The Hindu : Karnataka News : Centre accused of amending labour laws for helping employers

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, May 02, 2004

Karnataka

Karnataka

Centre accused of amending labour laws for helping employers

By Our Staff Correspondent

TUMKUR, MAY 1. Leaders of various trade unions, who addressed a rally of workers on May Day here on Saturday, criticised the National Democratic Alliance Government at the Centre for "taking away the basic rights of workers and rewriting labour laws to serve only the interests of employers.''

The labour leaders alleged that the Government was instigating communal disturbances to break the labour movement. According to them, the labour movement in India, which had attained international recognition, had been withering away in the past five years because of the Government's alleged anti-labour policies.

Thousands of workers from industrial units, civic bodies, and business establishments gathered at Town Hall Circle in the morning, and marched through the main streets shouting slogans in support of the working class.

Anganwadi workers from all the 10 taluks of Tumkur district, hamalis, and pourakarmikas from all parts of the district participated.

They expressed their anguish at a number of industrial units not declaring a holiday for May Day and urged the State Government to initiate action against them.

The general secretary of the Karnataka unit of the Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU), V.J.K. Nayar, who inaugurated the rally, said the working class was facing a crisis because of the denial of right to strike and the attempt by the Union Government to amend labour laws allegedly in favour of employers. In the wake of the predicament of the labour class, the observance of May Day should be made more meaningful.

Besides creating awareness about their rights among workers, May Day functions should reflect upon the problems faced by workers in the unorganised sector, he added.

The president of the State unit of the Democratic Youth Federation of India, K.N. Umesh, said the Bharatiya Janata Party had failed to keep its promise to create one crore jobs for youths. He alleged that the BJP was misusing youths to serve its political ends.

The vice-president of the People for India Forum, G.K. Gangadhar, said trade unions should be strengthened to provide momentum to the labour movement. He accused the Vajpayee Government of closing down a number of public sector units and said lakhs of people had lost their jobs.

Mohammed Dastagir, trade union leader, said a large number of workers were not being paid minimum wages and did not have job security.

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