Workers of the KSRTC and BMTC who are affiliated to the All India Road Transport Workers Federation will hold a rally on December 24 to protest the government’s decision to reintroduce the Essential Services Maintenance Act (ESMA).
The Act was originally enacted in 1968. It considers strikes in sectors designated as essential services as being illegal and allows for the arrest of striking employees without warrants. “The Congress government has shown its real face. They have no faith in democracy,” Prasanna Kumar, a Federation member told mediapersons here on Tuesday.
He declared that with the reintroduction of the Act, the government will consider all workers under essential services as criminals. “According to the Act, a prior notice of two to four weeks must be submitted to call for a strike. It’s reintroduction will take away the right to freedom of speech,” Kumar said.