Trade unions oppose 'regressive' amendments to labour law

A Joint Committee of Trade Unions (JCTU) has submitted a memorandum to the Labour department to revoke the “regressive, anti-worker Labour Law amendment,” here on Friday.

Calling it a ‘unilateral’ move, the committee said that the amendments will be counterproductive and detrimental to the economy. In the memorandum submitted to the Principal Secretary, Labour department, they cited income-guarantee measures initiated by countries across the world to help workers and urged the state government to protect labour rights during the crisis.

“... In most countries across the globe, the governments have supported the working class by offering income-guarantee/income-top-up schemes; governments have mandated job security, waived rents, and utility bills for its citizens. However, it is a matter of great concern that our government is only looking at ways and means to enrich the employers’ lobby only by snatching the rights of the workers. This is a deeply flawed approach and has major socio-economic ramifications,” the memorandum by 10 trade unions such as CITU, INTUC, AITUC and others read.

The unions sought to know how the government could ensure employment growth by allowing lay-off and closure of industries. The arguments of the government regarding the amendments were bereft of logic, they said, adding that these regressive labour law changes are only meant to keep workers away from legal protection.

“In order to revive the economy, the Government of Karnataka should first give up its extremely naive or prejudiced position of conflating the interests of the industry with the interests of the economy. The economy is powered by the consumption expenditure of the bottom 90% of the population,” it said.

JCTU will take up programmes of mass agitations in order to secure the rights of the labourers, if the government continues its anti-labour policy, the memorandum added.