Tamil Nadu - Madurai   

`Rights of labour force under threat'

By Our Staff Reporter

MADURAI, MAY 1. The Communist parties, the Congress and the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam have contributed their mite to the industrial development of the country and the State and have also struggled to get the just rights of the working community, the State secretary of the Communisty Party of India, R. Nallakannu, said here today.

Unfurling the party flag on the May Day, Mr. Nallakannu said the Bharatiya Janata Party had neither any role to play in the country's independence movement nor in industrial development. Only because of the foresight of the first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, many public sector industrial units came up and later banks were nationalised. The rights of the labour force got in the last 50 years after toil and struggle were under threat in the last few years, owing to rampant privatisation, which, he said, would lead to unemployment among the backward classes, Dalits and the poor.

"Pensionary benefits and the right to strike, which was resorted to as the last tool of bargain for the working class, were denied," he said.

Out of the 3.5 lakh small scale units, over 1.5 lakh units were closed down, in the recent past, not because of strike, but only because of the wrong economic policies of the Government, he said.

The price increase of construction materials and cement had resulted in a crisis in the construction industry. Stating that there were 40 crore people below the poverty line and over 53 lakh youths, registered with the employment exchange, waiting for jobs, he said the BJP was not addressing these core issues but only trying to instigate communal passion.

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• Extension of new train to Madurai likely
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• `Rights of labour force under threat'
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