Hundreds of factory workers led by Centre for Indian Trade Unions (CITU) staged a protest in the city on Monday condemning the “anti-people” and “anti-labour” policies of the BJP-led NDA Government.
The CITU office bearers said they wanted to highlight the failures of the Centre in not fulfilling its promises and living up to the expectations of the people.
Though oil prices have collapsed in the international market, Centre has hiked the prices of petroleum and related products on five occasions in the last one year without giving relief to the people, according to the CITU.
It said there was no difference between the BJP-led NDA and the Congress-led UPA Governments and described them as two sides of the same coin.
The Centre’s attempts to bypass the Parliament by introducing an ordinance on Land Acquisition Bill came under flak by the trade union leaders who said the Government was trying to facilitate the capitalists and industrialists at the cost of farmers. Likewise, the labour laws are being diluted for the benefit of the industrialists who can adopt a ‘hire and fire’ policy underlining the anti-labour policies of the Government, said the CITU.
The trade union activists highlighted the crisis in many industries in Mysuru district as a case in point of the labour laws being violated with impunity by the management by way of delay in releasing wages, withholding various benefits due to the workers etc.
The activists took out a procession through the main thoroughfares of the city and assembled in front of Deputy Commissioner’s office.
