“Down Down Globalisation”, “Stop Sale of PSUs”, “Defend Right to Employment”, “Enact Laws in Favour of Toiling Masses”, chanted the thousands of workers who have gathered at the old city’s Ramlila Maidan  to march to Parliament in protest against the government’s anti-labour policies. Workers from South to North and East to West carrying banners and flags of their unions and shouting slogans and airing their anger towards the government were stopped by the police when they arrived at the entrance to the new city, a flyover beginning from the Barakambha road. "The city is under tight security and terrorists have threatened to destroy the India Gate. In a such a situation, we are ordered not to    allow the march to proceed further," says a policeman near the barricades. "This is a massive protest march and if we break the barricade, the whole Delhi will be adversely hit," says S N Thakur, secretary of AITUC.

Over two lakh people participated in the march organised by the central trade unions and a number of independent unions and federations. The workers from fields, companies, factories and mills were flowing in groups with their strong protest against the government`s neo-liberal globalisation at the diktats of international     financial and trade institutions.

The gathering decided to have a wider consultation meeting of the trade unions on 12 March 2003 to take steps to broadbase the struggle against the government’s policies. The meeting will also decide the date of an all-India general strike. 

The rally unanimously adopted a declaration highlighting the eight-point demands of the working class. The demands were:

• Halt to privatisation of profit-making and potentially viable public sector undertakings
• No change in labour laws in favour of employers and against the interest of workers
• Immediate enactment of a comprehensive legislation for agricultural workers
• No to policies leading to severe aggravation of joblessness and unemployment
• Widen comprehensive social security schemes for all, including workers in   unorganised sector
• Restoration of quantitative restrictions on imports
• Amendment of Payment of Bonus Act by removing all ceilings
• Restoration of 12 per cent interest rate on PF deposits.

The leaders of the central trade unions viz. CITU, AITUC, HMS, INTUC, AICCTU, TUCC, UTUC and UTUC-LS, along with the leaders of industry-wise federations in railways, banks, insurance, defence and the state and central government employees, addressed the meeting endorsing the declaration placed before the huge gathering. The HMKP, Mumbai-based Kamgar Agadhi, AIFTU, IFTU and NTUI also joined the march and extended their support to the declaration.

The union leaders, who addressed the rally from a make-shift podium arranged at the middle of the fly-over, requested the workers to fight with all their might against the centre`s economic policies. "Factories are closed, foreign goods are being loaded in Indian markets and employment is declining. In such a crisis ridden situation, we gather here to issue a notice to the BJP government," says M K Pandhe, the General Secretary of CITU. "This is a    notice to the government to take immediate action towards changing its anti-labour policies," he adds.

"In the last four years, 1.70 crore workers have lost their jobs and six lakhs factories have closed down," estimates Gurudas Das Gupta, General Secretary of AITUC. "This huge gathering, representing all states includes agricultural workers and rural poor including adivasis and our protest is not baseless," he says.

According to P L Subbayya,  organisational secretary of INTUC, "Unemployment rate in the country is increasing day by day and workers are under the threat of globalisation and liberalisation." He  believes that "the need of the hour is unity and only through united struggles of the trade unions, one can achieve success."

The BMS did not participate in the march. "For the last six months, our members were holding rallies, demonstrations and protest marches all over the country. They are tired and that is why we have kept away from the rally. We have written to all trade unions expressing our solidarity and support for the rally," says Uday Patwardhan,  All India General Secretary of BMS. "Swapan Mukherjee of AICCTU, Shyam Charan Gaur of TUCC, Abany Roy of UTUC, A Sinha of UTUC-LS, Tarakaeshwar Chakraborthy of UFBEU, JP Chouba of AIRF and Sukumol Sen of AISGEF where some of the other major leaders who addressed the rally.

Before the March to Parliament, on 8 January, countrywide satyagraha, jail bharo and rasta roko agitations had taken place. This action was unanimously decided on 15 July last year where the central trade unions and independent federations together representing a cross-section of the working class of the country had assembled in a mammoth "National Assembly of Workers" at the Talkatora Stadium. "The 8 January programme was a success and so is this march,” says Mahadevan, Deputy General Secretary of AITUC. "We are happy to see a massive participation in the March to Parliament programme. The working class is aware that a concerted onslaught is unleashed on the workers," says W R Varada Rajan, Secretary of CITU.

The unity of the working class and the unions was a major positive factor that was seen throughout the March to      Parliament programme. In spite of the presence of over two lakh people, the rally ended peacefully in the afternoon.