Trade unions start week-long protest

Kuldip Bhatia

Ludhiana, Dec 8

The Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) today started a week-long protest at the office of deputy commissioner here to mark the commencement of a mass agitation against the alleged mafia groups operating under political patronage in the businesses of sand, gravel, bricks, drugs, cable and transport.

The protesting workers and activists of CITU submitted gave a memorandum addressed to the Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the district authorities.

They demanded that brick kilns should be taken out of the purview of the Mining Act, sand and gravel should be made available to public on control rate and stern action should be taken against political leaders as well as bureaucrats supporting drug trafficking in Punjab.

State leader of CITU and national vice-president of Construction Workers Federation of India Tarsem Jodhan expressed concern over reports stating that MGNREGS might be diluted or altogether scrapped. Demanding scrupulous implementation of MGNREGS across the country, he also called for putting a stop to anti-worker amendments being made in labour laws at the behest of employers.

Jodhan further demanded that exploitation of workers recruited under various schemes be put to an end by treating them at par with government employees, contract system of recruitment should be scrapped and employees should be regularised, undesirable and whimsical changes should not be made in the syllabus of schools, minimum wages of unskilled, semi-skilled and skilled workers should be enhanced and recruitment of employees should be opened in all government departments.