GUWAHATI, May 24 � The Joint Council of Trade Unions, Assam has called on workers and employees of the State to observe the Anti-Price Rise Week which began on May 23. The protest is against the sudden and steep hike in petrol price and the proposed hike in prices of diesel, LPG cylinder, kerosene and the impending rise in power tariff.
The State executive committee of the JCTU, which met in Guwahati recently under the presidentship of Bipul Dev Sarma, criticised the price hikes as these would make life difficult for the common people who are already at the receiving end of inflation.
According to the JCTU, the Government�s nod to the increase in prices of petroleum and diesel prices is nothing sort of a deception. It was pointed out that the Government�s argument to increase prices is unacceptable because the rise being made or proposed is beyond the increase of international crude oil prices.
�All the State-owned oil marketing companies have been registering high profits and are giving huge dividends to the government exchequer while the UPA spokesperson has justified the price rise on the ground that these companies are incurring losses,� a JCTU press statement mentioned.
It further opposed the decision of the ASEB to raise the power tariff by 25 paise per unit, which comes at a time when people are already peeved over frequent load shedding.
The JCTU has appealed to all sections of workers and employees of the State to register their opposition through various actions against these moves which it termed as anti-people and unwarranted.
