Trade unions protest against Centre’s labour policy

Special Correspondent

SILCHAR, February 26: Different trade unions which include INTUC, CITU, AITUC, AIUTUC, AICCTU, TUCC, ASEF and EWTCC protested against the anti-labour policy of the Central Government today. They have expressed their serious resentment at the reported move of the Centre to unilaterally bring about modification in the existing labour laws which have been described as detrimental to the wider interests of working class people. Though the Union Law Minister assured the trade union leaders of dialogue with the trade union bodies, this has been ignored.

 The Government of Rajasthan on July 31, 2014 modified the factory act as well as contract labour act and empowered the owners to follow ‘hire and fire’ policy. This will, the leaders say, will only add to the number of the temporary workers. Their social security will be lost. Further, with the modification in the apprenticeship act, a large number of labourers will remain out of the purview of the prime labour act.

 The unions are also apprehensive that the modification will only smoothen the process of curtailing the labour strength of all categories and encourage the owners or magement to employ workers at their own will. Besides, this will also lead to exploitation of the labour class. It is also a matter of concern that the Central Government is maintaining complete silence over the unimous resolutions nos. 43, 44 and 45 adopted at the All India tiol Conference in the matter of providing basic amenities and facilities to the working class people.

 The trade union leaders at the same time have criticized the Centre for ignoring the issues of minimum salary of Rs.15,000 for all categories of workers and at the same time remaining indifferent to the core matters of social security and pension to the workers of unorganized sector. They are pressing the Centre on the implementation of their priority demand for compulsory registration of the trade union bodies and approval of the resolutions nos. ILO 87 and 98 adopted at the Intertiol Conference.

 The trade union leaders, Kishore Bhattacharjee of INTUC, Supriya Bhattacharjee of CITU, Rafique Ahmed of AITUC, Fidel Choudhury of TUCC among others have cautioned the NDA Government of harming the interests of the Indian economy and the security of the country by approving the FDI in defence, insurance, railways and other departments.

 If the Centre fails to respond to the call of the trade union bodies to desist from modifying the existing labour laws and allowing the FDI even in profit making tiolized organizations, they will be left with no altertive than to launch vigorous agitation. As a first step towards it, all the trade union bodies, their leaders, workers, supporters and working class people today assembled under the statue of Khudiram Bose and held protest demonstration before the office of the Deputy Commissioner of Cachar.