Strike across India for rights of workers, better pay

NEW DELHI: Millions of workers began a nationwide two-day strike across India on Monday to express their anger at the government’s economic policies and press their demands for improved rights for industrial workers, employees and farmers.

About a dozen labour unions that organised the strike want the government to provide universal social security coverage for workers in the vast unorganised sector, hike the minimum wage under a flagship employment guarantee programme and stop the privatisation of public-sector banks.

The strikers are also demanding that the government should halt plans to sellstate assets. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government says privatising some state-owned banks would overhaul the banking industry and that asset sales would help raise money to spur economic growth.