Members of major trade unions staged a protest near Soorampatti Four Roads on Tuesday flaying the Central Government for pursuing ‘anti-labour’ policies.
S. Chinnasamy, AITUC State Secretary and district unit president, questioned the rationale behind the Central government keeping prices of petrol and diesel high despite slide in cost in international market, saying it was the reason for the increasing prices of essential commodities.
The protesters raised slogans condemning the Central Government for privatising public sector enterprises, and permitting foreign direct investments in very many areas on the one hand and withdrawing welfare subsidies for the poor and the middle classes on the other. They demanded immediate control of cost of essential commodities, creation of new employment opportunities, withholding of concessions for industries that do not provide job security for employees, retention of employee-oriented rules, social security schemes for left out workers in unorganised sector, fixing minimum monthly salary of Rs. 18,000 for workers and minimum monthly pension of Rs. 3,000, abandoning the system of contract work, simplification of eligibility norms for ESI, and lifting the ceiling on bonus and gratuity.
AITUC state committee member V. Siddayan presided over. District unit functionaries of AITUC, CITU, INTUC, LPF, HMS and AICCTU addressed the gathering.
Special Correspondent from Salem adds:
In Salem, members of various trade unions took out a rally and staged a demonstration in the city to express their support to the nationwide strike on September 2.The rally was flagged off from the Bose maidan and the members of the CITU, AITUC, Labour Progressive Front (LPF), HMS, AICCTU marched up to collectorate.Later, they staged a demonstration in front of the collectorate and it was led by T. Udayakumar, Salem district secretary of the CITU.
S. K. Thiagarajan, state vice president of the CITU, Panneerselvam, its district president, K. A. Venugopal, district president and M. Munusamy, district secretary of the AITUC, R. Palaniappan of LPF, C. Govindarajan, state secretary of the HMS and others spoke highlighting the demands.
They called upon the working class and the general public to extend support for making the September 2 strike a success.
