Left, trade unions slam brutal repression of NCR workers
The Communist Party of India (Marxist) and major central trade unions, including CITU and AITUC, on Tuesday lashed out at the BJP-led Governments in Haryana and Uttar Pradesh for unleashing “brutal repression” on industrial workers agitating across the National Capital Region (NCR).
In a sharp escalation of the industrial unrest that has gripped the region, the Polit Bureau of the CPI(M) condemned the police action in Noida, Greater Noida, and Gurugram. The party alleged that the State machinery is being used to defend corporate interests by filing false cases against labour leaders and branding genuine protests as “external conspiracies.”
“Police are raiding villages, indiscriminately beating up workers, and arresting hundreds. The whereabouts of those detained are not being shared with their families,” a CPI(M) statement said. The party demanded the immediate and unconditional withdrawal of all cases.
Echoing these sentiments, the Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) has called for a nationwide protest on April 16. CITU General Secretary Elamaram Kareem stated that the upsurge, which saw nearly 50,000 workers take to the streets in Noida alone, is a “direct class confrontation.”
CITU highlighted that while the cost of living remains identical to Delhi, workers in UP and Haryana are paid “starvation wages” of Rs 10,000– Rs 12,000. The unions are demanding a minimum wage of Rs 26,000 per month, an eight-hour workday, and the abolition of the contract labour system. They also pointed to the “ruthless exploitation” under the new Labour Codes, which they claim legalise 13-hour workdays and weaken trade union rights.
The All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC) also condemned the “house arrest” of union leaders in Noida and the disproportionate use of force against women workers. AITUC General Secretary Amarjeet Kaur remarked that the desperation seen in industrial hubs like Manesar, Panipat, and Barauni is a result of the total denial of collective bargaining.
