RSS trade union arm to protest Centre’s policies again

BMS to hold 2nd protest rally in 1 month; workers demand social security benefits, permanent jobs. Anganwadi teachers, cooks, ASHA workers to march to Parliament. BMS to support demand for permanent jobs; will meet Union Ministers with workers' demand charter. Central trade unions urge Bihar Govt. not to follow Centre's footsteps, reinstate dismissed Anganwadi workers.

The Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh (BMS), the trade union arm of the Sangh Parivar, will hold its second protest rally against the BJP-led Union Government in a span of just one month.

On Monday, public health and early education workers who are affiliated with the BMS will march to Parliament demanding that the Centre should declare them as government employees and provide them with social security benefits. They are the frontline workers implementing Union government programmes such as the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) and the National Health Mission.

On November 22, government and public sector employees had also protested under the BMS banner, demanding the restoration of the old pension scheme.

Anganwadi teachers and helpers, government school cooks, and Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHA) were among those who protested under the banner of several central trade unions. The BMS said it would support their demand for permanent jobs.

“Be it an anganwadi teacher or a mid-day meal programme cook, their works are not temporary and even after 45 years, schemes of ICDS are in demand and people are looking for such jobs. Their salaries are less than ₹5,000 on an average and more than one crore people are working as scheme workers,” said BMS national secretary Pawan Kumar.

Mr. Kumar said that thousands of such scheme workers will reach the national capital to participate in the protest. BMS leaders will meet Union Ministers Smriti Irani, Dharmendra Pradhan, and Mansukh Mandaviya with the workers’ demand charter, he added.

Ten central trade unions had recently written to Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar protesting the police’s baton attack against anganwadi workers and helpers, who were agitating against the termination of about 15,000 of their colleagues. In the letter, they urged the Bihar Government not to follow in the Centre’s footsteps.