Trade unions come together to protest hike in prices - India News and Travel Times Provides India-centric and other News and Features

Activists and supporters of various trade unions converged in the national capital to protest against soaring prices and even volunteered for Jail Bhaaro Andolan (court arrest) on Friday. As a part of their protest demonstration, thousands of members of trade unions voiced their ire against the rise in prices of essential commodities and asserted that they have legitimate rights to survive for which the price tags of basic needs must be lowered. Gurudas Dasgupta, a prominent leader of Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPM), said that the government should be ready to face severe results in case if they do not meet their demands. "All the labour organisations will come here and protest and even then if the government does not take action, they should be ready to face severe results in the future. "The labourers are dying of hunger, their children are dying of hunger, there is no proper education for their children, they don't have a place to live and the rulers (government) are making policies under the pressure of national and multi-national industrialists," said Gurudas Dasgupta. Voicing similar views, Harbhajan Singh Sidhu, a trade union leader said that the labour class was protesting against the hike in fuel prices. He also mentioned that the working class wanted amendments in the economic policies of the government so as to protect the 'have-nots'. "All the trade unions are together and this is a fight against the economic policy of the government. We want the prices of the petroleum products to be rolled back. We want universal public distribution system. We want the rights to trade unions; we want to stop retrenchment," said Harbhajan Singh Sidhu. Rising inflation, particularly in the sphere of food items, has sparked recurring street protests across India and put political pressure on the Congress-led government to find a solution without hurting economic recovery.