Jan 8 Strike: State Govt, BMC Employees to Join, Big Impact Likely in Maharashtra

Mumbai: Maharashtra will be one of the most successful states in terms of the all-India strike on Wednesday, as almost 26 organisations have declared that they will be participating in the strike, and now state government employees to have decided to join it.

Also, apart from Bharatiya Janata Party, every single political party in Maharashtra has declared support to the strike, including the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena.

Workers unions got a shot in the arm when the news of participation of state government's employees came in. On Monday, Brihnmumbai state government employees’ association declared active participation in the strike on January 8.

"Our demands, including issues regarding pension of employees, contractual labour to be permanent, immediate recruitment in government and complete ban on privatisation of government services are being raised in this strike. So, we are participating in it," said president of association Milind Sardeshmukh and secretary Avinash Daund.

This employees’ association has 17 lakh members all over state and is largest union of the government employees of Maharashtra. At the same time, gazetted officers of the Maharashtra Secretariat too have declared moral support to the strike. GD Kulthe, adviser to gazetted officers association made this announcement.

Maharashtra Navnirman Sena, too, has given support to the strike. President of workers wing of MNS, Manoj Chavan issued a statement on Monday and announced its support. In the statement, he has raised five major demands raised by other workers unions.

As the state's workers are showing a resolute mood for the strike, state's newly sworn labour minister Dilip Walse Patil addressed an urgent meeting with the coordination committee of workers unions on Monday. It was his first meeting after taking charge as minister. In the meeting he assured complete support to workers in their demands and appealed for the peaceful protest.

"The demands of workers are important and must be addressed by the union government. The state government will always stand with labour. In next few months, we will try to solve the pending issues of workers related to state government," said Walse Patil.

After the meeting with minister, coordinator of the workers joint committee Vishwas Utagi said that the strike will be one of the bigger one in the history of state. "What we saw is that state government is willing to talk to workers, unions and come to some common ground. But as per Union government, they are not at all paying enough attentions to our issues," he said.