Congress govt in Karnataka more eager to implement 'anti-worker' labour codes than BJP-ruled States: CITU

New Delhi: CPI(M)-affiliated Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) on Friday claimed that the Siddaramaiah-led Karnataka government is showing more eagerness in implementing the “anti-worker” labour codes than the BJP-ruled States and said they would approach the Congress leadership to argue for reversing the course taken in the southern State.

CITU general secretary Elamaram Kareem said the Karnataka government published the draft rules earlier this week for three of the four codes and it is not merely implementing the codes but “systematically” introducing provisions that are “more regressive, arbitrary and unconstitutional”.

Claiming that the provisions in the Karnataka draft rules are creating a legal framework “significantly more dangerous” for workers, he said these rules impose “harsher conditions, create illegal exemptions and grant blanket powers” that the Central codes never authorised.

“When the BJP-ruled States are yet to come up with rules, why this hurry? Congress-affiliated INTUC is in the forefront of the fight against these codes,” he told a press conference. He said the CITU would reach out to the Congress central leadership to intervene to ensure that it is rolled back.

CITU president Sudip Dutta recalled that the entire I.N.D.I.A. bloc had opposed the passage of the codes in Parliament and termed the Karnataka government’s move “unfortunate”.