Demand Day organized across Jharkhand
AICCTU organized a one-day dharna (sit-in) across Jharkhand on 18 May to demand resolution of problems faced by daily wagers and Corona frontline workers during Covid pandemic. AICCTU leaders and activists held dharna at the AICCTU office in Ranchi following all Covid protocols.
AICCTU Karnataka Releases Report on Workers in the Second Wave
On 18th May, 2021, the AICCTU released its report, which was brought out in collaboration with the Garment and Textile Workers Union (GATWU) and the Domestic Workers Rights Union – “Workers in the Second Wave – The impact of COVID-19 lockdown on local and migrant workers in Bengaluru”. It highlighted the manner in which the working class and economically weaker sections are battling not only to save their lives, but struggling to secure livelihoods.
May Day Protests
May Day Demonstrations of workers of AICCTU affiliated unions were held in major towns and mandal (block) headquarters of Anantapur, Kadapa, Kurnool, Guntoor, Krishna, East Godavari, Vizag and Srikakulam districts of Andhra Pradesh and Janagaon, Hyderabad districts of Telangana under. Workers from various sectors - Construction, Hospital Sanitation, Anganwadi, Auto union, School sanitation and MDM workers – hoisted the flags and joined May Day protest with firm resolve to scrap anti worker labour codes and anti-farmer Farm laws, observing Covid protocols.
While the Modi-2 government at centre is being rightly held responsible for Corona-2 catastrophe in the country by people’s movements, the virtual collapse of India's public health care system in the face of 2nd wave has become a worrisome point. This wave of Corona pandemic has absolutely exposed the hollowness of our country’s public health care system and the criminally apathetic attitude of the ‘elected’ rulers towards the health care of common people.
With an increase in the number of COVID-19 cases and deaths during the 2nd wave of the pandemic, the country is facing an inordinate stress on crematoriums and cemeteries for disposal of the dead. We continue to hear the news of how local authorities are identifying mass cremation centers to deal with the situation or how electric crematoriums are breaking down due to the load and cities are running out of burial space.
The deadly Covid wave of April-May 2021 hit Delhi very badly after receding in last December. According to official data, infection rate this time was as high as adding 28,395 new cases each day in mid-April. And the death rate was as high as 448 each day in early May.
As of May 15, 2021, Karnataka had 6,05,494 active COVID-19 cases and had 21,434 COVID-19 deaths. Of these, more than 60% of the active COVID-19 cases i.e. 3,66,791 were in Bengaluru alone. There were 9340 COVID-19 deaths in Bengaluru.