Hard-Earned Labour Laws Lost under Modi Government.-Labour Organizations Protest against ‘Anti-Labour’ Policies. Various Labour Organizations like CITU, AITUC, INTUC, HMS BSNL, Bank Employees Association among others, Protested near Clock Tower in the City against Central Government ‘Anti-Labour’ Policies, in connection with the anniversary of the commencement of Quit India Movement
Mangaluru: Various labour organisations including CITU, AITUC and INTUC will hold a protest against the “anti-labour” policies of the central government in the city on Wednesday, 9 August 2023 at 11 am. It should be noted that the “Quit India Movement was launched against the British Government to force it to leave the country. But, after 75 years of Independence, all the hard-earned labour laws have been lost under the Narendra Modi regime,” said one of the CITU members.
The main purpose of the protest was to explain to the people that an eight-hour workday for labourers was achieved through a series of struggles. But, the labour laws had now been diluted, as a result of which workers had been forced to work for 12 to 15 hours a day. Besides, the government itself was not ready to implement the Minimum Wages Act. Similarly, farmers were not getting remunerative prices for their produce. Rural workers were not getting employment opportunities, We are going to the people explaining what all the rights the citizens have lost in the country when the nation is celebrating the 75th year of Independence,” said the protesting Labour organization’s leaders.
Organisations demanded that the order mandating 12 working hours per day should be withdrawn immediately and the minimum wage should be increased to Rs 31,500. Labour organisations want the government to include Asha, Anganwadi and midday meal workers also under the minimum wages scheme. Further, they demand the government withdraw the labour codes. Other demands included the implementation of a minimum pension of Rs 8,000 per month, stopping monetization or privatization of public sector industries, increasing the man days under the MGNREGS to 200, extending social security schemes to migrant labourers and social welfare schemes to all workers in the unorganised sector.
During the protest, CPM Dakshina Kannada district secretariat member Sunil Kumar Bajal; Seetharam B- AITUC Dakshina Kannada Secretary; Suresh B- VP of Dakshina Kannada INTUC; Ramaanna Vitla- AICCTU DK President, among others spoke.
