The central and state government employee unions on Thursday asked various trade unions to advance the nationwide strike against "anti-employee" policies of the government and the Supreme court ruling banning strikes by government employees, to January 2004.

This is to enable the government employees, industrial working class and all other sections of workers and employees to unite to protect all democratic and trade union rights, including the right to strike, and make it a success, they said.

"We appeal to all central and state government employees and teachers to earnestly prepare for the ensuing nationwide united strike," the Confederation of Central Government Employees and Workers and the All India State Government Employees Federation said in a statement in New Delhi.

The statement said "the attack of the government and the management is coming in a big way on the working class and all sections of employees and teachers, by severe downsizing, retrenchment and closure and the judiciary is pronouncing anti-worker ruling one after another."

Noting that the National Trade Union Convention had asked for preparation of nation-wide strike and mass campaign against the SC ruling banning strikes by government employees, the unions said this may be advanced to January, 2004.

"We request the central trade unions to advance and fix the date of the nation-wide strike in consultation with All India State Government Employees Federation and Confederation of Central Government Employees and Workers and their National Federations, to be implemented in the first half of January 2004," the statement said.