Himachal Pradesh trade unions protest labour codes

Tribune News Service

Shimla, March 28

On a call given by central trade unions, state trade unions and employee federations held a statewide strike against the policies of the Central Government today. Thousands of labourers and employees took to the street at block and district headquarters.

In Shimla, the protesters held a rally that culminated outside the Deputy Commissioner’s office. The rally was led by CITU national secretary Kashmir Thakur, CITU state president Vijender Mehra, INTUC state president Hardeep Singh Bawa, AITUC state president Jagdish Bhardwaj, etc. The leaders alleged that the Centre was anti-worker.

Thakur said that the four labour codes that replaced 44 laws in existence for over the past 100 years were anti-employees. “More than 80 crore workers and common people will be directly affected by the policies of the government,” he added.

He alleged that there was a plan to privatise the services of anganwadi, Asha and mid-day meal scheme workers. “The order of equal pay for equal work of the Supreme Court issued in October 2016 has not been implemented for outsourced, contract, and daily wage labourers. There is no policy for the regularisation of their services,” he said.

The labourers and employees would continue their protest tomorrow as well. Privatisation of the public sector, restoration of the old pension scheme, a policy for outsourced employees, enhancement of work days under MGNREGA, jobs on compassionate grounds, fixing Rs 21,000 as minimum salary and inflation were the major issues raised during the protests.—

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