Trade unionists hit streets in Jharkhand during Bharat Bandh

Members of various trade unions hit the streets in parts of Jharkhand during the 'Bharat Bandh' on Thursday, protesting the four labour codes. The agitators are staging demonstrations at the gates of various coal companies and PSUs as part of the nationwide general strike, called by a joint platform of 10 central trade unions. Banking, insurance and coal sectors have been affected by the strike, Bank of India (BOI) Employees' Union state Deputy General Secretary Umesh Das said. Left parties and the Congress have also extended their support to the strike. ''The new labour codes have reduced job security, weakened legal safeguards and increased employers' freedom to hire, adversely affecting the rights and interests of workers,'' state Congress general secretary Rakesh Sinha said. CPI(ML)L state secretary Manoj Bhakt alleged that the four labour codes were ''a direct attack on the rights of the working class''. ''The laws are a conspiracy to render workers helpless in the hands of corporate houses and capitalists. The real objective of these labour codes is to eliminate permanent employment, promote contract jobs, and increase working hours,'' he claimed. The demands of trade unions include scrapping the four labour codes and rules, withdrawal of the draft Seed Bill, Electricity Amendment Bill, and the Sustainable Harnessing and Advancement of Nuclear Energy for Transforming India (SHANTI) Act. The unions are also demanding the restoration of MGNREGA and scrapping the VB-G RAM G Act.