Amaravati, July 9:
Protest demonstrations and rallies were held across Andhra Pradesh on Tuesday as part of the nationwide general strike called by central trade unions against the Centre’s labour policies, privatisation, and rising prices.
Thousands of workers from various sectors — including transport, banking, insurance, construction, and unorganised workers — participated in the strike in cities like Vijayawada, Visakhapatnam, Tirupati, Guntur, and Kurnool.
In Vijayawada, striking workers blocked roads at Benz Circle, raised slogans condemning “anti-worker and pro-corporate” policies of the Union government, and demanded withdrawal of the proposed amendments to labour laws.
Public transport services were partially affected in several districts as employees of the APSRTC staged sit-ins at bus depots. Banking operations were also hit, with employees of public sector banks joining the strike and holding protests outside their branches.
Leaders of CITU, AITUC, INTUC, and other trade unions addressed gatherings and accused the government of pushing through reforms that hurt workers’ rights, while ignoring demands for minimum wages and social security for unorganised workers.
Security was stepped up at key locations and no major untoward incidents were reported.Trade unions asserted that the strike received massive support in Andhra Pradesh and vowed to intensify their movement if the government failed to heed their demands.
Hashtags: #AndhraPradesh #July9Strike #GeneralStrike #TradeUnions #WorkersRights
