Bhartiya Mazdoor Sangh holds Mahasammelan at Sabarmati riverfront; presses for long-pending demands

Ahmedabad: The Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh (BMS) is holding a Mahasammelan at the Sabarmati Riverfront in the city to mark the 106th birth anniversary of Dattopant Thengadi, a noted trade union leader and RSS pracharak of his time.

A large number of union members — from around 161 unions affiliated with the BMS, including many women — gathered at the Riverfront in small rallies to press for their long-pending demands. After the convention, delegations from each union will submit memorandums to the Chief Minister and other ministers.

Despite several previous representations to the government, no concrete decisions have been taken, prompting the BMS to hold this massive public meeting and protest. One major issue raised was the government’s move to extend industrial working hours from 8 to 12, which the BMS wants reviewed by a committee that includes its representatives, and to postpone the decision until proper consultations are held.

Main Demands and Protests:

The workers and employees are protesting over various issues, with the main demands as follows:

• Opposition to the increase in working hours from eight to 12 hours by the state government.

• Opposition to the privatization of the Midday Meal Scheme. The leaders said that privatization has been implemented in 72 talukas, resulting in a lack of social security and salaries as low as ₹3,000 to ₹5,000.

• Demand that ASHA workers be paid wages as per the 2014 Gujarat High Court verdict.

• Demand for minimum wages from organizations including GSF.

The Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh stated that their issues have been pending for two to four years, and despite several rounds of negotiations with the government, no progress has been made.

After the public meeting and rally at the Riverfront, the organization’s leaders will go to Gandhinagar to submit a memorandum to the ministers of the concerned departments, consolidating all their demands.

The BMS has indicated that if the government fails to take any action even after the rally, the central leadership and executive will meet to discuss further steps, and the movement may be intensified. DeshGujarat