Just when the BJP led NDA government was busy giving final push to anti-labour reforms in the form of three Codes in the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday, ten Central Trade Unions (CTUs) jointly launched their protest campaign in several towns and cities across India which were participated by lakhs of workers. 

 

In New Delhi, the leaders of all central trade unions addressed gathering of the workers at Jantar Mantar exposing the BJP government’s utter untruths about the labour codes benefiting the workers and its claims of taking the trade unions into confidence. 

 

The CTU leaders lambasted the BJP government for displaying utter contempt for Parliamentary democracy by passing the three labour Codes in Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha without the presence of opposition members. 

 

The copies of four Codes –Code on Wages, Code on Social Security; The Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code and The Industrial Relations Code – were torn into shreds by many protesting workers to display their anger against government’s undemocratic approach to railroad the bills for passage without their consent. 

 

Incidentally, the protests are being joined in by workers from all the sectors, including unorganised sectors as they are seeing the importance of putting up a joint fight against the anti-labour policies that affect each one of them in one way or the other. The protest at Jantar Mantar also witnessed solidarity by likeminded civil rights activists.  

 

The CTU leaders reiterated lending support of the working class to all India protests that are being organised by the farmers on September 25 against equally exploitative farm bills. 

 

“With the passage of the labour code bills and the farm bills it has become imperative for the toiling people to unite in their full strength to fight them at the ground,” said Centre for Indian Trade Unions (CITU) in a statement.

 

The workers under the joint banner of 10 CTUs – INTUC, AITUC, HMS, CITU, AIUTUC, TUCC, SEWA, AICCTU, LPF, UTUC and independent sectoral federations and associations – also conducted protests in various industrial sectors all over India to protest against anti-worker codification of labour laws and other changes, against disinvestment and privatisation of public sector enterprises including 100 percent FDI in some of the core sectors of India’s economy. 

 

“Our other demands include lockdown wages for workers, no retrenchments of the workers and no wage cuts during the lockdown period as advised by the government, Universal Public Ration Distribution to all needy citizens, cash transfer of Rs.7500/- pm to all unorganised sector workers and self-employed workers at least for 6 months for their sustenance,” said the joint statement.

 

The CTUs have jointly called upon all their members and the entire working class to stand in full solidarity with the peasants through physical mobilisation on the September 25 protest.