Trade Unions to Hold Nationwide Protest on July 3, Claim Slavery on Workers Through Labour Law Changes

Ten central trade unions including Indian National Trade Union Congress and Centre of Indian Trade Unions among others on Friday gave a call for a nationwide protest on July 3, to lodge their resentment against anti-worker and anti-people policies of the government.

"We call upon the working class and trade unions of all affiliations to make the programme of Nationwide Protest Day on 3rd July 2020 a massive success throughout the country...," a joint statement by the ten central trade unions said.

After the observance of the Nationwide Protest Day, a concrete form of non-cooperation and defiance including nationwide general strike will be decided by the joint platform of Central Trade Unions and independent Federations and Associations at an appropriate time in the next phase, they said.

The 10 trade unions are Indian National Trade Union Congress (INTUC), All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC), Hind Mazdoor Sabha (HMS), Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU), All India United Trade Union Centre (AIUTUC), Trade Union Co-ordination Centre (TUCC), All India Central Council of Trade Unions (AICCTU), Self-Employed Women's Association (SEWA), Labour Progressive Federation (LPF) and United Trade Union Congress (UTUC).

They asked the government to immediately hold the long overdue Indian Labour Conference to dwell upon the 12-point charter of demands, the labour and trade union rights, issues of job losses, wages, job security and the migrant workers' issues.

There are 12 central trade unions in the country.

"We cannot accept lying down the designs for imposition of slavery on workers through total nullification of all labour laws; nor can we remain onlooker to the government project of wholesale privatization of our public sector undertakings (PSUs) through multi-pronged routes," they said.

The jobless are more than 14 crore and if the daily wagers/ contract/ casual workers are added, the number swell up to more than 24 crores who are out of livelihood at present, they said.

"The so-called Rs 20 lakh crore package of the government is nothing but a hoax and cruel joke on the suffering people," they said.

They alleged, "Modi Government has most insensitively dealt with the problem of COVID-19 as law and order issue instead of treating it as medical emergency for the human being and society. It has caused immense miseries to millions of workers, farmers and other vulnerable sections of the society. Whereas, the government stood only by corporates and big businesses."