Centre of Indian Trade Union State general secretary M.A. Gafoor on Monday said Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu were on the same page to bring about drastic changes in labour laws at the behest of corporate lobby.
The former MLA told The Hindu on the sidelines of the State council meeting of CITU here, a day after conclusion of 21st national congress of CPI (M) that both of them were bent upon keeping the corporates in good humour by converting ‘Make in India’ into ‘loot in India’ campaign.
Mr. Gafoor said that in the name of ‘Make in India’ foreign investors were being encouraged in core sectors and several orders were being placed for importing high-value equipment and finished products for defence and other sectors.
In a scathing attack on the anti-labour policies of the Centre and the State, he said that Mr. Modi was now proposing to take away 80 per cent of industrial workers out of the purview of labour enactments by denying them provident fund and ESI facility and increasing maximum working hours from eight hours a day.
On the other hand, the Telugu Desam Government had taken unilateral decision to amend Industrial Disputes’ Act, Factories Act, Contract Labour (Abolition and Regulation) Act, Welfare Fund Act and Registration Act without consulting the labour unions, he said.
General strike
To fight against subjugation of workers’ rights, the CITU would join hands with all the trade unions for a united fight. “We want to bring all the trade unions under a common platform to voice our protest,” he said.
A general strike is proposed in June. As a prelude to the general strike, the CITU will hold district conventions in all 13 districts of the State by May 20. “We will spearhead a campaign from the grassroots to create awareness on dangers being posed to the industrial workers,” Mr. Gafoor said.
