The Hindu : Tamil Nadu News : Marumalarchi Labour Front seeks six-hour workday

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, May 02, 2007
ePaper

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

Marumalarchi Labour Front seeks six-hour workday

Special Correspondent

Mental, physical suffering `because of extended hours'

— Photo: T. Singaravelou

FOCUS ON LABOUR ISSUES: MDMK general secretary Vaiko at the State conference of the Marumalarchi Labour Front in Cuddalore on Tuesday.

CUDDALORE: As part of the May Day demands, the Marumalarchi Labour Front (MLF) has urged the Tamil Nadu Government to shorten the working day for the labourers from eight to six hours.

The MLF at its State-level conference held here on Tuesday in the presence of Vaiko, general secretary of the Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, noted that 100 years ago there was a call for an eight-hour workday.

But, owing to extended hours and unusual workload that had become the bane of the information technology sector, including call centres (BPOs), employees were suffering from physical and mental ailments.

Hence, the MLF was in favour of reduced working hours.

In another resolution, it sought statutory benefits for the employees of the closed or sick units.

Those who had procured such units at throwaway prices in Chennai, Coimbatore and Tirupur had started disposing of the machinery and selling off the land, thereby making huge profits, whereas, the employees were left in the lurch.

The MLF stated that to protect the labour force from exploitation, contract workers in cotton mills and the public sector undertakings such as Neyveli Lignite Corporation, Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd, Tiruchi, Tamil Nadu Electricity Board and the Pugalur Paper Mills should be regularised.

Status of NLC

The MLF said the NLC that was earning an annual profit of Rs. 1,200 crore and enjoying the Mini Ratna status should never be privatised. It called upon the management to take speedy measures for the wage revision that was due from 2006.

It sought the government's intervention for the amicable wage settlement in cotton mills, pending since 1999, lifting of ceiling on bonus and wages, and fixing of 9.5 per cent interest on provident fund contributions.

The MLF called upon the DMK Government to fulfil its poll promise of entering into a three-year wage agreement with the transport corporation employees. It insisted that the Electricity Act 2003 that provided for trifurcation of the TNEB and its privatisation be scrapped.

Inflationary trend

It attributed the inflationary trend to the wrong economic policy of the Centre, the entry of multinational companies into retail trade and the advent of online trade.

It suggested ban on advertisements on essential commodities, because the cost was added on to the sale price, thereby contributing to inflation.

The MLF wanted the cooperative and government sugar mills to take to co-generation and ethanol production.

S.Muthu, MLF president, S.Duraisamy, general secretary, and C.Kannaiyan, vice-president, participated.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Tamil Nadu