by admin | May 25, 2021 | Corporate, Corporate Governance, News, Politics
New Delhi : Blaming successive governments for undertaking economic and labour reforms hostile to workers, a joint forum of central trade unions (CTUs) on Monday demanded universal social security coverage for every worker and that all contract workers be made permanent.
The Confederation of Central Trade Unions (CONCENT) comprising the Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh (BMS), the Indian National Trade Union Congress (INTUC), the Trade Union Coordination Centre (TUCC) and National Federation of Indian Trade Unions (NFITU), at its national convention here resolved to fight against the government’s moves to privatise railways, defence establishment, banks and ports.
“Universal social security coverage should be provided to each and every worker under Employees’ State Insurance Corp (ESIC) and the Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation, (EPFO). Scheme workers like Angadwadi Asha, mid-day meal should be declared as government employees and until then be provided minimum wages of Rs 18,000,” BMS President C.K. Saji Narayanan told the convention here.
The charter of demands signed by the representatives of the four CTUs include making all contract workers permanent, strongly implementing all labour laws and raising minimum wages for all categories to Rs 18,000 per month throughout the country.
“In the name of simplification and codification, existing rights of workers should not be snatched. The burning issues of sectors like railways, coal, defence, banks, ports, airports, electricity, tea and other plantations should be taken up separately by the concerned ministry,” they said in the charter of demands.
They also demanded labour and farmers representation in NITI Aayog.
—IANS
by admin | May 25, 2021 | Corporate Jobs, Economy, Employment, Government Jobs, News
New Delhi:(IANS) Essential services, including transport and banking are likely to be affected on Wednesday (today) with 10 central trade unions going on a nationwide strike.
Taxi and auto drivers will also participate in the protest, All India Trade Union secretary, D.L. Sachdev told IANS here on Tuesday.
“Over 15 crore people would go on strike in the country to protest against the government’s anti-worker policies,” he claimed.
Over 90,000 auto-rickshaws and 15,000 taxis are expected to go off the road in the national capital, said Sanjay Chawla, who had mobilised about 40,000 auto drivers to support ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) before elections.
He said 2.5 lakh posters have been put up across Delhi in support of the strike.
Sachdev said flights might also get delayed as aviation fuel supply was likely to be affected. He said the other sectors that would be impacted include coal, port and docks, steel, oil and gas supply.
All India Bank Employees’ Association (AIBEA) general secretary C.H. Venkatachalam said, “Across the country about 500,000 bank workers and officers would participate in the strike. About 75,000 branches will not work tomorrow.”
“Employees of the public sector, old private sector, cooperative and regional rural banks will take part in the strike,” he added.
However, employees of State Bank of India (SBI) and Indian Overseas Bank are not participating in the strike.
He said refilling of currency notes at automatic teller machines (ATM) by bank employees will also be affected.
“In those ATMs where refilling of currency note operation have been outsourced, the strike will impact them as well as the ATMs may go dry fast,” he added.
Sachdev said the government was offering Rs. 7,100 per month as the minimum wage, but the unions stick to their demand of enhancing it to Rs.15,000 a month as the government was not accepting the demand for equal wages for contractual workers at par with regular workers.
Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh (BMS) and National Front of Indian Trade Unions, however, have decide not to participate the strike, citing “positive response” of the government.
The unions have called the strike to seek their representation in the labour reform process and wages to contractual workers at par with regular workers, apart from increasing the stipulated minimum wages to Rs.15,000.
In the financial services sector, employees of government-owned Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) and four non-life insurance companies would also be participating in the strike.
“Unions representing class 3 and 4 category of employees in LIC and the four non-life insurers have given the strike call,” J.Gurumurthy, vice president, All India Insurance Employees Association (AIIEA) told IANS.
The government on Tuesday urged the central trade unions to call off their countrywide strike on Wednesday. “I appeal to them to reconsider the call of strike in the interest of the workers and the nation,” Union Labour and Employment Minister Bandaru Dattatreya told reporters here.
Last week, the trade unions and a group of ministers led by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley had met twice.
Dattatreya said the government responded positively to nine out of the 12 demands, while no consensus was reached on the remaining.
