Members of various trade unions took out a rally to mark May Day in the city on Sunday.
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Hundreds of workers and trade union members were part of the rally which commenced from Freedom Fighters’ Park following which a meeting was held at Maharaja’s College Centenary Hall.
The trade union activists said that May Day continued to be a reminder of workers’ rights and how it continued to be throttled by successive Governments. The challenges facing the working class and how the present Government at both the Centre and the State was pursuing policies that was both anti-workers and anti-farmers in nature was highlighted by the trade unions. The dilution of the labour law in pursuit of labour reforms, the amendments to various laws in the guise of land reforms to push the small land holding farmers to the brink, the escalating price of essential commodities that was affecting all sections of society were stated as evidence of the Government’s anti-workers policies
Though May Day, which came into being in 1890 and led to a settlement as per which only 8 hours of work was stipulated, the situation was drastically different in the country with people working 12 to 16 hours to sustain themselves under duress. What is dismaying is that there is a proposal to make 12 hours the official norm which was detrimental to the interest of the workers, said the trade union activists.
Members from AITUC, INTUC, CITU, AIUTUC, etc. had come together under the banner of Joint Committee of Trade Unions to observe May Day.