Bangalore: The State Committee of the All-India Trade Union Congress (AITUC) has termed the coalition Government anti-labour and pro-employer and expressed disappointment over the handling of the Labour Department by Minister of State for Labour Tanvir Sait.

Addressing presspersons here on Thursday, State General Secretary of AITUC H.V. Ananthasubba Rao said the Government has sacrificed the interests of workers in favour of managements. He said the Labour Department is not functioning effectively and, in the past year, it has ignored demands of workers and compelled trade unions to abide by conditions laid out by managements during settlements with workers.

Mr. Rao said the living conditions of workers, their struggle, and the Government's outlook will be major subjects for discussion at the State conference in Bellary from November 5 to 8.

He said the Government has invoked the Essential Services Maintenance Act (ESMA) to register cases against workers of the Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation, particularly those who are affiliated to the KSRTC Staff and Workers' Federation of the AITUC. Over 200 KSRTC employees have been dismissed from service and 1,000 employees transferred to remote areas in the past year, he added.

Minimum Wages Act

Mr. Rao said the Government has failed to implement the Minimum Wages Act pertaining to the beedi industry. He said the minimum wages for the beedi sector were stipulated nearly a decade ago, and when several lakhs of daily-wage earners demanded the implementation of the Act, owners of establishments challenged it in the High Court. With the court directing the managements to pay the stipulated minimum wages, the establishments went in appeal to the Supreme Court, he said.

The AITUC leader alleged that the Government has banned strikes at Grasim and Toyota Kirloskar under Section 10 of the Industrial Disputes Act. However, it has not directed the managements to pay interim relief to employees pending disposal of the case, he said. As per the law, the Government should direct managements to provide for relief, he added.

The eighth conference of the AITUC will be inaugurated by Veerabhadra Chennamalla Swami of Nidumamidi Mutt. Gurudas Dasgupta, AITUC General Secretary and MP, and S. Sudhakar Reddy, MP and Chairman of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Labour, will preside.

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