Kerala - Kollam   

AITUC reiterates its opposition to SEZs

Strong stance: AITUC general secretary Kanam Rajendran inaugurating the delegates session of the ninth State conference the Kerala State Private Motor Workers Federation in Kollam on Sunday.

KOLLAM: State general secretary of the All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC) Kanam Rajendran has said that Special Economic Zones (SEZs) would only serve to create Guantanamo Bay-like detention camps for workers.

He was inaugurating the delegates session of the ninth State conference of the Kerala State Private Motor Workers Federation (KSPMWF) here on Sunday.

Mr. Rajendran reiterated the AITUC’s strong opposition to SEZs. He said that such zones would be enclaves where no labour laws would be applicable. It was only to serve their own vested interests that employers demand so-called “flexible labour laws” in these zones.

There may be trade unions that endorsed the demand; but the AITUC had a consistent stand on the issue. The AITUC had declared its opposition to SEZs right from the time the previous National Democratic Alliance government declared its exim policy.

On the SEZ issue, the AITUC saw no difference between Goa, Orissa and West Bengal. In fact, in Goa the movement led by the AITUC against SEZ grew into such a major peoples agitation that the State government there had to drop the move. The AITUC spearheaded such an agitation in Kerala too, he said.

The inaugural function was presided over by State president of the federation C.K. Sasidharan. CPI leaders K. Prakash Babu and Soni B. Thengamam; N. Anirudhan, MLA; AITUC leaders H. Rajeevan and Fazaluddin Haq and AIYF leader Sam K. Daniel spoke.

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