BackWanton strike
On the reasons for labour unions calling for strikes every now and then
Premium(Ramesh Pathania/Mint)
It is not unusual for labour unions to call for strikes every now and then. For the most part, the issues they raise can only be called existential: they have little connect with real matters.
The planned two-day strike from Wednesday supported by all major unions falls in the class of mindless industrial action. The unions want the government to tame inflation, “implement" labour laws, and halt disinvestment. That is not all, they want pensions for everyone, deregulation of petrol and diesel halted, and—hold your breath—a price fixation policy and a universal ration system.
Why not ask for manna from heaven? These demands do not even merit consideration given the utterly erroneous economic ideas they are based on. The proposed strike is not about bread-and-butter issues; it has everything to do with the fashion of striking every now and then, just to keep bargaining power in the hands of unions.
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