Farm, trade bodies to protest new labour laws today

The trade unions have consistently opposed and demanded scrapping of the "anti-worker" and "pro-employer" labour codes brought in the name of ‘labour reform’ to facilitate "ease of doing business".

"These labour codes are to push the workforce once again to the exploitative conditions of the colonial era. Moreover, no consultations with trade unions from the drafting stage were held. No labour conference was called for discussions on such a serious matter over the lives of the workforce," the Central Trade Unions (CTUs) said in a statement.

The Samyukta Kisan Morcha said the BJP-led regime was succumbing to the corporate forces by denying the workers their hard-won rights, including eight-hour work, secured employment, workplace safety, right to unionise, collective bargaining and right to strike, with the new codes.

It also accused the Centre of eroding the right to reservation in jobs for the Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, minorities and other backward castes by compromising the constitutional principles of social justice and equality.