Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI(M)) MPs John Brittas and AA Raheem raised the issue of workers’ rights and the dismal condition of the banking sector in the country in Parliament on Thursday.Speaking in the Rajya Sabha, Brittas said workers’ rights had been snatched away in the new labour codes. “A vast section of workers, labourers, farmers and employees from government offices to remote mine are on the path of strike. Even when the Parliament is in session, a national strike of trade unions is going on against the ‘anti-labour’ labour codes and for restoration of the MGNREGA scheme,” the MP said.He alleged that the new labour codes had put the hard-fought labour rights in jeopardy, adding that the government wanted to usher in contractual employment of “hire and fire”.“Workers are also up in the arms over the India-US trade deal. The agreement has created consternation among the people, and they are urging the government not to ‘forfeit the sovereignty’ of the country,” he added.Central trade unions, representing 30 crore workers, observed a nationwide strike on Thursday, protesting the government’s “anti-worker, anti-farmer and pro-corporate policies”. Their key demands include scrapping new labour codes and specific Bills. The strike impacted banking, insurance, transport, and energy sectors across several states, with farmers’ unions also joining the protests.Their immediate demands also include withdrawal of the Draft Seed Bill and Electricity Amendment Bill, and the Sustainable Harnessing and Advancement of Nuclear Energy for Transforming India (SHANTI) Act. The unions are also demanding the restoration of MGNREGA and the scrapping of the Viksit Bharat – Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) Act, 2025.Raheem sought to bring the spotlight on the pitiable condition of employees of the banking sector. “Reports of suicides by banking sector employees have came to the fore recently. Data shows that around 500 employees working in banks committed suicide in the last decade. Banks today are chronically under-staffed and employees are under severe duress to perform. It is time we stop the slavery of banking sector,” he said.The Rajya Sabha member also claimed that the bank staff was forced to sell third-party products like private insurances as well as coax people into joining various government schemes.
