CITU to observe ‘black day’ today

The Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) will observe September 23 as a black day to protest four labour codes and “anti-labour” policies of the Central Government. The CITU will be holding state-wide protests and demonstrations at district and block levels to raise their various demands.

This was decided during the two-day workshop of the CITU’s district committee in which more than 100 representatives of the union participated. During the workshop, CITU state president Vijendra Mehra said unemployment, poverty, inequality and livelihood crisis were increasing due to the neo-liberal and “capitalist policies” of the Centre. “There is a huge hike in the prices of petrol, diesel, cooking gas and food items.”

He said the CITU demands minimum wage of Rs 26,000 per month and pension to all workers; withdrawal of the four “anti-labour” codes and the Electricity (Amendment) Bill; regularisation of all workers by abolishing part-time, multi-purpose, multi-task, temporary, casual, fixed term, contracting system and outsourcing system, besides providing 200 working days at a wage of Rs 600 per day under the MGNREGA with expansion in the urban areas.

He said that the anti-labour policies of the Modi government will be exposed on issues such as privatisation, disinvestment and inflation.