BackUnions threaten strike on 2 September to protest ‘anti-labour’ reforms
The threat comes even as the labour ministry indicated that it was ready to go slow on labour reforms, and build consensus among all stakeholders first
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All national trade unions, including ruling Bharatiya Janata Party affiliate Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh (BMS), on Tuesday warned the government of protests across the country against its “anti-labour" reforms. This, even as the labour ministry indicated that it was ready to go slow on labour reforms, and build consensus among all stakeholders first.
“The government wants to sell the interests of the nation, of the poor, and of farmers to big industries and to foreign companies. We have the answer—strike," said D.L. Sachdeva, national secretary of the All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC), a central trade union.
“A nationwide strike will take place on 2 September and before that, there will be several labour conventions to pass on the message to workers," said Sachdeva on the sidelines of a national convention of labour unions in New Delhi, coinciding with the first anniversary of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government.
Pawan Kumar, a zonal organizing secretary of BMS, said his organization “understands" the government and that is why it has joined the protest along with other trade unions. He added that BMS was the largest trade union in the country “not because of the government, but because of the workers".
Trade unions said the government believed in “propaganda" and would use all the means at its disposal, including social media, to counter the views of workers and unions. Union leaders said they would have to redouble their efforts to spread awareness about the government’s intentions to workers at the state, district and industrial-hub levels.
“We believe in person-to-person contact," said Kumar, adding that the government may have changed but its voice and agenda continues to be the same.
A.K. Padmanabhan, president of the Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU), another central trade union, said he did not believe that the central government was in the least bit interested in the welfare of workers. All that it was saying was aimed at diverting people’s attention, he added. “Our demands related to minimum wage and universal social security have been pending for years. The recent anti-labour reforms are being carried out without due consultation. They want to see protests... we will oblige," Padmanabhan said.
Labour minister Bandaru Dattatreya, on his part, struck a more conciliatory note. In an interview, he said: “Labour law reforms are in the proposal stage, tripartite discussions are on... we are not in a hurry."
At the same time, Dattatreya insisted that labour reforms were the need of the hour and his government believed in “looking forward". He said the reforms were necessary for growth and job creation, though they would be undertaken in a “phased manner".
Several labour reform proposals are under consideration. The labour ministry plans to consolidate 44 laws into five broad laws. It wants to allow women to work night shifts and intends to allow small factories to comply with just one labour law instead of 14 central laws at present.
Among other changes, it is working to make the National Pension System an alternative to the Employees’ Provident Fund, and health insurance an alternative to Employees’ State Insurance Corporation-driven health services for industrial workers.
To build consensus among all stakeholders, including trade unions and industries, the prime minister’s office has set up a special committee comprising five ministers. But trade unions are not biting the bait. “We are not asking for much. Just what is needed for workers," said Gurudas Dasgupta, a CPI leader and general secretary of AITUC.
At the national convention, trade unions, in a joint statement, expressed “deep concern over the anti-worker, anti-people and pro-corporate actions" of the NDA government. They said the government was busy trying to amend laws to empower employers with “unfettered rights to hire and fire" and announced their decision to strike work across industries on 2 September.
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