India's largest central trade union, Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh, said on Monday it will mobilise workers and public against Special economic zones by launching nation-wide protests from July 16 to 23.
"It is an attempt to take the fertile land of farmers which will reflect on agricultural products. All this seems to be a big land scam," said a statement issued by BMS, which is supported by Bhartiya Janata Party.
The union, which claims membership of over 62 lakh workers, said it will organise dharnas and rallies across the country during the protest week.
Demanding a regulatory authority to monitor over 500 SEZs, BMS said all political parties and trade unions should be taken into confidence while framing policy
of SEZs.
Girish Awashti, President of BMS, alleged that government was acquiring fertile agricultural land at low price from farmers to hand it over to big industrial houses.
The executive body of the union in its meeting at Nagpur from August 16-18 will decide the next course of action against SEZ policy, said Aswani Rana, BMS Media Incharge.
The union claimed that government's policy of hire and fire in these tax-free zones has opened doors of victimization of workers.
Demanding a review of the policy, the union said government will also lose huge revenue through tax exemption in SEZs.
India's great rush for SEZs