rupees (£2bn), according to an industry group.
Last-minute concessions by the finance and labour ministries, including a 104-rupee rise in unskilled workers’ daily minimum wage, could not ward off the strike against what unions said were the “anti-worker and anti-people” policies of Narendra Modi’s government.
State banks and power stations were shut and public transport was halted in some states on Friday, and 20 protesters were arrested in West Bengal after allegedly damaging government buses, police official Anuj Sharma told the AFP news agency.
Schools and colleges in Bangalore were closed as a precautionary measure, and 4,200 buses sat idle in Haryana. Mumbai and Delhi avoided major disruptions but surgeries were delayed at a major hospital in the capital while nurses demonstrated outside. Images broadcast on Indian TV showed protesters blocking railway tracks and roads in Assam, Uttar Pradesh and Odisha.
Among the trade unions’ 12 demands were a 692-rupee daily minimum wage, universal social security and a ban on foreign investment in the country’s railway, insurance and defence industries.
A nationwide bandh – Sanskrit for closed – on the same day last year reportedly involved 140 million workers, and union said Friday’s protests involved 150 million, a figure that could not be verified. Nor could the claim by Assocham, the peak group for Indian chambers of commerce, that the disruption to supply chains and businesses cost the country’s economy 180bn rupees.[/quote]
[url]https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/sep/02/indian-workers-strike-in-fight-for-higher-wages[/url]
[url]http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-37253462[/url]
Fun fact: if the figures are correct, this would be the biggest strike in history. Around 10% of the entire population of India is on strike right now.
good for them, they deserve better like all human beings don't put up with the bullshit put up a good fight,.
[quote]a ban on foreign investment in the country’s railway, insurance and defence industries.[/quote]
Just shooting themselves in the foot doing that. India struggles enough as it is to get foreign investment due to moronic populist retrospective tax changes.
692 rupees is 10 usd
[QUOTE=meppers;50992507]692 rupees is 10 usd[/QUOTE]
Ouch, that is pretty high. Though, initial union demands are typically nothing like what they end up getting, so best of luck to these workers when it comes to getting some needed reform.
Jesus christ, more than twice the population of the UK/half the population of the US is on strike
There are almost as many Indians on strike as the population of Pakistan
Alternatively, you could say one out of every 50 people on Earth are on strike
Holy fucking shit
Man, and I thought that labor strikes and unions were on the decline in 3rd world countries...
Guess that proves me wrong.
Extremely interesting. I want to see how this plays out.
That number of people is just mind numbing....I mean, check this out to compare some strikes in US history: [url]http://www.vox.com/2016/4/15/11439140/verizon-cwa-strike-2016[/url]
wasnt this the guy republicans were lauding as a terrific leader...
[QUOTE=Sableye;50997176]wasnt this the guy republicans were lauding as a terrific leader...[/QUOTE]
Reminder that this moron who's in power is basically the Indian equivalent of Donald Trump with fewer businesses and a boner for Hindu superiority
[QUOTE=thelurker1234;50996661]Ouch, that is pretty high. Though, initial union demands are typically nothing like what they end up getting, so best of luck to these workers when it comes to getting some needed reform.[/QUOTE]
That's daily, not hourly wage.
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