Kumar Vikas
Motherland, Reporter, Delhi
A meeting of the National Coordination Committee of Public Sectors of Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh (BMS) comprising of the representatives of BMS unions in sectors like Coal, Non-coal, Defence, Railway, Postal, Banking, Insurance, Steel, Marine and PSUs like Telecom, Power, Defence production, Heavy engineering, Oil and gas, FCI, Aviation, Chemical, Currency and coins, Atomic energy, NALCO, NLC etc. was held on 2nd& 3rd June 2020.
The meeting was held to decide the plan of action of BMS against the process of privatization aggressively pursued by the Central Government in different names in different sectors like the commercialization of coal sector, corporatization of Defence ordnance factories board and Railway, Strategic sale of PSUs, merger and privatization of banks, Insurance, increasing FDI cap etc.
It was decided in the meeting, that, BMS will launch a nationwide agitation on 10th June’ 2020 under the banner “Save Public Sector, Save India”. BMS will organize protest programs in all the above-mentioned units in the form of daylong dharna, protest meetings, and campaign etc. at the unit level.
It is being observed from past few decisions of the Government that it is trying to push and impose its unjust decisions on the workers of the country. The BMS is committed to fighting until it stops the government from taking the anti-public sector and anti-worker decisions.
The meeting hailed the contribution of the public sector to the national economy as well as the service to the people and demanded to stop of privatization to save the nation and stakeholders. Government is justifying the dire need of money to run the government machinery. However, it has no moral right or authority to sell national assets created by its predecessors.
Previously the government tried to make a strategic move in the name of selling loss-making units; but since no sensible purchaser was ready to take up loss-making units, now the government is forced to move to their main motive of selling highly profitable sectors like Maharatna/Navaratnas to lure the purchaser.
The advisors to the Government are the dearth of ideas to generate revenue, hence the only way out they provide to the Government is “Corporatize and Privatize”. Such predatory advisors are working against the interest of the nation and are keen to keep real experts away from the Government even in times of difficulties.
The government should shed its reluctance in social dialogue and start consulting stakeholders to find out other means to address fiscal deficit and revenue generation.