A joint forum of 10 central trade unions, farmers’ body Sanyukt Kisan Morcha and power sector engineers’ body AIPEF on Wednesday held nationwide protests, demanding withdrawal of the four labour codes, and guaranteed MSP, among others.
The government last week notified all four Labour Codes, ushering in major reforms, including universal social security coverage for gig workers, mandatory appointment letters for all employees, and statutory minimum wages and timely payment across sectors.
What did the memorandum say?
In a memorandum to President Droupadi Murmu, the joint forum said, “These codes negate our right to strike, make union registration problematic, de-recognition of unions easy, the process of conciliation and adjudication cumbersome, winding up labour courts and introducing a tribunal for workers, and overriding power to registrars to de-register unions.” Speaking with PTI, AITUC general secretary Amarjeet Kaur said protests were held in over 500 districts of the country in which formal and informal workforce from all sectors and the industry participated.
The joint forum in a statement said that a “massive mobilisation” was witnessed across the country in protest against the newly notified labour codes and the “anti-farmer policies” of the central government.
Protest were also held in public sector enterprises, industrial areas, rural areas, and at the block-sub-division level by informal sector workers, agricultural labourers, farmers, and other sections of the common people. It said the trade unions consider labour codes as a negation of labour rights.
“These codes negate our right to strike, make union registration problematic, de-recognition of unions easy, the process of conciliation and adjudication cumbersome, winding up labour courts and introducing a tribunal for workers, and overriding the power of registrars to de-register unions”. Trade unions and SKM also strongly protested an attack on the worker-farmer demonstration at Dharmanagar, in North Tripura District.
What demands were put forth by SKM
A protest was also held at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar. Speaking at the protest, former CPI(M) MP and AIKS leader Hannan Mollah accused the union government of betraying farmers and workers. “The Modi government has betrayed the workers and farmers of this country. Farmers and workers are united in this fight against the government’s policies,” Mollah said.
Demands of the SKM include MSP based on the Swaminathan Commission’s formula and a law to ensure its binding, loan waiver for farmers, stopping privatisation of electricity, an increase in the number of days and wages under MGNREGA, among others.
What did Shailendra Dubey say?
Meanwhile, AIPEF Chairman Shailendra Dubey said lakhs of power sector workers also participated in the protest against labour codes and the Electricity Amendment Bill. The All India Power Engineers Federation (AIPEF) has opposed it, arguing that the bill proposes multiple distribution licensees to use the existing network of government discoms. “The bill seems to support privatisation motives. The central government continues to press ahead with its privatisation agenda through the Electricity (Amendment) Rules,” AIPEF Chairman Shailendra Dubey said.