New
Delhi: Trade unions today strongly protested against some proposed amendments
to labour laws saying that these “unilateral” reforms by the Narendra Modi
government are anti-worker.
Labour Minister Bandaru Dattatreya with the Oil Minister
Dharmendra Pradhan meeting the all Central Trade Unions on 10 Point charter of
Demands, in New Delhi on May 15, 2015.
Union
leaders were of the view that it is quite possible the all central trade unions
may decide to go on strike at national convention to be held on May 26.
Twelve
unions are attending a meeting today called by the government to discuss their
10-point agenda and issues relating certain proposed amendments to labour laws,
which were opposed by them earlier.
“These
labour reforms are unilateral and anti-worker. We are most likely to decide the
date for nationwide strike at national convention of central trade union on May
26,” All India Trade Union Congress Secretary D L Sachdev, who is attending the
meeting, said.
Labour
Minister Bandaru Dattatreya is discussing issues flagged by unions with them.
Power Minister Piyush Goyal, Oil Minister Dharmendra Pradhan joined Dattatreya
later.
“This
government is not giving any heed to labour issues. Two of the ministers came
late. They are not dealing with labour issues,” Centre of Indian Trade Unions
President A K Padmanabhan said, who is also attending the meeting.
Hind
Mazdoor Sabha Secretary A D Nagpal, another leader present in the meeting,
said: “The central trade unions are likely to decided the date of strike on May
26. We have been opposing these so called labour reforms.”
The
central trade unions’ 10-point agenda includes demands like government steps to
deal with issues like price rise and unemployment.
Providing
universal social security cover for workers and stopping disinvestment of PSUs
are also part of demands.
The
central trade unions have added two more demands to their 10 points
agenda–scrapping the decision to allow foreign investment in railways and
defence and “unilateral” changes in labour laws.
Unions
have been opposing certain proposed labour law amendments which encourage hire
and fire, makes it tougher to make labour unions and diluting existing social
security net available to the workers at different fora.
Under
the proposed Industrial Relations Code Bill 2015, the employers with up to 300
workers would not require government permission for retrenchment, lay off and
closure.
PTI