Major trade unions, except the Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh, on Tuesday decided to go on an all-India strike on February 24, agitated over Centre's 'failure' to take steps to negate the 'pernicious' impact of Supreme Court's observation on banning strikes by government employees.

Interestingly, the Congress-supported INTUC, which had earlier backed out, saying 'irresponsible trade union movement had caused enough damage to the working class and the economic growth of the country,' however, decided to join the strike.

The call by the major central trade unions including CITU, AITUC, AICCTU, TUCC, UTUC and UTUC-LS, was made under the chairmanship of INTUC President G Sanjeeva Reddy, a joint statement by the unions said.

However, Sangh Parivar-backed BMS decided to stay away from the strike, with its president Hasubhai Dave saying that the prime minister had already given them the assurance that the Centre would find a way on the issue of 'right to strike.'

The strike, which was earlier scheduled for February 11, is also to protest against 'galloping unemployment, growing poverty, reckless privatisation and closures and dilatory tactics to enact law for unorganised sector workers.'

In September, a resolution, moved by Reddy, was passed at the national convention attended by the central trade unions which included the option to call for a strike if the Centre failed to honour their demands within three months.