The General strike called by all Trade Unions on the 20th and 21st of February is no doubt to be supported. In light of the predicament of the unorganized sector and dwindling number of permanent jobs in the organized sector, the decision to call the Bandh is examined;
With liberalization, employment of contract labour reached new heights. Though employment of contract workers is beneficial to the promoters of an establishment, the workers get exploited often. The deployment of a large number of Contract Labourers has affected the membership base of Trade Unions and in a state like Maharashtra where more number of employees are getting covered under Mathadi Act, this has affected the membership base of Trade Unions even further. The workers are aware of the commercial approach of Trade Unions and are therefore focusing more on Internal Trade Unions. Therefore the proposed Bandh appears to be for mutual benefit – Drawing attention of the Government towards the exploitation of Contract Labour and trying to seek more memberships in the process. The strike is therefore to some extent beneficial for working class and to a large extent, beneficial for Trade Unions