Trade Unions protest
Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, July 03 2020:
Coordinating Body of Trade Unions, Manipur today held a protest at Irabot Bhavan Complex, BT Road as a part of the Nationwide protest called by central trade unions including Indian National Trade Union Congress (INTUC) and Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) against the anti-worker and anti-poor policies allegedly initiated by NDA-led Government in the wake of COVID-19 pandemic.
"Protest against the anti-labour policy of NDA" staged at the Irabot Bhavan Complex was attended by L Sotinkumar, chairman of Co-ordinating Body of Trade Unions, Manipur; Ksh Santa, general secretary of CITU; Y Ranapratap, general secretary of INTUC; K Manoranjan, member of CPI State Secretariat; A Laba, president AMRTPUW; Y Indrani, president of Mid-Day Meal Workers Union among others.
L Sotinkumar, while speaking during the protest, charged that the Central Government has failed to consider the plight of many labourers who have been left unemployed for more than three months.
The NDA-led Government, in line with the closure of factories and industries due to COVID-19 pandemic, had earlier assured employment of many labourers will remain intact at their respective factories, industries or companies and promised to ensure their wages.
However the Centre has failed to deliver its assurance on the pretext of pleas filed by some private companies at the Supreme Court, he said.
About 14 crore labourers have been severely affected by the lockdown which has been in place for more than 3 months, he said while stating that the Government is yet to note their sufferings, he said while reiterating that trade unions have been pressing the Central Government to at least provide cash relief of Rs 7,500 per month to all registered and unregistered workers in the unorganised sectors for three months (April, May, June).
Citing cases of protests and compensation demand by kin of doctors, nurses, ambulance employees, ASHA workers and other health workers who had succumbed to the dreaded disease, Sotinkumar alleged that the Centre has failed to emphasise on healthcare system and even failed to take care of the "frontline warriors' of COVID-19 .
The trade unions will always stand up against the use of labourers as slaves, he continued while maintaining that the protest was held in denunciation of the neo-slavery idea.
The protest demanded that adequate protective gear and other additional facilities be provided to frontline warriors apart from providing enhanced allowances for scheme workers, adequate compensation to the family of deceased frontline warriors.
Demands for implementation of a new labour law, shortened working hour, to immediately stop privatisation of public sector units, extension of working days of MGNREGS to 200, monetary relief of Rs 7,500 per month to all workers in unorganised sectors for 6 months and introduction of Urban Employment Guarantee Scheme to generate employment for poor families living in urban areas, were also raised during the protest.
Similar protests were also held at 9 other locations across the State, said a statement of the Co-ordinating Body of Trade Unions, Manipur.
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