Sharan Burrow, general secretary of the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) and former President of the Australian Council of Trade Unions, has expressed alarm at a “wholesale erosion of labour laws initiated by the Indian government,” and its “opening the way for privatization of social security.” Trade unions are planning a nationwide strike on January 8, with Centre of Indian Trade Unions Karnataka president S. Varalakshmi saying “the Centre is systematically weakening the public sector industries on the pretext of loss and in the name of competition encouraging privatization in the public sector.” [New Indian Express, 23 November 2018]