The Hindu : Trade unions should come together: AITUC leader

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Dec 10, 2003

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National

Trade unions should come together: AITUC leader

By Our Special Correspondent

CHENNAI Dec. 9. The general secretary of the All- India Trade Union Congress, Gurudas Dasgupta, today appealed to all trade unions to "consider seriously" its suggestion for a "single, independent trade union" for the whole country at the central level and industry-wise single trade unions to enable the working class to face increasing attacks on its rights and interests.

"Independent means independent of political parties, employers and the Government," he told a press conference.

The highly-fragmented condition of the trade union movement in the country as a result of the unions' political-party affiliation served the interests of employers and weakened worker interests, he said. The AITUC supported the demand for recognition of trade unions solely on the basis of secret ballot, he said.

Mr. Dasgupta called upon the Congress president, Sonia Gandhi, to spell out her party's stance on the economic policies pursued by the BJP-led Government at the Centre, and whether her party supported "privatisation of the public sector the way it is being implemented and dilution of labour laws." If the Congress placed itself "in the same bandwagon of economic policies" of the BJP which were leading to industrial closures, fall in the prices of farm produce and massive unemployment, it "cannot emerge as an alternative to the BJP in the next elections solely on the anti-communalism plank."

Advocating massive government investment, even at the risk of increasing the budget deficit, to expand infrastructure, education, health, employment and economic growth, Mr. Dasgupta said the Government should rely on taxing the rich and enforcing strict compliance with the tax regime to wriggle out of the present financial crisis, stop imports that affected domestic production and reduce expenditure on armaments.

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