The 33rd plenary session of the Indian National Trade Union Congress (INTUC), which will begin in New Delhi on Wednesday, will urge the Congress, its parent organisation, to reconsider the economic policies it has been following since 1991 and go back to the “Nehruvian” path of mixed economy.
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The draft resolutions pledge political support to the Opposition parties and call for strengthening the fight against the policies of the Narendra Modi government. The plenary session, being held after a gap of four years, is expected to discuss and pass 27 resolutions.
Old Pension Scheme for all, social security for all, MGNREGA’s expansion, protection of public sector are some of the subjects of the draft resolutions. The draft political resolution notes that the economic reforms in India have been inimical to the interests of workers and trade unions. “
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The policies implemented by successive governments entailed among various interventions, reducing entry barriers for foreign investors thus allowing increasing levels of FDI in various industrial sectors, divestment, privatisation and job cuts in the public sector, poor enforcement of labour laws, exclusion of workers particularly those from the informal [unregulated] sector of the economy from the purview of labour and welfare laws, deregulation of labour markets and creating export processing zones that exclude private enterprises from most labour and welfare laws,” the draft resolution, a copy of which is with The Hindu, says.
Vice-President of the INTUC R. Chandrasekharan said the discussions will also take place on the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. “INTUC has membership of four crore workers. A strong INTUC is essential for a strong Congress. We are committed to bringing the Congress back to power in the interest of the workers and poor in the country,” he added.
Policy suggestions
The draft resolution also urges the Congress to consider and discuss the policy suggestions of the INTUC at the plenary session of the All India Congress Committee scheduled in Raipur this week. “To further strengthen the relationship between the two organisations, this plenary session of INTUC is of the opinion that a central coordination committee with equal representation of INTUC and Congress, chaired by Congress President or his nominee to be formed and they should meet quarterly to review the activities and relations between the two organisations,” the draft resolution added.
The draft principle resolution said trade unions have historically played the role of agents of social change. It added that the present government is functioning against basic democratic principles. “Both the government and the corporates speak identically with unity of purpose to exploit the working people-both formal and informal, uproot the adivasis, indigenous and forest dwellers to loot the natural resources of this country, which is a very tragic period in the post-independent era with devastating consequences for the polity now and the coming generations in future,” the draft resolution said.
The plenary will also demand a new social contract that includes strengthened fundamental human, social and workers’ rights, universal and adequate social protection systems, including a Global Social Protection Fund and sound labour and social legislation, including on gender equality and equal access to work.