Attack on workers’ rights: CITU demands withdrawal of 4 labour codes, holds protest
On the directive of the central committee of the Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU), its Mandi district committee organised a protest against the Central Government outside the office of the Labour Officer in Mandi district yesterday. A memorandum addressed to the President of India was handed over to the Labour Officer, demanding the immediate withdrawal of the four labour codes enacted by the Central Government.
CITU leaders criticised the Union Government for describing the codes as “worker-friendly” and a step towards “modernisation”. They alleged that the codes represented the most aggressive attack on workers’ rights since Independence. According to them, the aim of the codes was to facilitate exploitation in the corporate sector, promote contract system and allow unrestricted hiring and firing, undermining job security and trade unionisation.
The union contended that the Central Government’s claim of “simplifying 29 labour laws into four codes” was misleading, as they had diluted the protective provisions of key legislations, including the Industrial Disputes Act, Factories Act, Mines Act and the Contract Labour (Regulation and Abolition) Act. Instead of safeguarding workers, the codes would weaken enforcement mechanisms and push the workforce into insecure employment.
CITU said that the unorganised sector, which employs over 90 percent of India’s workforce, would suffer the most as workers may not get protections such as appointment letters and minimum wages. It criticised the Wage Code for failing to provide a scientific living wage and allowing regional variations that could reduce the existing minimum wages. The National Floor Level Wage, the union claimed, was misleading and inadequate, leaving millions without effective protection.
On social security, CITU objected to limited health coverage through the Employees’ State Insurance Corporation (ESIC). It said that small establishments had been exempted from many safety and health provisions.
It also criticised the removal of stringent penalties for delay in wage payments and illegal deductions, highlighting that payments under schemes like MGNREGA to many workers were still pending.
The union condemned fixed-term employment provisions for promoting job insecurity and weakening workers’ continuity, seniority and benefits. It said that women workers continued to face wage disparities, unsafe conditions and the denial of maternity benefits, with little enforcement under the new codes.
CITU district general secretary Rajesh Sharma along with Suresh Sarwal, Tilak Raj, Gopender, Rajender, Rakesh Kumar, Neelam and other trade union activists took part in the protest. Rajesh Sharma reaffirmed the commitment of CITU to continue agitating until the four labour codes were repealed and workers’ rights were fully restored.
